Associated Press dispatch
February 24, 2003

Group eyes "Last Chance Landscape" designation
Protection sought for Hanscom area towns

LEXINGTON (AP) -- A national preservation group called the towns of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln and Bedford endangered national treasures today because the growth of a nearby commercial airport threatens the area's historic and natural heritage.

Scenic America, which each year names 10 communities as "Last Chance Landscapes," chose to spotlight the location because moe than 1,000 historic locations, including Walden Pond and Minute Man National Historical Park, are within a few miles of Hanscom Field.

"If Hanscom Field continues to grow, it will bring intolerable jet noise, sprawl, and increased road traffic to the historic towns of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln and Bedford, Massachusetts -- birthplace of the American Revolution and the American consevation movement," said Scenic America President Meg Maguire. "Now is the last chance to save one of America's most treasured places."

Save Our Heritage, an organization that has been battling the Massachusetts Port Authority over Hanscom's growth, nominated the four towns for inclusion on the list.

"It is time for the unnecessary commercialization and expansion of Hanscom Field to come to a halt," Save Our Heritage Director Anna Winter said.

Jose Juves, a spokesman for Massport, which runs the commercial part of the airfield, said activity at Hanscom has actually decreased since the 1970s when it was an active Air Force base.

"Millions of dollars spent in environmental studies have shown that activity at Hanscom Field has a minimal impact on the environment, road traffic," Juves said. "Comparative to the development the four communities have seen, Hanscom Field has played a relatively small role in the area."

Musician Don Henley, a former member of The Eagles and a founder of the Walden Woods Project, said Hanscom is ruining the natural and historic value of the area.

"How can a person stand on the battlefield where the American Revolution began and contemplate the sacrifice that all those people made with private jets screaming overhead?" he said.

Other political and cultural figures have voiced support for the designation. U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said the area merits "the highest standards of protection and preservation." Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, actor Christopher Reeve, and historian David McCullough also support the designation.

Scenic America's other Last Chance Landscapes for 2003 are: Creole Nature Trail National Scenic Byway in Louisiana; Glen Mary Plantation Historic Site in Georgia; Schuykill Marsh in Philadelphia; Lower Marks Creek Rural Landscape in North Carolina; Jordan River Conservation Corridor in Utah; Middle Potomac Scenic Corridor in Maryland and Washington; State Highway 99 Corridor in California; Blue Ridge Parkway Viewshed in Virginia; and the Gaviota Coast, California.

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