A Druid’s Web Log – June 2019 – Warmer weather and a dearth of bees

Greetings at the start of summer from a mountain top oak forest in New England!

Spring is very late in this neck of the woods. My hawthorn tree, planted from a seed I brought back from Uisneach, Ireland, some 20 years ago, usually blooms mid-May. It finally opened its blossoms on May 30. I have been watching the tree carefully for signs of bees, I haven’t seen any; no wild bees or honey bees or bees of any kind. In the past few weeks I did see two bumble bees in the garden, they were visiting the dandelions, pulmonaria and daffodils. I don’t even see those anymore!

I did find a bear paw print in the mud next to the house, which is eerily comforting.

I am proud to live in a small New England town that still make decisions by town meetings. We recently had our annual meeting and here are some of the things that were covered;

First, a new solar bylaw was passed to better control the placement of solar panels in town. It streamlines the approval process for safe projects, facilitates approval of solar arrays in sensible places rather than in locations that are a detriment to the town as a whole, provides standards to protect health, safety, welfare of residents, wildlife and natural resources, protects the town from speculative developers, staves off lawsuits by having clear and comprehensive guidelines, keeps control of solar development in the hands of the town, rather than state courts, nonresidential developers and investors.

Secondly, we voted to approve the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

“The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities. These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities. States parties will be obliged to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited under the TPNW undertaken by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control. The Treaty also obliges States parties to provide adequate assistance to individuals affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons, as well as to take necessary and appropriate measure of environmental remediation in areas under its jurisdiction or control contaminated as a result of activities related to the testing or use of nuclear weapons.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by the Conference (by a vote of 122 States in favour (with one vote against and one abstention) at the United Nations on 7 July 2017, and opened for signature by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 20 September 2017. It will enter into force 90 days after the fiftieth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession has been deposited.”

The United States is, of course, unwilling to sign the treaty and are trying to prevent NATO allies from signing, even though according to General Colin Powell nuclear weapons are “militarily useless”. Belchertown voted to call our Select board to support the TPNW and also calls upon federal leaders to sign and ratify it. We ask the state of Massachusetts to pass Bills HD 3477 and SD 1688 which call for a Commission to take the steps to bring Massachusetts into compliance with the TPNW.

NuclearBan.US has more information on how towns and individuals can get on board.

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