Obstacle course rattled Earth more than shake it

“Are you ready to Shake the Earth?”

This is a direct quote from a website promoting an obstacle course race at Colt State Park. That goal of shaking the earth was achieved on July 25, 2015, as participants climbed scaffolding that had been bolted into living Maple trees whose limbs had been severed; killed hundreds of marine organisms by removing gallons of seawater and dumping the living contents on dry ground; and wasted unknown volumes of fresh water (for their "slip and slide").

The organizers (Trident) sprayed copious amounts of OSHA Orange paint on the wooded trails, claiming that they were given permission by the State of RI Division of Parks and Recreation. This toxic paint is categorized both as a Class 1B carcinogen and mutagenic agent.

Letters to the DEM and the RI Division of Parks and Recreation raising questions about environmental stewardship have yielded no responses. Photographic evidence was provided by concern citizens, documenting the death of plants and the presence of paint-coated vegetation found floating in the wetlands.

Incredulously, Trident will be allowed to conduct another race at Colt this July. What safeguards have been instituted to prevent a repeat of last year's ecocide?

What environmental ethics are we teaching the children who observe this for-profit event? Are they learning that YOU should aspire to shake the Earth? Is our fragile Earth not already shaking enough?

Please consider this alternative maxim, if we are to be effective advocates for our threatened planet:

Think globally, act locally.

Deirdre Robinson

34 Sullivan Lane