Yolanda wants to come home!
Yesterday, the Zoning Board of Appeals ruled against allowing Deb & Audra to keep the chickens that they lovingly raised in Roslindale before they were asked to leave by the city. Sadly, this means that Yolanda and her chicken sisters won’t be able to come home today. However, the board did encourage us to keep working with city agencies and the city council to make a reasonable process for keeping chickens in Boston.
Read more about the event at Boston.com, Universal Hub, the Boston Metro, and Wicked Local Roslindale!
Now, don’t be discouraged! This is just the first step in our fight to make hens legal in the city of Boston!
What YOU can do to Help!
Going forward we need you to show support by writing to Mayor Menino, the City Councilors at large, and your city council representative (email addresses below). Tell them how important chickens are to you and to Boston’s goal of being a green, sustainable city!
Here’s a sample letter sent by one of our supporters:
Dear Councilor Consalvo,
I am writing in support of legalizing permitted chicken ownership in Boston. After extensive research on the subject, I do not believe that chickens pose a human health risk, would cause excessive noise complaints, odors, or attract rodents.
Properly kept chickens are excellent household pets that provide fresh healthy eggs to their owners, as well as REDUCE rodents by consuming table scraps and keeping them out of the garbage. Chickens do produce small amounts of manure, which can be composted to provide excellent garden fertilizer. I do not support ownership of roosters in urban areas.
I believe that home-grown eggs are sustainable, healthy and ‘green,’ in keeping with Mayor Menino’s campaign to increase Boston’s environmental sustainability.
My biggest concern involves the ability of the city officials to regulate quality of care and consideration for neighbors. I propose that the new policy require chicken owners to apply for and obtain a permit. By maintaining chicken ownership as a revocable ‘privilege’, this would allow animal control to inspect and respond to complaints, and would ensure that chicken owners are kept to high standards of care, and consideration for neighbors.
Thank you for your time,
Jane Smith
10 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02130
555-123-456
Contact Information:
Mayor Menino: mayor@cityofboston.gov
Councilors at large:
Stephen.Murphy@cityofboston.gov
Felix.Arroyo@cityofboston.gov
John.R.Connolly@cityofboston.gov
Ayanna.Pressley@cityofboston.gov
To find the councilors for your district:
http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/
