Building a Vision for Our Weir River Estuary: An Inventory of Open Space and Public Access around the Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern and Summary of the Weir River Estuary Visioning Workshop

The Weir River Estuary Park Open Space and Public Access Inventory is a planning document designed to provide collective information on public open space and water access opportunities around the Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). It catalogs what is known about all undeveloped lands and accessways around the estuary and draws from existing reports and plans, interviews with government officials, and comments conveyed during a day-long public visioning workshop in May 2003. The inventory is intended as a support document to augment existing open space plans, master plans, and harbor management plans in Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset — the communities that share the estuary and the ACEC and to unify common elements of these plans to assist local and state planning efforts around the estuary. The central estuarine habitats (approximately 922 acres) were designated in 1986 as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) (formerly the Department of Environmental Management (DEM)) administers the ACEC Program for the Secretary and provided funds and technical support for the visioning workshop and report. Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM) staff also provide ongoing support to this ACEC, as does the Land Acquisition staff of DCR (formerly Metropolitan District Commission (MDC)). There are a number of reasons why it is important to examine open space and public access around the estuary. First, all three communities have prepared various plans that address these topics to some degree. But these sources have not been formally combined to depict what is known about the arrangement and extent of open spaces and accessways exclusively around the estuary. Second, with almost 17 miles of shoreline, the Weir River estuary is one of the South Shore’s most valuable natural resources, but only a small percentage of this shore can be considered permanently protected open space, with much of it at risk of being developed in a manner that may cause harm to many environmental and aesthetic values that are both rare and fragile. Finally, this inventory will provide a planning tool for the municipalities, open space committees, and community stewardship groups by informing local residents about what land is already accessible and what land might be worthy of protecting or acquiring. To this end, the information presented in this report will form a base from which the communities can work towards the common goals of preserving scenic beauty and local character, providing better access to the estuary, and improving awareness of the estuary’s natural and recreational resources

Weir River Estuary: Land Protection Plan

If economic growth were the only measure of a community’s health and vitality, then the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull are fairing well. But this economic success is generally accompanied by changes in the physical landscape that can be unsettling for residents, especially when it means more development and expansion at the expense of culturally and socially important open space areas such as parks, woods, and marshes. The rapid pace and fragmented nature of such sprawling development gives communities little opportunity to come to terms with the long-term impacts, which in turn can lead to a sense of powerlessness and an ensuing failure to intervene. The Weir River Estuary Park (WREP) Land Protection Plan builds upon the existing open space and public access inventory, Building a Vision for Our Weir River Estuary, which was prepared in August 2003 under a separate contract (Lefebvre 2003). The Building a Vision report identified unprotected lands around the Weir River ACEC, while this follow-up planning project provides strategies about how to protect these lands. This report identifies the shared vision and goals of the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull for protecting the region’s unique beauty, serenity, and important ecological functions. The plan examines various techniques and tools for land protection and provides guidance as to how these can best be applied to meet the goals for the estuary. Maps and a table with detailed parcel information at the end of the report identify the undeveloped properties around the estuary and the protection possibilities and priorities for each

Gulf River Estuary Natural Resources Inventory

The purpose of this analysis is to inventory the present assemblage of natural resources in the vicinity of the Gulf River estuary as well as to provide information on land use, recreational use, and pollution threats and concerns. The inventory summarizes existing research and the knowledge and experience of local experts and residents who are most familiar with the Gulf River’s natural environment. It could be used as the first step toward producing a resource management plan for the Gulf River estuary. The analysis was initiated and funded by the Gulf River Association and prepared to serve as a reference for the Association, as well as local and state officials and citizens who are committed to protecting the ecosystem and to making the most of what their natural environment offers. The inventory provides the necessary background to prioritize additional research needs and to assess existing local environmental and land use management practices and policies. The document presents both anecdotal and scientific data relating to watershed characteristics, history of the region, habitats of the Gulf River estuary, geology and soils, biological resources, water quality, land use, open space and recreation, and environmental quality concerns and pollution sources. Interviews with local resource professionals and residents supplemented the literature review of existing reports and studies

L'architecture monumentale à caractère civique dans les Cantons-de-l'Est de 1855 à 1914 : étude de cas : le district judiciaire de Bedford

L'arrivée massive de loyalistes restés fidèles à l'Empire britannique, au lendemain de la guerre de l'Indépendance américaine de 1776, alliée à l'intensification de la colonisation britannique dès la fin du XVIIe siècle, mèneront à la création du territoire des Cantons-de-l'Est et à la division des terres -jusqu'alors divisées selon les règles d'attribution caractérisant les seigneuries - en franc et commun socage. Provenant de divers groupes ethniques et de différentes positions sociales, ces nouveaux arrivants ont tôt fait de marquer ce territoire en friche, leur présence ayant de fortes répercussions sur le développement démographique, économique et culturel du Bas-Canada. Avec le surpeuplement des seigneuries, l'arrivée de compagnies de colonisation ainsi que l'avènement de phénomènes tels l'urbanisation, l'industrialisation et le développement de nouveaux modes de communications, qui favoriseront l'installation de francophones de religion catholique dans les Cantons-de-l'Est, la nécessité d'établir un ordre social dans ce vaste territoire en essor démographique devient une nécessité. Le développement des collectivités des Cantons-de-l'Est, allié aux demandes répétées de sa population, amèneront les autorités gouvernementales à adopter, dès la fin de la première moitié du XIXe siècle, des projets de loi visant à instaurer un certain ordre social. Suivant l'implantation des premiers bureaux d'enregistrement (Loi de l'enregistrement en 1841), la formation des premiers conseils municipaux (Loi des municipalités et des chemins du Canada-Est de 1855) ainsi que la création des districts judiciaires et des cours de comtés (Acte judiciaire du Canada de 1857), émerge la nécessité d'ériger des édifices en mesure d'abriter adéquatement ces nouveaux pouvoirs locaux et régionaux, tant municipaux que juridiques et judiciaires. La construction simultanée de diverses typologies d'édifices monumentaux à caractère civique entre 1855 et 1914, dans un territoire ne comportant aucune structure sociale, donnera lieu à des planifications et à des mises en chantier principalement marquées par les aspirations, les ressources financières disponibles et les besoins de chacune de ces nouvelles corporations municipales. Bien que présentant des caractéristiques qui leurs sont propres, tant au niveau de leur volumétrie, de leur forme architecturale que de leurs procédés de construction, ces édifices s'inscrivent dans un processus global présentant une certaine homogénéité.\ud ______________________________________________________________________________ \ud MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Histoire de l'architecture, architecture monumentale, pratiques architecturales, gouvernance, urbanité, comté, canton, ville, village, paroisse, palais de justice, bureau d'enregistrement, édifice de comté, hôtel de ville, marché, caserne d'incendie, district judiciaire de Bedford, Cantons-de-l'Est, Québec (province), Canada, 1855-1914, 19e siècle, 20e siècle

Improving Links Between Science and Coastal Management: Results of a Survey to Assess U.S. State Coastal Management Science and Technology Needs

In Winter 2003/2004 the Coastal States Organization (CSO) sponsored a national survey of state coastal resource managers to better understand their science and technology needs. The web-based survey was sponsored by CSO with funding provided by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) at the University of New Hampshire. This survey builds upon a previous survey conducted by CSO in 1999. CSO contracted with the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) at UMass-Boston to prepare the survey questions and final report. The University of New Hampshire Survey Center was contracted to conduct the survey and analyze the results. Two hundred thirty (230) respondents completed the survey from 33 states, territories and Commonwealths. Organizations participating in this survey included the Coastal States Organization (CSO), National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP), Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM), Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA), and the Atlantic States Fishery Management Commission (ASFMC). While some analysis of the data and recommendations how on the report should be used are provided, this report is not intended to offer specific interpretations of the results. Rather it is intended to raise awareness on those topics, research, information, and technology needs that are important to coastal resource managers for the purpose of initiating further dialogue on what exactly this data means and how it can best be applied to improve our future efforts

South Shore Vessel Pumpout Evaluation & Outreach Plan, Final Report

During the course of this study, 413 boaters, seven pumpout facility operators and a number of state and municipal officials either were interviewed or completed questionnaires focused on the boat sewage pumpout facilities along the South Shore of Massachusetts. The aims of the boater survey were to:collect data on how boaters disposed of their sewage waste;learn how well informed boaters were regarding the location of sewage pumpouts;determine if boaters were able to find operational pumpout facilities when they needed them;learn what common problems had been experienced when using pumpouts;determine if there were adequate facilities to service the South Shore boating community. The operator survey aimed to:collect data on how frequently pumpouts were used;determine how each marina’s pumpout services worked;to learn what common problems operators experienced with the equipment;to learn how marina operators promoted their services. In addition to providing much needed statistical data on the number and size of boats, where they were used, the frequency at which they were used, etc., this study provided insight into what boaters and marina operators knew about the environmental impacts of vessel sewage in the coastal environment. These data, along with a web search for other outreach efforts and a literature search on environmental education and outreach, were reviewed to assess what future outreach may be needed and the shape it should take

State Coastal Observations and Monitoring Needs: Results of a Survey to Assess Coastal Management Needs (DRAFT REPORT)

The success of the U.S. Coastal Ocean Observing System will be measured, in part, by how well the needs of the coastal management community are being addressed. The results of this survey indicate that the two most important management issues facing coastal programs are land use and habitat change. It is essential that the planning and implementation of the USCOOS take this fact into account and place a priority on addressing these high priority management needs. This can only be accomplished through the direct long-term involvement of the coastal management community with USCOOS efforts at the national and regional levels. By working together on this survey, SEACOOS and the coastal management community have demonstrated one way that coastal science and management can be focused on a common goal

Morphological characteristics of motor neurons do not determine their relative susceptibility to degeneration in a mouse model of severe spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a leading genetic cause of infant mortality, resulting primarily from the degeneration and loss of lower motor neurons. Studies using mouse models of SMA have revealed widespread heterogeneity in the susceptibility of individual motor neurons to neurodegeneration, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. Data from related motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggest that morphological properties of motor neurons may regulate susceptibility: in ALS larger motor units innervating fast-twitch muscles degenerate first. We therefore set out to determine whether intrinsic morphological characteristics of motor neurons influenced their relative vulnerability to SMA. Motor neuron vulnerability was mapped across 10 muscle groups in SMA mice. Neither the position of the muscle in the body, nor the fibre type of the muscle innervated, influenced susceptibility. Morphological properties of vulnerable and disease-resistant motor neurons were then determined from single motor units reconstructed in Thy.1-YFP-H mice. None of the parameters we investigated in healthy young adult mice - including motor unit size, motor unit arbor length, branching patterns, motor endplate size, developmental pruning and numbers of terminal Schwann cells at neuromuscular junctions - correlated with vulnerability. We conclude that morphological characteristics of motor neurons are not a major determinant of disease-susceptibility in SMA, in stark contrast to related forms of motor neuron disease such as ALS. This suggests that subtle molecular differences between motor neurons, or extrinsic factors arising from other cell types, are more likely to determine relative susceptibility in SMA

Enhanced Chondrogenic Capacity of Mesenchymal Stem Cells After TNFα Pre-treatment

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising cells to treat cartilage defects due to their chondrogenic differentiation potential. However, an inflammatory environment during differentiation, such as the presence of the cytokine TNFα, inhibits chondrogenesis and limits the clinical use of MSCs. On the other hand, it has been reported that exposure to TNFα during in vitro expansion can increase proliferation, migration, and the osteogenic capacity of MSCs and therefore can be beneficial for tissue regeneration. This indicates that the role of TNFα on MSCs may be dependent on the differentiation stage. To improve the chondrogenic capacity of MSCs in the presence of an inflamed environment, we aimed to determine the effect of TNFα on the chondrogenic differentiation capacity of MSCs. Here, we report that TNFα exposure during MSC expansion increased the chondrogenic differentiation capacity regardless of the presence of TNFα during chondrogenesis and that this effect of TNFα during expansion was reversed upon TNFα withdrawal. Interestingly, pre-treatment with another pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, did not increase the chondrogenic capacity of MSCs indicating that the pro-chondrogenic effect is specific for TNFα. Finally, we show that TNFα pre-treatment increased the levels of SOX11 and active β-catenin suggesting that these intracellular effectors may be useful targets to improve MSC-based cartilage repair. Overall, these results suggest that TNFα pre-treatment, by modulating SOX11 levels and WNT/β-catenin signaling, could be used as a strategy to improve MSC-based cartilage repair