Mary C. Serreze | The Republican | August 28, 2018
https://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/08/statewide_environmental_group.html
The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters has rebranded as Massachusetts Conservation Voters and is pledging to fight for state parks and forests.
The state’s environment budget “suffered devastating reductions” during the great recession, and properties run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation still suffer from deferred maintenance, said MCV executive director Doug Pizzi.
While the DCR got a modest funding boost this year, a decade of cuts eliminated 436 positions, more than a third of the agency’s workforce, according to a release.
Pizzi said the cuts have hurt maintenance at a half-million acres, including parks and forests, campgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, walking and bike trails, skating rinks, ballfields, playgrounds, Boston Harbor islands, and historic parkways.
“In a state that has one of the oldest and largest state park systems, MCV is one of the few organizations whose sole focus is on giving residents and visitors the world class public parks they deserve,” he said.
A new website has been launched where the public can track the group’s advocacy efforts and learn about the state’s public recreation and conservation lands.
“Reversing this trend so that DCR is fully able to carry out its mission is critical to maintaining an annual $16 billion Massachusetts recreational economy,” Pizzi said.
The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters first formed in 2003, and worked to prioritize environmental issues on Beacon Hill.