The most recent article in the Independent concerning our lake sent me to the dictionary to look up the word “collaborate” — a word used by the chairperson of the Sustainable Green Committee [SGC], of which I am a member. One definition was about working jointly on an intellectual endeavor. I can get behind that. Most definitions were about assisting the enemy. This is a problem. Many people confuse collaboration with compromise.
CIG [Citizens Input Group] for Lake Maspenock members have stated that their first preference is to use nontoxic methods of weed management. However, their behavior speaks to a strongly pro-herbicide stance. The SGC would be more than happy to work with the CIG and LMPA [Lake Maspenock Preservation Association] on increasing nontoxic options and seeking funding for these.
Poisoning our ecosystem, our children and all of us who swim in the lake is not a viable option. There is no compromise on this in the position of the Environmental Committee of the SGC. There is no compromise in the written charge of the SGC.
If you are interested in scientific background, I suggest an article in the Guardian on diquat.
I write this to clarify for both journalists and citizens that this is not a “both sides” situation. When something is harmful and wrong, it needs to be dismissed as a “solution.” Can we now work together to make our lake healthier?
— Carol Esler, Hopkinton
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Thanks for the letter to the editor.