Citizens of NH, VT, All U.S.A.- Take Back & Protect YOUR Connecticut River-Cheshire Rail Trail, Connecticut River to Uplands "Highest Ranked Wildlife Habitat" Corridor & Historic 1848 Infrastructure!

NHDOT is STILL, in 2021, knowingly in violation of Federal Law by allowing destructive and illegal Motorized use of and a road-sized CUT THROUGH the elevated Cheshire Rail-Trail corridor just below the Walpole-Westmoreland (NH) Town Line and the Historic RR Stone Arch Culvert through which the Aldrich Brook flows to the Connecticut River, just 3/4 mile downstream (see but two examples, of many, of Trucking Abuse, and the Cut in the Rail-Trail, in short videos/photo at https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B59SAsJLw8NObnNDOWhMd3hPWDg&usp=sharing and many more at https://storage-us.mail.com/qx/mail_com_us/?locale=en&guestToken=nnbY3KAAStGXoiFPsLnNeA&loginName=patrod@email.com, and especially see THE LETTER to NHDOT from the Federal Highway Administration, which was obtained in August 2015 ONLY with the assistance of Congresswoman Anne McLane Kuster, and immediately included within the LEGITIMATE LEGAL BRIEF we had presented to the Federal Highway Administration, with NHDOT copied on, at https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/a367f4e2-5fed-4c30-a2a3-a61db8f1c3d3).

UPDATE: FHWA ALSO, STILL, in 2021, IGNORING STATE-PROVEN FRAUD IN NHDOT/GRAVES/RAIL-TRAIL CONTRACTS - see newer petition at this link - https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/314/876/815/

UPDATE: SEE 2018 SATELLITE IMAGE OF BLASTED QUARRY (NOW BIGGER IN 2019) AND WESTMORELAND GRAVEL PIT (BOTH FORMERLY "HIGHEST RANKED WILDLIFE HABITAT") AS WELL AS WALPOLE GRAVEL PIT, CHESHIRE RAIL TRAIL AND HISTORIC STONE ARCH CULVERT, AND OLD ROUTE 12 HERE   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jvfeFAH7p6E52o8Qzp6k-V-5hXezKlvW/view?usp=sharing 

[BE SURE NOT TO MISS the Numerous Photos, Maps, etc of the Cheshire Rail-Trail Scenery and Infrastructure north of Keene NH linked to at the end of the next paragraph just below!!]

The ILLEGAL Rail-Trail Crossing/Cut location abutting our property and so near to our home (see short video at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f2kKr0sKfc7pqdfx-4PRstHGK_klR9jRnQ/view?usp=sharing) is FALSELY described as historical access to private Gravel Pit lands, and an offshoot 'driveway' to a private Quarry lot (with associated subterranean bedrock blasting inappropriately adjacent to the Rail-Trail) was also created ILLEGALLY at the same Crossing/Cut location in 2007 - WELL AFTER the State bought the Rail-Trails in 1995 with Federal funds PROHIBITING MOTORIZED USES, SO THE PUBLIC CAN QUIETLY ENJOY NH'S WILDLIFE AND SCENERY VIA HEALTHY TRANSPORTATION CHOICES, such as WALKING, HIKING, BIKING, CROSS COUNTRY SKIING, AND HORSEBACK RIDING (please do SEE Cheshire Rail-Trail scenery, infrastructure, etc via MANY photos, maps, etc at https://storage-us.mail.com/qx/mail_com_us/?locale=en&guestToken=GTpEN2qqTNGpPyksqKh18A&loginName=patrod@email.com).

WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE QUARRY LOT'S (at the time) "HIGHEST RANKED WILDLIFE HABITAT/RARE & ENDANGERED SPECIES" STATUS, THE HISTORIC 1848 RR STONE ARCH CULVERT AND DEEDED CATTLE UNDERPASS, THE ALDRICH BROOK WETLANDS/RIPARIAN AREAS, AND NOW THE DESIGNATED 'ASHUELOT' SILVIO O CONTE NATIONAL FISH & WILDLIFE REFUGE FOCUS AREA (outlined on right in map above), NHDOT AND NHDES ILLEGALLY PERMITTED, IN 2012 & 2013, WITHOUT REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARINGS, the 2 RR CROSSING/TEMPORARY USE/PRIVATE ROAD LICENSES, AND ISSUED AN ALTERATION OF TERRAIN/QUARRY PERMIT INVOLVING SUBTERRANEAN BEDROCK BLASTING ADJACENT TO THE RAIL-TRAIL, WITHOUT VERIFYING LEGAL ACCESS, FOR THE THEN FATHER AND SON EXCAVATION BUSINESS (see relatively 'minor' Rail Trailside BLASTING, to just 'start' opening the Ultimately 17.8 ACRE, 150' DEEP, and just 350' from my HOME, Quarry in a short video at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59SAsJLw8NOVjdfTDZtVlo2aDg/view , and a longer video - WHAT ARE THEY BURNING AFTER EACH BLASTING??... WITH OTHER COMMENTARY... - at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tDVeNPAmacmxvXJynF-zaWgAvq5-BOuKtA/view

The elder Graves has since passed on, but his son, Tim Graves, of Graves Trucking, Inc, and his lawyer have fought our LEGITIMATE (but underfunded) LEGAL PROTESTS (ie with the Legal Brief already linked to above being only the latest...) concerning the PROVEN (via NHDOT's OWN 2016 surveying!) to be falsified, error-ridden and ill-begotten RR Crossing/Use Licenses and the UN-environmentally friendly quarry, BUT the State of NH is unwilling to admit its mistakes - and even with MULTIPLE letters and/or Right-To-Know-Requests to Governor Hassan, NHDOT Commissioner Cass, the NHDOJ Attorney General's Office, NHDES, NHDRED, Congresswoman Kuster's Office, the Federal Highway Administration, and even the Chief Counsel's Office for the USDOT in Washington, DC...  THERE IS NO JUSTICE TO BE HAD FOR THE PEOPLE OF NH, THE ENVIRONMENT, NOR OURSELVES ! 

[See DETAILED evidence - photos, maps, deeds, the 2 error-ridden and ill-begotten RR Licenses themselves, etc - and the FACTS SURROUNDING THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF NH'S EXISTENT ENVIRONMENT AND TRAILS, and THE WRONGDOING BY NH GOVERNMENT and the PRIVATE FAMILY EXCAVATION COMPANY, GRAVES TRUCKING, in an earlier PETITION entitled STOP Destroying the ONLY SW NH interior to Conn River corridor of "Highest Ranked Wildlife Habitat"! found at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/252/096/474/

THE BOTTOMLINE IS - Town of Westmoreland and State of New Hampshire - WHAT HAPPENED to Conserving NH'S unique "Highest Ranked Wildlife Habitat" CT River to Uplands corridor, Rare & Endangered Species areas, the Connecticut River's Watershed, the PUBLIC'S Cheshire Rail-Trail (to see it by), and the PUBLIC'S Historic Infrastructure, ESPECIALLY in the last 5 years? (and, not to forget, CITIZENS' RIGHTS!!)  - see Westmoreland's own 2012 Conservation Plan showing the Quarry lot's habitat status here  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B59SAsJLw8NOYktMTUJoZ2NLNE0/view?usp=sharing

(And also compare the 2015 "Highest Ranked Wildlife Habitat" Map above to the 2010 Map in the following link, as well as the earlier petition, and ask yourself WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT PINK "HIGHEST RANKED WILDLIFE HABITAT" IN WESTMORELAND (previously in the big maroon circular area above) LEADING TO THE PROPOSED 'ASHUELOT' SILVIO CONTE WILDLIFE REFUGE FOCUS AREA, IN JUST 5 SHORT YEARS TIME, BETWEEN 2010 AND 2015??? - https://storage-us.mail.com/qx/mail_com_us/?locale=en&guestToken=pa_jMg_6R6Gs-Ao9p6crIQ&loginName=patrod@email.com)

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO TAKE BACK/MAKE THE STATE OF NH GIVE BACK THE CHESHIRE RAIL-TRAIL TO THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE AND THE USA, AND STOP THE CONFIRMED VIA THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ILLEGAL RAIL-TRAIL ACCESS TO THE UN-ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND ILL-PLACED GRAVEL PIT AND QUARRY!!  

THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR YOUR, AND OUR, RIGHTS TO A BETTER WORLD!!

  Do not hesitate to contact us for more information at patrod@email.com

- PATRICIA RODRIGUES AND JOHN CORDUFF, WESTMORELAND, NH