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Demolishing the iconic Pink House is not in the best interest of the US Fish and Wildlife service, and does not align with their mission to work with others to protect ecologically valuable land. Trading this one acre worth approximately $425,000 could net them up to 400 acres of marshland to conserve, because the typical marsh acres go for between $600-1200 an acre. While gaining very little in return, the plan to remove The Pink House leaves FWS giving up the opportunity to protect roughly 400 acres of Marshland. FWS now estimates demo to cost up to $90,000. They are listing it for auction but but have expressed they don't think that will succeed. If not, The cultural landmark would be demolished by winter. Regardless of method, removing the house will result in its non conforming lot becoming unbuildable within 2 years. It's assessed value will then drop from from $425+K to just a few thousand dollars. Adding that up, is in the range of a loss of $500k of taxpayer money. But it doesn't end there. That sum does not include the money that would additionally be needed to prepare Why would the US Fish and Wildlife Service then add more taxpayer expenses to the loss by putting a few benches, an info plaque or two, and parking for "up to four cars", which would then require perpetual monitoring... which they say they can't afford to do for The Pink House for the time it would take to do another land swap. And their final Environmental Assessment (EA) added that they now plan to fence it in to keep people from wandering. This as their final EA dated March 21, 2024 says, "This area that had long been closed to public access would afford a unique opportunity for people of all abilities to experience and learn about the Great Marsh ecosystem." Yet Greenbelt offers the same viewing area with parking for more cars about 300 yards down the road. There you walk far further and wide and can also run your dog, and fish and hunt. Since Congress funds a lot of FWS needs, our delegation - Congressman Moulton, Senator Markey and Senator Warren - should be more concerned about this needless waste. Especially when there are still viable land trade options on the table. They are being turned down by REfuge Manager Matt Hillman because, he says, "the FWS Realty doesn't have the stomach to go through it." Written by Jeff Ackley, Support the Pink House Board Member and Finance Chair
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Just in time for Mother's Day! An Osprey couple have been building a nest in The Pink House chimney. And a whole new world of Pink House lovers have come out of the woodwork, observing from afar, driving out to see them, joining out social media pages, and speaking up for the cause- to keep the iconic house right where it is. Last year, sticks and straw were seen sticking out of the chimney. We called it to FWS' attention then, concerned that an animal had gotten into the house. A commenter on our pages said they saw a bird trying last year so we assume some of that has formed the base for this year. There likely is a screen within the chimney at a certain depth to hold the softer grasses and bedding that he began by bringing to her in little bits, then bigger and longer swaths of grasses.  The female Osprey waits and watches for her partner to come with materials. PC: Sandy Tilton  PC: Michael Cataldo The female primarily stays at the site, arranging what he brings to her, tucking things in just so to her satisfaction. Then she waits, until she sees him approaching once again. Once the base was established, he began to bring sticks... and more sticks.  Beautiful capture by Joyce Wood While the initial sizes were good, as pictured here, he naturally began to bring bigger ones to build out as they would on a wider platform, but many were so big they fell off before they could stabilize them. As a result quite a bit have collected themselves in the corners on the roof. At least it's there for them to repurpose! This has been a tiring task for the male, who was seen putting his head on the female's chest after days of brining really big branches that weren't the right size.  PC: Joyce Wood The usually time to start a nest is in April, and this couple started in early May... Some are speculating they are young and practicing. Time will tell. If they succeed, they will have eggs, then chicks who need to grow to being fully fledged. Nesting season should take us into the end of August sometime.
Delighted as all are to have the opportunity to observe this, please do so quietly, and from as far away as possible, to respect their need for space and calm. She needs to feel secure to have her babies. Please share this blog on your social media or via email. Stay tuned, as we keep you updated. We have some new developments to post about! First the Pink Moon rose over The Pink House, creating a super special, memorable night for many photographers and folks in the region - some came from as far as CT and ME. Then - a rare show of the Aurora Borealis in the vast skies over The Pink House, which proved to be     PC Caroline Mitchell, Rowley, MA   Photo credit: Sandy Tilton Many to all who could make our public meeting on April 8. STPH conveyed substantial progress at that meeting, which we'll summarize here for any who could not be there. Since then, we've gotten an update which you can find below: Our public meeting was well attended and it was wonderful to see and hear such a passionate, highly interested group. Attendees were happy to learn that STPH's board and volunteers have continued to work full steam, despite that Parker River Refuge Manager Matt Hillman refused repeated requests for more time before he released the final Environmental Assessment to Remove the Pink House. Just 48 hours before that announcement, STPH members had 3 long conversations with Matt, saying they had land irons still in the fire, asking for even just two more weeks. Though he said no, within days we had confirmed 5 parcels (4 in Newbury, 1 in Rowley), all offering different advantages to Fish and Wildlife (FWS). It's difficult to see how one of these or a combination, which Matt stated publicly had always been an option, could not have worked if FWS wanted to get this done. These five added to prior parcels we submitted in February and March that had been declined, several of which had solid merits. We want to applaud and acknowledge these new landowners, who offered their private property in response to STPH because they felt compelled to help save this cultural icon and support artists and area businesses in their community. Owners said they had not been approached by FWS before, and if so, they may not have done the same. All options have clearly not been exhausted, FWS's stated basis for their decision to demolish The Pink House. On April 1, Nick Anastasi, STPH's attorney from Pierce Atwood, reached out to the Department of the Interior (DOI) solicitor to ask for a meeting with high ranking FWS decision makers. We felt sure they would reconsider if we had land they could accept. And we weren't sure they fully grasped just how much The Pink House is integral to this region - not just as a sentimental marker to small group of people. Nick wrote a comprehensive cover letter, we organized the 5 land offerings with stats, maps, and compelling reasons why they could work, along with a memo restating the many benefits FWS still has to gain vs. the lost opportunity cost of auction or demo. We included a stack of letters from organizations like the Tourist Bureau, the Chamber, preservation trusts, a few elected officials and government leaders of surrounding towns to show just how many people AND organizations in this region want The Pink House to stay and for FWS to take the benefits inherent in the trade. It was a very strong package. Knowing FWS could stop their plans at any moment, we hoped the many advantages to them would prevail. We also felt if FWS said no to this, in addition to at least 9 other special properties we brought them that could have worked, it would speak volumes. UPDATE: After waiting 3 long weeks, the DOI Solicitor informed our attorney that FWS is not presently interested in exploring those land offers, giving insufficient reasons or legal basis. We are still pursuing a resolution with them and hope to bring them around. Our attorney has requested they provide an explanation suitable to give to our donor community who is deserving of that information, and reiterated the desire for a meeting. Once again we all are waiting. Please remain vigilant, as we are not being informed by FWS, our former partner, as to the timing of their next steps. Rather, we anticipate they will again surprise the public with another announcement. If you'd like to express yourself or do something to help, scroll down to the ACTION segment of this letter.  IF YOU WANT TO HELP OR TAKE ACTION:
At the April 8th meeting, people asked STPH to keep fighting. We followed by saying the power is in the people. The Pink House needs everyone to pitch in to that effort with us. The room responded with thunderous applause. What can you do? WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR! Please make your voice heard. (Use Pink House in the title if you can).
Contact TV stations WBZ-TV and radio, WGBH-TV, WCVB-TV to do the same. CALL/EMAIL ELECTED OFFICIALS: FEDERAL: If you haven't already, pls write or call the offices of Moulton, Markey and Warren. Pls call 1 or all now while you're seeing it!
STATE: If you already have done the above, pls call or email and any other elected official, like:
Donate HERE Volunteer HERE Write us at [email protected] if you have questions! Thank you! |
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61 Pleasant Street, PO BOX 131, Newburyport, MA 01950 |