Petition for Mayor John Vieau:
To buy back “Slate Conservation Area”and permanently protect it
 
This online petition is in regards to 57.46 acres of land located at the end of Slate Road in Chicopee, Ma – commonly known as Slate Conservation Area (addressed as “0” Fuller Road).  It is forested land regularly used for outdoor recreation.  This land abuts the Chicopee State Park, and is often used as an extension of it.   In 1969, most of these 57 acres were placed under the control of the “Chicopee Civilian Conservation Commission” and has been continuously used by Chicopee residents and individuals from all over Western MA for over 50 years. This area is home to dozens of species of plants and animals that are no longer common in Massachusetts.   This may include the Eastern Box Turtle, the Blue Spotted Salamander and the Climbing Fern and The Pink Lady Slipper.  The property serves as a link in an expansive wildlife corridor, which is home to bear, deer, turkeys, fisher cats, bobcat, coyotes and much, much more. In 2009, the City of Chicopee sold this land to Westover Metropolitan Development Corporation.  At the time of the sale, the City failed to properly notify the abutters of the land of the potential sale, so their concerns could not be addressed ahead of time.
 
Mayor John Vieau of Chicopee has the authority to appropriate funds to purchase this land back from the current owner and place it into permanent conservation.  Saving our climate and combating the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, saving the animals and conserving the limited forest land that is remaining in Chicopee MA are the goals of this petition.  
 
During a City Council Zoning Subcommittee Meeting on February 24, 2021, City Council President Shane Brooks and several other City Councilors were in support of the City taking this land back for conservation.  Now it’s your chance to join this cause and save this forest.
 
More information regarding this issue can be found by visiting https://slateconservationareaalliance.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/293782885487717