The Great Bog is one of Portsmouth?s most celebrated natural resources. Its 600-acres include some of the rarest wetlands in New Hampshire -- providing unparalleled wildlife habitat, a quiet place to walk, and clean drinking water.
But Portsmouth is also contending with the Bog?s other reputation: some people think of the Great Bog as a great place to dump an old car. New Hampshire Public Radio?s Doug MacPherson reports.
IN A CITY WHERE EVERY SQUARE FOOT OF BUILDABLE LAND HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, PORTSMOUTH?S GREAT BOG IS AN OASIS. SANDWICHED BETWEEN INTERSTATE-95 AND SEVERAL LOCAL ROADS, DEVELOPMENT HAS NIBBLED AWAY AT THE BOG. BACK IN 1986, PORTSMOUTH REGIONAL HOSPITAL TOOK A GOOD SIZED CHUNK. IN 2001, AFTER A DEVELOPER PROPOSED TO BUILD TWO DOZEN -HOMES IN THE BOG, THE CITY BOUGHT 200-ACRES TO STOP THE PROJECT. PORTSMOUTH?S CHALLENGE TODAY IS TO KEEP THE BOG FROM BECOMING A DUMP.
TAPE SFX: [FADE UP CAR NOISE, FADE TO HALF, HOLD UNDER]
JASON PAGE IS PORTSMOUTH?S ZONING OFFICER. JUST PAST A NEWLY ERECTED GATE AT THE EDGE OF THE GREAT BOG, HE STOPS BEFORE A FIELD OF RUSTING, TWISTED METAL. IT WAS JUST RECENTLY GATHERED HERE AS PART OF THE CITY?S LATEST CLEAN-UP EFFORT.
TAPE JASON PAGE 428 we?re looking at approximately, somewhere around 14 vehicles. We also have motors that have been dumped out in the field. Anything that people wanted to get rid of they would just bring out into the great bog area and just dump. /// 431 this blue van that is off to the side here was stolen out of kittery maine /// 436 and I believe it came from a company up in auburn. And it had tools and other stuff inside of it. so the police believe it was stolen for the tools and then brought down here to the bog to dump, so that no one would locate it. :39
TAPE DOUG /// 456 so with the exception of this van, all of these vehicles -- you say 14, i?ll take your word for it -- we?re looking at car parts here. it?s hard to see an intact car. and with the exception of the blue van, they?ll all been torched.
TAPE JASON PAGE 458 for the most part. There?s a blazer on the other side that hadn?t gotten around to be torched yet. :19
PAGE SAYS SOME OF THE CARS ARE BURNED TO HELP AVOID DETECTION. THEIR VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. OTHER VEHICLES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN BURNED JUST FOR FUN. AFTER LOOKING AROUND FOR A FEW MINUTES, PAGE DECIDES THERE ARE MORE THAN 14-CARS HERE.
TAPE TWO, JASON PAGE 007 [FADE UNDER AND UP] ?..13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ? looks like 17-vehicles. And a hot water heater. [LAUGHS] And look at the side of this vehicle, it looks like something out of Bonnie and Clyde.
TAPE DOUG 012 it does. it?s completely riddled with bullet holes. With very large caliber bullets.
TAPE JASON PAGE Yes. Well, they come down here with the guns, and they?re out in an open field, and away they go. And you can see that one over there has got bullet holes in it as well?
WHAT?S LEFT OF THESE VEHICLES WILL SOON BE HAULED OFF TO A RECYCLING CENTER. THEY WERE EXTRACTED FROM DEEP INSIDE THE BOG WITH SPECIAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDED BY PUBLIC SERVICE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. P-S-N-H ALSO PAID FOR THE NEW GATE, DESIGNED TO PREVENT ANY MORE CARS GETTING IN. GRADUALLY, THE CITY HAS BEEN TRYING TO BLOCK UP ALL ACCESS POINTS LARGE ENOUGH TO DRIVE A CAR THROUGH.
THE CITY DOES ATTEMPT TO FIND THE OWNERS OF THE VEHICLES. PAGE SOMETIMES CONTACTS THEM HIMSELF.
TAPE JASON PAGE 501 there was a young gentleman that we traced a car back to. And we called him and said ?Hey, we found your vehicle.? And /// he said ?Well I don?t own that vehicle anymore. I sold that. And I says ?Well, we need to get it moved can you tell me who it is, and he goes, ?Oh, I?ll take care of it. It?ll be gone by Monday.? And he hung up. Come Monday, I had gone out to the field. The vehicle was gone. I had never told the person where the car was. But he knew. [LAUGHS]. :30
THIS ISN?T THE FIRST TIME THE CITY HAS REMOVED VEHICLES FROM GREAT BOG. IN 2001, IT HAULED AWAY TWO DOZEN CARS AND TRUCKS.
THIS LATEST CLEAN UP EFFORT ISN?T FINISHED.
TAPE: [FADE UP SFX WALKING, CRICKETS] JASON PAGE nice place to go for a walk?
DEEPER INSIDE THE BOG, PAGE LEADS THE WAY TO A CLEARING.
TAPE JASON PAGE 251 standing at the top of this crest here, looking down over the field, you can still see where there?s a lot of debris that, smaller parts of metal that we can easily come in and clean up. Also in the field you see tires. Over here you?ll see where someone pulled a truck in and off-loaded a bunch of trash.
PAGE VOWS THE TRASH WILL BE REMOVED. HE APPEARS TO HAVE UNBOUNDED ENTHUSIASM FOR THE TASK. BUT FOR JUST A MOMENT, PAGE APPEARS WEARY, AND HE ADMITS TO OCCASIONAL FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION.
TAPE JASON PAGE 285 it?s very frustrating to try and clean up an area and just have people abuse it. I mean it was such a long effort on the mayor?s part, the council and all that. I just don?t understand why people would do this, the mentality. You would think kids would be better educated now as far as local ground water sources and all that stuff.
DANNA TRUSLOW SHARES THAT FRUSTRATION. SHE?S HEAD OF THE SEACOAST LAND TRUST. IT?S HER RESPONSIBILITY TO ENFORCE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ON THE BOG.
TAPE DANNA TRUSLOW, SEACOAST LAND TRUST 509 who knows what the thinking is behind people who are dumping out here. I mean that?s really difficult to understand. The fact that it?s a conservation area, that it?s private land, won?t really hold that much interest for them. hopefully by sealing off the land, and also making them realize that this is illegal and they can be fined /// just to let them know that this is something the city is taking a hard look at, and nobody?s looking the other way anymore.
IN THE FEW INSTANCES WHERE THEY?VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE OWNER OF A VEHICLE, CITY OFFICIALS HAVE NOT PRESSED CHARGES. THEY?VE SETTLED INSTEAD FOR THE VEHICLE?S REMOVAL AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. PORTSMOUTH OFFICIALS SAY FROM NOW ON, THEY WILL PROSECUTE. FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I?M DOUG MACPHERSON.
