A LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO MASSACHUSETTS
Preservation Issues
Great Point Lighthouse (1986) -- Destroyed by severe storm in 1984, with the help of Senator Kennedy, $2 million in federal money was set aside for the building of a new Great Point Light. A replica, 300 yards west of the site of the old tower, was finished in 1986.
Highlands Lighthouse in Truro (also called Cape Cod Light) (1996)- Senator Kennedy helped secure funding to move the lighthouse from the edge of a cliff to more secure land (part of Cape Cod National Seashore)
Schooner Adventure -- Senator Kennedy helped secure $250,000 in Save American’s Treasures funding to assist with renovations to Gloucester’s historic fishing schooner Adventure.
Battleship Cove -- Senator Kennedy helped Battleship Cove secure a $360,000 Save America’s Treasures grant to perform badly needed repairs of the famed World War II battleships teak wood deck. A National Historic Landmark, the USS Massachusetts is the centerpiece of the world’s largest exhibition of historic naval ships and is home to the official Massachusetts memorials to all those who gave their lives in service to our country in World War II and the Persian Gulf War.
World War II Memorial -- Senator Kennedy worked with Mayor Ed Lambert to secure $150,000 in federal funding to support the construction of Fall River’s official World War II Memorial, a replica of the famous Iwo Jima Monument located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. The Memorial was dedicated in November in time to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the victory of World War II.
Ogonowksi Farm Preservation – Senator Kennedy worked with Congressman Marty Meehan to secure language to the 2002 Farm Bill to enable the permanent preservation of 38 acres of the Ogonowski farm. John Ogonowski, the farm’s owner, had been a founder of the Dracut Land Trust and was a pilot of one of the American Airlines planes on September 11, 2001.
Protection of the Kennelly Farm Property – Senator Kennedy helped the US Fish and Wildlife Service acquire the 50-acre Kennelly Farm property in Billerica to the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge by securing a $1.6 million in the federal budget. The Kennelly Farm property is a high-quality grassland habitat, and protecting it will keep nesting grounds for numerous bird species safe and secure.
Protection of the Belmont Springs Property – Senator Kennedy joined the Trust for Public Land, the Nashoba Conservation Trust, the Nissitissit River Land Trust, and Rep. John Olver in securing $1.38 million in federal funding to preserve and protect the Belmont Springs property. The Belmont Springs property, a 265-acre parcel, was the State’s top priority for funding through the US Forest Service’s Forest Legacy program
Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge Land Acquisition – Senator Kennedy helped the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, a satellite of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, secure more than $3 million to purchase and preserve the 118-acre Watt Farm in Harvard. The property is a high-quality grassland habitat for waterfowl, neo-tropical songbirds, and other wildlife.
Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge Land Acquisition – Senator Kennedy worked to secure $650,000 in federal funding to enable the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge to acquire environmentally sensitive property within the Connecticut River Watershed. Congress established the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge in 1991.
Acquisition and Protection of More than 2,000 Acres of Sensitive Forest Land – Senator Kennedy worked with the State of Massachusetts, the US Forest Service, and the Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust Inc. to secure $2.5 million to acquire and preserve 12 parcels of sensitive forest lands comprising more than 2,000 acres in the North Quabbin region.
Merrimack River Restoration - Lawrence, Lowell, Haverhill, Nashua and Manchester - Senator Kennedy has helped secure funding for the Army Corps of Engineers’ partnership with Lowell, Haverhill, Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, Nashua and Manchester, bringing the total value of federal earmarks for this project since FY01 to $2,200,000. The cities are working with the Army Corps on a comprehensive watershed improvement plan to find the best and most cost-effective way to clean up the river which is polluted from years of CSO discharges.
