A Walden Woods Walk to Stop Private Jet Expansion
The Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion At Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE), Sierra Club MA Chapter, and The Walden Woods Project joined together on October 26, 2024 for a free guided walk through the historic Walden Woods where participants learned more about the organizations, the parks, and the threat posed to it by the proposed private jet hangar expansion at Hanscom Field.
Read the full press release here
The soft crunch of orange leaves and crisp fall air were potent as we walked silently through Walden Woods on our way to the pond. The group, around 30 strong, ranged from curious citizens eager to hear about the proposed project to intrepid advocates ready to learn more. How would this feel with the sound of private jets flying overhead?
Read the full reflection by Sierra Club’s, Tyler Aprati here
The Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom (SPJE), The Walden Woods Project, and Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter hosted a nature walk near Walden Pond on October 26 to protest the proposed expansion of Massport-owned Hanscom Field airport.
The expansion project threatens historic sites, including Walden Pond and Minute Man National Historical Park - areas designated among America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in May. Hanscom is already New England's second busiest airport after Logan.
An independent study found the development would add over 6,000 new private jet flights annually. The project would clear-cut about 20 acres of mature woods and add approximately 150,000 tons of carbon emissions yearly. If implemented, private jet emissions from Hanscom alone would negate nearly 70% of all solar PV installations in Massachusetts.
"We're bringing people together at Walden Pond - the birthplace of American environmental consciousness - to witness firsthand what's at stake," said Lilly Worthley, Digital Organizing Director at SPJE. "This sacred landscape, where Thoreau's vision of environmental stewardship was born, now faces an unprecedented threat from luxury private jet expansion."
This expansion would primarily benefit a privileged few while undermining the state's climate targets and threatening historic preservation.