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Concord Journal and Lincoln Journal, April 13, 2000
Middlesex students, alumni work to save woods
By Lucille Daniel, Correspondent
Subheads: A new website, sponsored by Middlesex Graduates for Estabrook, can be reached at <http://www.estabrookwoods.org>.
Subheads: "The woods made sense when, oftentimes during those high school years, other things did not." -- Alumnus David Mitchell
When Earth Day is celebrated in Concord on April 29, a group of Middlesex School students plans to head for the woods in the hope that many of their classmates will follow. Members of Common Sense, an environmental awareness group on campus, have made the preservation of Estabrook Woods their top priority this year, and they are committed to raising awareness among their fellow students about the ecological value of the woods and its contributions to both educational growth and spiritual renewal.
Meanwhile, an alumni group that has been active for years in opposing the school's plan to develop part of its Estabrook property, has mounted a new website designed to educate the Middlesex community and the public about the woods and the status of the development proposal, which is on hold pending a citizens' appeal.
"I had never experienced the woods before I came to Middlesex," said senior Molly Tsongas of Lowell, head of school and one of three leaders of Common Sense. "Estabrook has been a whole new educational experience for me. I care so much about it, I try not to think too much about what the trustees want to do there."
Fellow Common Sense leader Jennifer McColloch of California comes to the woods from a different perspective. "I've enjoyed outdoor experiences all my life," she said. "I couldn't imagine living without it."
Olympia Shields, the third guiding force behind this year's Common Sense effort, describes taking a nature walk last fall with her Environmental Science class and visitors from the Orion Society. "We picked mushrooms and found all kinds of other things growing and living in the woods," she said. "Everywhere else you go, people control things. Not there."
In an effort to persuade the Middlesex Board of Trustees to reconsider plans to develop the so-called East Fields in Estabrook Woods, Molly, Jennifer, and Olympia presented members at the February board meeting with the results of a survey they had taken at the end of the first semester. Of the 265 respondents among students and faculty, 235 said they "value Estabrook Woods as one of Middlesex's resources," and 202 categorically opposed "cutting down part of the woods for athletic fields," with another 16 supporting the woods development only "if absolutely necessary."
Common Sense members also drafted a statement for the board outlining the history and ecology of the woods and stressing their educational value, including their use in teaching science and nature writing. In addition to mentioning their recreational use as a cross-country running and skiing resource, the students also underlined the importance of the woods as a personal refuge from the tensions of school life.
"I've become passionate about Estabrook," said Olympia. "It's such a nice change from the pressures of work and daily obligations."
Recently Common Sense had mugs made to eliminate the waste of cardboard and plastic cups. Printed on the mugs are five reasons to protect Estabrook Woods: preservation of nature; spiritual enrichment; historical value; scientific research; and, recreation.
Following the students' presentation to the trustees, board President Royall Victor III sent a letter to the students, stating that the trustees are "dedicated to a wise solution." He said the board is committed to doing "what is best for Middlesex in the long run."
Molly Tsongas acknowledges that both sides in the development controversy have real concerns about the future of Middlesex School. She adds that the students' positive relationship with the administration and trustees has made for healthy dialogue all along the way.
"But our solution is better in the long run, not only for us but for Concord, too, and for other surrounding communities," she said. "A decision about the woods has a bigger impact -- it doesn't just affect the school. We can look to the future, too. It will be our future."
Common Sense's written statement to the trustees ends with the statement: "The school must realize how much of a treasure it has in the woods. Middlesex School will someday be more attractive because it preserved a unique resource, resisted temptation and kept the spirit of the school and the environment alive."
The work of Common Sense, including the results of the recent survey, is highlighted on a new website, sponsored by Middlesex Graduates for Estabrook (MGFE). It can be reached at http://www.estabrookwoods.org.
Although still in its development stage, the site already contains information on the history and ecology of Estabrook Country, the story of how MGFE was formed in response to the development proposal, suggestions on how to get involved in the preservation effort, and space to write a letter to trustees.
Page Stites (Class of '94) is designing the website."I thought it would be a good way to keep people informed of new developments and also a good way to teach people something about the woods and their richness," he said. "I plan to use the web site for announcements and breaking news, but also for photographs, stories, ecological and historical information, and whatever else I can find to put up there."
Among those helping Stites with the project is alumna Annie Faulkner. Last fall, Faulkner (Class of '81), sent a letter on behalf of MGFE to supporters of Estabrook preservation. In it she expressed the hope that the Middlesex trustees would "come to understand that the greatest value of the woods to the school is in their undeveloped state, as an outdoor classroom for field biology and chemistry, nature writing, outdoor skills development, history and archeology instruction, and for recreation and quiet contemplation. I envision an "Estabrook Curriculum" at Middlesex that integrates place-based instruction into the existing line-up of literature, history, science and arts, enhancing the current curriculum...," she wrote.
In deference to the school's desire to cross the wetlands into the woods, Faulkner suggests "a small bridge leading to a sustainably built, energy-efficient structure ... that would protect the ecological integrity of the woods for study, reflection and enjoyment."
Another alumnus, David Mitchell (Class of '95), spoke this week of the impact Estabrook has had on his life. "As a student in Jim Beaton's "Walden" class, it was so amazing to be able to ramble in the same wild places as Thoreau himself did," said Mitchell, who is currently working as a naturalist at the Ferry Beach Ecology School in Saco, Maine, and participating in a beaver restoration project in Colorado. "Also, the woods opened me up to a world of science.... On a personal level, Estabrook was a place of solitude, meditation, journaling, reflection... and wonder. Middlesex was difficult at times and the woods were a refuge. The woods made sense when, oftentimes during those high school years, other things did not."
- Lucille Daniel
(This reporter's text reprinted with her permission.)