State officials working to create ‘playbook’ to manage nine SouthCoast DCR properties
Kathryn Gallerani | Standard-Times (via Yahoo! News) | May 23, 2022
https://news.yahoo.com/state-officials-working-create-playbook-070400785.html
NEW BEDFORD — Residents are invited to listen in as state officials work to create a playbook for the future of nine state Department of Conservation & Recreation properties on the SouthCoast.
Acting Department of Conservation & Recreation Commissioner Stephanie Cooper said a resource management plan is an overall management plan for a group of DCR properties that looks at everything from the natural resources and how they are managed to park operations.
“The resource management plan is basically our playbook for how we manage the facility and how we think about investing in it over the short-term and the long-term,” she said.
Resource management plans are being prepared for nine properties in the SouthCoast District. They are Watson Pond State Park in Taunton, Raynham State Forest, Berkley State Forest, Massasoit State Park in Taunton, Sweets Knoll State Park in Dighton, Dighton Rock State Park, Freetown-Fall River State Forest, Fall River Heritage State Park and Acushnet Cedar Swamp State Reservation in Dartmouth.
A legislative mandate requires that DCR prepare resource management plans for all reservations, parks and forests under its stewardship.
Management plans include guidelines for operations and land stewardship, provide for the protection of natural and cultural resources and ensure consistency between recreation, resource protection, and sustainable forest management.
A public listening session focusing on the resource management plan for the South Coast District is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PFKx7OzfRGCeWzQFfXlaVA.
Following the listening session, draft management plans will be available for review and further comment from the public by emailing RMP.comments@state.ma.us.
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