Massachusetts Conservation Voters Testimony on H.4720
May 13, 2022
Subject: Mass Conservation Voters Testimony on H.4720
Dear Chairman Lesser, Chairman Parisella and committee members,
I write today to voice Mass Conservation Voters’ support for proposed appropriations to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) via the Baker Administration’s H.4720, An Act Investing in Future Opportunities for Resiliency, Workforce, And Revitalized Downtowns (FORWARD). MCV is the only statewide, non-partisan, non-profit NGO dedicated primarily to supporting our state parks and the millions of residents and visitors who visit them.
The Special Legislative Commission on DCR confirmed what we all knew for some time. In addition to suffering from more than a decade of chronic underfunding for parks and recreation operations, including the loss of 300 FTE’s since 2009, DCR is also hamstrung by a $1.0 billion deferred maintenance backlog. The Special Commission also noted that for a state our size, Massachusetts has one of the largest state park systems in the nation, yet we are dead last in funding them.
The approximately $258 million for DCR capital projects in FORWARD would make a significant dent in that backlog. Like others who have testified on FORWARD, we too were disappointed by the $15 million appropriation for DCR in the first round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding approved by the Legislature last year. We see FORWARD as a timely vehicle to rectify that action.
The pandemic has proven beyond all doubt that our historic state park system is vital to our physical and mental well-being. This is particularly so for environmental justice communities in our Gateway Cities and rural communities, people who do not fly to Aspen for Christmas, or own a house on the Cape. Beginning in March of 2020, park attendance moved markedly upwards, with some parks seeing as much as a 300 percent increase in use. Many people who did not know much about our parks discovered gems in their own back yards, and park visits continue to place increased demand on DCR assets.
The increased funding for DCR operations in both the House and Senate Ways & Means budgets is a hopeful sign that we are starting to step up and fund DCR at a level that will allow it to accomplish its vital mission. The confluence of current events, including federal ARPA and infrastructure funds, and a much better than expected state revenue picture, provide us with a once in a generation opportunity to do right by our parks and the millions of people who use them. In addition to righting past wrongs for the benefit of park users, there two more reasons to bring DCR up to speed. The agency contributes significantly to our $16 billion annual outdoor economy and its vast tracts of open space help foster carbon sequestration and climate resiliency.
MCV respectfully urges you to support the $258 million FORWARD would give to our parks. Summer is nearly here, and our parks will soon see peak usage. Please approve these proposed appropriations before the legislative session ends in July. Thank you very much for your time and consideration of this important matter. Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
Very truly yours,
Doug Pizzi
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Executive Director
Mass Conservation Voters
27 Prospect Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-314-7988 (mobile)
508-251-2599 (office)
www.massconservationvoters.com