Petition to Preserve the Landlocked Forest

We, the undersigned, believe the Landlocked Forest is a major asset to the Town of Burlington and should be left in its natural state.  The forest was acquired by Burlington for watershed protection.  We still need to protect our watershed.  This land also serves flood control and water purification purposes for every taxpayer.

The Landlocked Forest is protected open space under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution.  Article 97 states that people have a right to clean air and water, and access to the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic qualities of their environment.

Given that Burlington has a lower percentage of conservation land than neighboring towns, with only 3% in Burlington vs. 8% in Woburn and 7% in Wilmington, we believe that this land should not be developed.  Given that Burlington already has five million square feet of office space in the permitting pipeline, which may take more than 10 years to completely develop, we believe that this land should not be developed.