Press Conference Statement by Ellie Daniels, 10/19/19

Good Morning and thank you for coming.

This is a very exciting day for us, a day that we can renew our faith in the power of individuals and small communities such as ours to make a difference.

The creation of the Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area is a result of passionate and forward-looking action by many individuals coming together with a moral imperative. The Friends are people who study and understand science, environmental stewardship, and civic duty. We, along with many of you, are compelled to stand up in defense of this beautiful place where we live, work, and raise our families. We recommit to the constitutionally promised democratic processes that we believe in as Americans. We fight for the very future of generations to come and the only planet we have which is under terrible assault at this time. 

Our children and grandchildren are demanding us to make radical changes. It is no longer tenable to consume, exploit, and discard as we have become accustomed. We have filled the oceans with plastic; sucked ancient aquifers dry; buried our trash and persistent waste in the earth; stripped the forests bare and laid the soil naked; filled our children’s bodies with neurotoxins and poisons; and overwhelmed our very atmosphere with carbon emissions. As a consequence, we stand on the threshold of the sixth great extinction. 

The forming of this beautiful conservation area is a manifestation of the vision and intention of one citizen, Harriet L. Hartley, nearly ¾ of a century ago. We embrace her commitment to preserving this area’s ecological integrity; we defend her stance against industrial invasion; we share her love of this community; and we join together to carry her legacy forward.

It is the actions and determination of individuals that are making a difference for the planet today. We must learn new ways to live with less consumption and waste, to practice reuse and regeneration, and to understand the inter-connected web of all life on earth. We can no longer depend upon old systems of governance that value profits over the planet and place the rights of corporations above those of individuals. We must stand up for the inherent right of every living being on the planet. It begins right here, in this community, on this shoreline of this Bay. We stand together as Friends, protecting the future of Belfast Bay, and we welcome you to join us.