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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | July 30, 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/visitors.html Protect Yourself and Others from COVID-19 Staying physically active is one of the best ways to keep your mind and body healthy. In many areas, people can visit parks, trails, campgrounds, and open spaces as a way to relieve stress, get some fresh air, and stay active. While these facilities and areas can offer health benefits, it is important that you follow the steps below to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. To view the full fact sheet, please click here....

Christian MilNeil | StreetsblogMASS | July 30, 2020 https://mass.streetsblog.org/2020/07/30/how-did-the-north-ends-car-owners-steal-a-public-playground/ Like many parking lots, the one on Foster Street in the North End is easy to overlook. It’s the kind of place that few people care about: a dead-end alleyway with trash collecting in its corners and about 18 cars parked haphazardly among its potholes. But unlike most parking lots, this small plot of pavement is technically a public park. According to the 2020 Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s directory, the 0.11 acre parcel at 15 Foster Street is officially known as “Foster Street Playground,” originally acquired as parkland in 1930. In a March 2020 op-ed for NorthEndWaterfront.com, Peter Petrigno, an abutting property owner, recalled how car owners took advantage of the city’s neglect to take over the property: “I played there everyday as a child. It was my backyard. As the demographics of the area changed and fewer children were playing there, the city completely abandoned the property. Cars eventually started parking there. When the city...

Lara Salahi | NBC 10 Boston | August 1, 2020 https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mass-state-parks-hit-capacity-early-as-visitors-enjoy-clear-weather/2170037/ Many state parks across Massachusetts reached capacity Saturday morning and temporarily closed to additional visitors as crowds flocked to enjoy the clear weather. Saturday is forecasted to be the better of the two weekend days, with lower humidity, a lot of sunshine and temperatures in the 80s. Parking areas at Walden Pond State Reservation closed as early as 9:30a.m. as the park reached its maximum safe number of visitors. By 10:30 a.m., parking areas at Nahant Beach had closed. By 11a.m. parking areas at Cochituate State Park in Natick also closed. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation reminded park-goers Saturday morning that alcohol is prohibited on state properties. Some properties, such as Bash Bish Falls State Park, do not allow for swimming and the agency reminded visitors to adhere to any posted "no swimming" signs. For the full story, please click here....

Dana Bourland, Sam Gill, Judilee Reed, and Chantel Rush | Opinion, The Chronicle of Philanthropy | July 22, 2020 https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Safely-Reopening-America/249215 Dana Bourland is vice president for the environment at the JPB Foundation; Sam Gill is senior vice president and chief program officer at the Knight Foundation; Judilee Reed is program director of Creative Communities at the William Penn Foundation; and Chantel Rush is managing director of the American Cities Program at the Kresge Foundation. Their foundations are all key supporters of Reimagining the Civic Commons. During a global pandemic when millions of people rarely leave their homes, our public parks, plazas, trails, greenways, and even sidewalks have become critical havens. In cities large and small, these public spaces are sustaining people in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few months ago. The importance of a robust, connected, and nature-rich public realm — a true civic commons — is clearer than ever. As we practice physical distancing, our public spaces allow us to exercise, reduce...

Press Release | Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation | July 24, 2020 https://www.mass.gov/news/state-officials-remind-public-to-follow-health-and-safety-rules-at-state-managed-beaches-and BOSTON — With high temperatures forecasted throughout the Commonwealth this upcoming weekend, the Department of Conservation and Recreation continues to urge the public to protect public health by adhering to important COVID-19 guidance such as wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and washing hands frequently when visiting state beaches and parks. Additionally, members of the public are reminded that alcohol is prohibited at state beaches, parks, and other locations throughout the state parks system. “While state-managed beaches, parks, and reservations are excellent places to escape the summer heat and unwind, the Department of Conservation and Recreation reminds all visitors that alcohol use is prohibited within the state parks system,” said DCR Commissioner Jim Montgomery. “When visiting agency properties, please adhere to all laws, rules, and regulations to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and ensure a safe, fun environment for all visitors.” “We encourage the public to explore the...

Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-3rd Berkshire) & Jack Patrick Lewis (D-7th Middlesex) | Opinion, The Boston Globe | July 21, 2020 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/21/opinion/cutting-state-local-services-middle-coronavirus-pandemic-doesnt-make-fiscal-sense/ Tricia Farley-Bouvier represents the Third Berkshire District and Jack Patrick Lewis represents the Seventh Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. COVID-19 has presented us with an unparalleled global crisis whose total effect on Massachusetts has yet to be fully felt. The state revenue shortfall is about $6 billion, and local and state leaders have been told to prepare for the worst as they develop budgets for the new fiscal year. Mayors and superintendents are faced with unfathomable decisions over what they are going to cut in order to help their cities, towns, and schools survive the current economic crisis. On the state level, we have been forewarned of the tough budgetary choices and program cuts to come. There is a better way. Rather than myopically cutting our way out of this dilemma, we must instead make significant investments in our residents and...

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI/12) | Opinion Contributor, The Hill | July 23, 2020 https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/508633-great-american-outdoors-act-will-deliver-critical Debbie Dingell represents Michigan’s 12th District and is a member of the Natural Resources Committee. A flock of birds in a perfect V formation flew over Arlington Cemetery as the Army Bugler played Taps at John Dingell’s interment. It was a perfect moment and final goodbye to a man who loved the great outdoors and hunting as much as he was proud to be an American who served his country. John spent a summer as Park Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. And had he been hired full time, he would have never run for Congress. Over 20 years ago, John – a former Dean of the House - and current Dean of the House Don Young of Alaska began the fight to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Their legislation made significant investments in state-based conservation initiatives. In the early 2000s conservation and recreation programs were underfunded...

Terry Cowgill | The Berkshire Edge | July 20, 2020 https://theberkshireedge.com/hordes-of-people-breaking-every-single-rule-pack-bash-bish-falls/ Mount Washington — During the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, Northeasterners have often looked askance at crowded Florida beaches, teeming with unmasked humanity and recklessly spreading the virus. Actually, a New Englander wouldn’t have to look very far to find that kind of spectacle because it’s right in our own backyard. Bash Bish Falls, a popular but remote destination for sightseers, this past weekend more resembled Fort Lauderdale Beach than a rustic outpost in the Berkshires. A precise count of the number of people at the falls was impossible to obtain but from photographs, witnesses and state police estimates, it appears that at least 1,000 people packed the small park over the weekend. That in itself would be alarming even in normal times. But during a pandemic in which people are still urged by authorities to practice social distancing, it can be horrifying. One witness on Facebook, John Sparkman, made his first visit and...

Andrew Chow | Time Magazine | July 22, 2020 https://time.com/5869788/national-parks-covid-19/ Ellie Mora has been running down the Santa Paula Canyon in Ventura County, Calif. on a weekly basis for years. She likes the serenity of the desert: the waterfalls that mist into placid green pools and the burnt orange wildflowers that bloom in the spring. For many like her, the park serves as a calming escape from the stresses and smog that can accompany everyday life in Southern California. But this spring, following the onset of coronavirus, the park’s condition started to drastically worsen. Litter accumulated on the sides of trails and at watering holes. Graffiti materialized on rocks. Parked cars stretched for more than a mile near the bottom of the trail, and hundreds of people splashed maskless in the canyon’s pools. “I can’t tell you how much pee and feces were littered along the trail,” Mora said. “It’s disgusting.” The situation got so bad that the U.S. Forest Service shut down the trail...

Ad Crable | Bay Journal | July 8, 2020 https://www.bayjournal.com/news/people/covid-lockdown-unleashes-swarms-of-visitors-at-parks-trails/article_690baaee-c12b-11ea-85d3-876e8187528e.html Lynne Napoli of Boiling Springs, PA, lives near the Appalachian Trail, normally her refuge for quiet mental sustenance. But, this spring, things changed. “It has been so packed I don’t go,” she explained. “When I do, it is trashed. Other sites have been ridiculously spray-painted. I’m glad people got out, especially children. Unfortunately, not many seemed to respect nature. This makes me so sad.” Parks, trails and natural areas in Chesapeake Bay states have been slammed this spring and early summer as the masses head outdoors seeking relief from coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The effects have been widespread and varied across Bay states. Hiking, hunting, boating, paddling and fishing have all been affected. “It’s been unprecedented in every sense of the word,” said Jason Bulluck, director of Virginia’s 64 natural area preserves, where the priority is to protect rare species and unique natural communities, rather than provide recreation. Three of the preserves had to be closed...

Wicked Local Holbrook | July 8, 2020 https://holbrook.wickedlocal.com/news/20200708/lynch-goldstein-to-air-environmental-views-at-candidate-town-hall The Friends of the Blue Hills and several other groups will co-sponsor a virtual Candidate Town Hall on the environment with incumbent Eighth Congressional District Congressman Stephen Lynch and his opponent, Dr. Robbie Goldstein from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 21. Candidates will discuss their views on issues that relate to environmental protection, equity, climate change and sustainable transportation. Registered participants can submit questions upon registration, as well as during the live, virtual event. In addition to the Friends, other hosts include Blue Hills Coalition for Climate Action, Clean Water Action, Community Action Works (formerly Toxics Action Center), Environmental League of Massachusetts, FRRACS, Neponset River Watershed Association, Mass Conservation Voters, Milton for Peace, Quincy Climate Action Network and Sustainable Milton. For details and updates, visit FriendsoftheBlueHills.org/Forum2020. For the full story, please click here....

Colin A. Young | State House News Service, South Coast Today | June 30, 2020 https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20200630/record-numbers-at-state-parks-and-beaches-secretary-says With many indoor activities on hold during the pandemic, state officials have been encouraging people to get outside for exercise, recreation and fresh air. One top Baker administration official said Tuesday that people are taking that advice to heart. The numbers of people flocking to state parks and beaches are soaring, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said, and that’s making the importance of protecting and preserving the environment even more clear to her. “I think during the difficult times that we’ve been through, many of us have really taken respite in the natural world and enjoyed the opportunity to get outside to many of our local green spaces and some more far-flung locations across the state that we may not have visited in the past,” she said during a virtual meeting with groups advocating for bold climate policy. “Our state parks parks and beaches are seeing...

Andrew W. Kahrl | Guest Opinion, The New York Times | June 28, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/opinion/coronavirus-openings-summer-beaches.html Like other crises in the past, the coronavirus pandemic has provided an opportunity for communities to act on their most exclusionary impulses. This summer, private pools and beach clubs, as well as public facilities in wealthier areas, are reopening with new measures to ensure that the general public stays out: hiring more security, aggressively checking beach tags and restricting access to residents only. Invariably, these measures are justified in the name of public health — and concerns about the spread of the virus shouldn’t be taken lightly. But exclusionary measures that predominantly white and wealthier communities have eagerly adopted, combined with the fact that many cities and towns are keeping public swimming pools closed to help narrow budget gaps, mean many Americans who rely on public facilities for outdoor recreation — disproportionately lower income families and people of color — will step outside this summer only to find...

Catherine Nagel | Guest Contributor, U.S. News & World Report | June 16, 2020 https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-06-16/why-cities-must-protect-their-parks-from-covid-19-induced-funding-cuts Catherine Nagel is the executive director of the City Parks Alliance. In this extraordinary time, city parks have once again proved themselves to be critical public infrastructure, strengthening neighborhoods and building bonds among people from all walks of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a premium on access to nature and physical activity with appropriate social distancing, making urban parks more vital to the health of our cities than ever before. Simply put, our parks are essential. When schools, businesses, houses of worship, libraries and other civic and commercial institutions closed their doors, park use surged as people sought respite from the quarantine. Parks help people to feel normal again, and serve as an outlet that is especially important in densely populated urban neighborhoods where indoor and outdoor spaces are precious. The pandemic will continue to exact a heavy economic toll on state and local governments. We are already seeing...

Press Release | Department of Conservation and Recreation | June 22, 2020 https://www.mass.gov/news/dcr-accepting-applications-for-partnership-matching-funds-program-0 In an effort to foster public-private partnerships, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today announced it is accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2021 Partnership Matching Funds Program. The program assists in the financing of capital projects throughout the state parks system that are proposed by park advocacy groups, civic and community organizations, institutions, businesses, municipal governments, and dedicated individuals with an interest in improving the Commonwealth’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources. “The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Partnership Matching Funds Program enables the agency to work with incredibly passionate and dedicated groups, organizations, and individuals in an effort to greatly enhance the Commonwealth’s state parks system,” said DCR Commissioner Jim Montgomery. “Public-private partnerships, such as the Partnership Matching Funds Program, continues to be an invaluable tool utilized by the Baker-Polito Administration to leverage important funds to accomplish shared goals that directly benefit the public.” To view the full press release, please click here....