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Miles Howard | Boston Magazine | May 2021 https://www.bostonmagazine.com/travel/where-to-camp-massachusetts If you’ve been thinking of spiriting away to a nice rustic cabin in the Massachusetts countryside this summer—sipping coffee on a porch, savoring a pond or mountain vista, and listening to the murmur of the wind—we’ve got some bad news. Thousands of other people had the same idea. Summer has barely begun, and already, most of the cabins and yurts within the Massachusetts State Parks network have been booked (except for few scattered Tuesdays and Wednesdays). This isn’t exactly a shock—2020 was a record-busting year for hiking and outdoor recreation. Cabins and similar rural dwellings were difficult to come by, as legions of Americans fled to the verdant open spaces of the backcountry. Now, with pandemic restrictions loosened and the open road beckoning to the recently-vaccinated, this summer’s competition could be even more intense. But don’t throw your sleeping bag and headlamp back into the closet just yet! Rental cabins come in many denominations, and...

Evie Carrick | Travel+Leisure | May 24, 2021 https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/best-state-parks-us National parks get all the attention, but some of the country's most beautiful landscapes are found in lesser-known (and noticeably less busy) state parks. From the caves of Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio to the hoodoos in Utah's Mars-like Goblin Valley State Park, there are endless places waiting to be explored right here in the U.S. So whether you're looking to venture out in your home state or planning an epic road trip to the country's best state parks, buckle up (literally), and get ready to witness some of the most beautiful and unusual terrain in our country. (...) Mount Greylock State Reservation - Massachusetts In the northwestern corner of Massachusetts, Mount Greylock State Reservation sprawls. The park has 70 miles of trails and trailside shelters perfect for backpackers. (...) To see the full list and read the article, please click here....

Bruce Mohl | Commonwealth Magazine | May 18, 2021 https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/should-state-parks-be-funded-with-user-fees-or-tax-dollars/ State funding for the agency that oversees parks fell by $4.5 million over the last 12 years, even as expenses kept growing. To make ends meet, the Department of Conservation and Recreation has had to capitalize on its assets, collecting more and more revenue from those who use the parks or lease space in them. Two recent examples illustrate the trend. DCR recently began moving ahead with plans to start charging for parking along roadways it owns in Revere and Cambridge. Most of the new parking meters were installed along Revere Beach Parkway, which abuts the nation’s oldest public beach.  The agency also hiked nightly camping fees for out-of-state visitors to the state’s parks. The camping fee for out-of-state visitors to the state’s premier parks jumped temporarily from $35 to $75 last year and was made permanent this year. Both moves make political and practical sense. Charging for parking is a way of making users share in the upkeep...

Wildland Trust for Patch | May 3, 2021 https://patch.com/massachusetts/brockton/bizposts/local-update/223276/ggcp-free-tree-program-continues-through-a-fourth-year The Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP) is a statewide initiative to increase tree canopy cover across eighteen different gateway cities in Massachusetts. The program allows all residents and businesses within designated planting areas to receive as many free trees as a DCR forester finds appropriate. This spring and next fall, DCR foresters will be planting trees throughout the planting zone to increase the city’s tree canopy cover. The Brockton branch of the program has currently planted 2,190 trees since 2017 and is aiming to surpass its goal of 2,400 trees by the end of the year. This goal stems from a target of increasing tree canopy in the planting zone by 5-10%. Planting a tree in a yard can help a homeowner save upwards of 30% in energy costs when it reaches maturity. Some of the other benefits of planting a tree include improves health, adds value to your property and creates habitat...

Press Release | Department of Conservation & Recreation | April 30, 2021 https://www.mass.gov/news/department-of-conservation-and-recreation-celebrates-arbor-day-by-highlighting-legacy-tree-program BOSTON — Today, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Jim Montgomery joined DCR Forestry staff for a tree assessment demonstration at Middlesex Fells State Reservation in the Town of Stoneham to celebrate Arbor Day. The demonstration, part of the agency’s Legacy Tree Program, informed attendees about Legacy Tree qualities and the way trees are measured for the program.   “Arbor Day is an annual opportunity to focus our attention on the importance of trees to our communities, air providing benefits like beauty, shade, wildlife habitat, air purification and carbon sequestration,” said DCR Commissioner Jim Montgomery. “The MA Legacy Tree Program celebrates the Commonwealth’s exceptional trees by identifying, cataloging and promoting their whereabouts.”   A Legacy Tree is a tree that is unique and compelling in age, size, form, history, species, or botanical interest. Any resident or visitor of the Commonwealth can nominate a tree for the program by answering a few questions on the DCR website.  Once a nomination has been received, DCR foresters review...

Reporter Staff | Dorchester Reporter | April 29, 2021 https://www.dotnews.com/2021/invitation-reimagine-our-beaches The Save the Harbor organization is seeking proposals from organizations and individuals for free beach events to help them “Reimagine the Beach” this summer as part of their Better Beaches Program partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation. In 2020, the Better Beaches Program awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 22 organizations that ran creative and socially distanced summer programs, including virtual circus performances, community music contests, virtual wellness and fitness classes, and virtual youth programs. In 2020, 25 percent of the grants went to providing safety equipment and support as organizations faced the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, as they worked to keep our beaches safe and open. This year, groups and creatives in Dorchester are invited to respond to the Better Beaches Program’s request for proposals for grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. In 2020 Save the Harbor made 34 grants to support free beach events and programs, including...

Editorial Board | Item Live | April 25, 2021 https://www.itemlive.com/2021/04/25/editorial-in-revere-a-not-so-public-beach/ Revere’s reputation as the home of America’s first public beach is getting tarnished with the decision to designate parking along one side of Revere Beach Boulevard as resident-only parking and to install parking meters on the ocean side. Meter parking will be $1.25 an hour between April 15 and Oct. 15 along the boulevard’s ocean side, and the other side will be resident parking only. Ocean Avenue will also be limited to resident-only parking. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation began installing the meters two weeks ago. For longer than the automobile has been in existence, Revere Beach has been a destination for beachgoers as well as for people drawn to the amusement parks that once lined the strip. Revere Beach has been a multi-generational shining example of public and private transportation coexisting, initially with the narrow gauge railroad, and now the MBTA’s Blue Line stopping within walking distance of the beach. Restaurants along the beach have...

Public Meeting Notice DCR Special Commission Meeting April 27, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Join Zoom Meeting: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://umassamherst.zoom.us/j/97597013167?pwd=dWtJMU5tSy8xa0ZwRVVkbkdmOFV4dz09__;!!CUhgQOZqV 7M!zxZQr2NoAqvMUsSBKS4pH6v-g2tDnXEAQAblE5IEBLS2FZh4zmlxmTsX8r2DKTc08mk$ Meeting ID: 975 9701 3167Passcode: 166978One tap mobile +16468769923,,97597013167# US (New York) 13017158592,,97597013167# US +(Washington DC)Dial by your location+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 975 9701 3167 To find your local number: https://urldefense.com/v3/https://umassamherst.zoom.us/u/atBTVu9Qj;!!CUhgQOZqV7M!zxZQr2NoAqvMUsSBKS4pH6vg2tDnXEAQAblE5IEBLS2FZh4zmlxmTsX8r2D1XlbF_M$ Join by SIP 97597013167@zoomcrc.com Join by H.323162.255.37.11 (US West)162.255.36.11 (US East)115.114.131.7 (India Mumbai)115.114.115.7 (India Hyderabad)213.19.144.110 (Amsterdam Netherlands)213.244.140.110 (Germany)103.122.166.55 (Australia Sydney)103.122.167.55 (Australia Melbourne)149.137.40.110 (Singapore)64.211.144.160 (Brazil)69.174.57.160 (Canada Toronto)65.39.152.160 (Canada Vancouver)207.226.132.110 (Japan Tokyo)149.137.24.110 (Japan Osaka) Meeting ID: 975 9701 3167Passcode: 16697 Agenda DCR Special Commission Agenda, April 27, 2021 Public Meeting notice...

Lori Sorken | National Parks Traveler | April 2021 https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2021/04/your-national-park-vacation-has-gotten-more-expensive You’re not mistaken. A national park vacation is more expensive than it was 20 years ago. Considerably more expensive in some costs once you get to the entrance gate. Not all units within the National Park System collect admission fees, but for those that do the cost to visit the taxpayers’ treasures has outpaced inflation – as much as sixfold - over the past two decades. But entrance fees weren’t alone in their increases, as the cost of camping, climbing lighthouse stairs, and even paddling a boat is also more expensive (see table below). Based on data provided by the National Park Service and using the Consumer Price Index at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to account for inflation, we reviewed park admission rates for individuals, vehicles, and annual passes from 2000 through today (see PDF attached below). Of the 126 park units surveyed, entrance fees increased above the rate of inflation (2.07...