Hollywood actress Ashley Judd was in Massachusetts Wednesday to fight against a controversial airport expansion.
Minute Man National Historical Park, Walden Pond and other historic places near Concord, Massachusetts, are threatened by the planned expansion of a private airfield, according to a major preservation group.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday named the group of landmark sites, which also include Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House other areas of national significance, as one of the 11 most endangered historic places of 2024.
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The nonprofit and other advocacy groups are pushing back against the expansion of Hanscom Field airport in Bedford, which is home to the most private jets in New England. While the quasi-public agency The Massachusetts Port Authority has proposed adding 27 hangars, opponents say the move would increase carbon emissions and only serve the wealthy.
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"Advocates are concerned that the proposed development could lead to increased noise disruption in an area that is already impacted by noise from jet traffic, often interrupting park programming. Advocates also cite the potential for increased vehicular traffic and negative environmental and climate impacts of private jets," according to the list.
Actor and activist Ashley Judd took part in a news conference Wednesday discussing the opposition to the airport's expansion.
"I have learned we can pretend to care, we cannot pretend to show up," Judd said. "And you have indeed shown up."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation noted that it has placed the groups of sites on their annual list of endangered historic sites before, in 2003, for a previous proposed expansion of the airfield.
As expansion plans rebooted, opposition to the airport's expansion has grown. Ahead of Earth Day last month, 20 people were arrested protesting at the air field as part of an action from climate activist group Extinction Rebellion that aimed to stop planes from taking off.
