Author: admin

Here are the 31 Massachusetts state parks where you can go camping

May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Kristi Palma | Boston.com | April 25, 2019 https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2019/04/25/camping-at-massachusetts-state-parks If sleeping under trees and roasting marshmallows over a campfire describes your perfect weekend getaway, then you don’t have to waste precious hours commuting to another state. Massachusetts has 31 state parks where you can camp. Here’s a list of the 31 state parks where you can pitch a tent. At some, you can park your RV, or even rent a cabin or a yurt. Beartown State Forest, MontereyBoston Harbor Islands, BostonCamp Nihan Education Center, SaugusClarksburg State Park, ClarksburgDaughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest, GoshenErving State Forest, ErvingFederated Women’s Club State Forest, PetershamGranville State Forest, GranvilleHarold Parker State Forest, North AndoverHorseneck Beach State Reservation, WestportLake Dennison Recreation Area, BaldwinvilleMassasoit State Park, East TauntonMohawk Trail State Forest, CharlemontMount Greylock State Reservation, LanesboroughMount Washington State Forest, Mount WashingtonMyles Standish State Forest, CarverNickerson State Park, BrewsterOctober Mountain State Forest, LeeOtter River State Forest, BaldwinvillePearl Hill State Park, West TownsendPittsfield State Forest, PittsfieldSalisbury Beach State Reservation, SalisburySavoy Mountain...

MCV Spring Update

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

MCV Spring Update It has been a busy few weeks for the Massachusetts Conservation Voters, and for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Please find an update on recent activities below. Department of Conservation and Recreation Stewardship Council Over the past year, the DCR Stewardship Council has lost half of its membership – some did not receive a reappointment (Walter Bickford, Antonia Pollack, Elisa Campbell), others left at the end of their terms (Michelle Hanss, Heather Clish). In March, Chairman Whitney Hatch was the latest Councilor to be informed he would not be reappointed. Whitney began his service on the Stewardship Council when DCR was initially formed in 2003. Through all of DCR’s growing pains, Whitney was a steadying hand, a cheerleader, and a critic of state underfunding. His voice will be greatly missed. Currently, the Stewardship Council has nine members out of a required 13. The most recent appointment, Jennifer Wilson has not yet begun her term. Of the four remaining vacant positions, two will come from a list of six nominations submitted by...

Op-Ed: Thank You, Central Massachusetts – and beyond

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Telegram & Gazette | Matthew Beaton, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (ret.) | May 4, 2019 https://www.telegram.com/news/20190504/as-i-see-it-thank-you-central-massachusetts---and-beyond I am blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up exploring central Massachusetts and its many beautiful natural resources. These experiences and an elementary school science fair project on “The Environment” at St. Mary School in Shrewsbury instilled in me an insatiable passion for the outdoors and subsequently, a life dedicated to studying and preserving the many wonderful resources bestowed upon us as residents of Massachusetts. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs in the Baker-Polito Administration. Their strong and empathetic leadership along with the dedication of thousands of public servants and collaboration with the legislature provided us the opportunity to accomplish many great successes over the past four and half years. New England faces some of the most complex energy challenges in the nation and we need to balance lowering emissions, reliability and...

MCV Testifies In Favor of Public Lands Preservation Act

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

On April 23, 2019, the Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) testified in support of the Public Lands Preservation Act (PLPA). The need for this bill became abundantly clear during the last session when the City of Fitchburg, the town of Westminster, and Waste Management asked legislators to late file a bill, H-4677, to take 85 acres of the Leominster State Forest for an expansion of the Fitchburg-Westminster Landfill. When MCV learned of this proposal, a month before the session ended, we joined a number of groups in asking House Ways & Means to keep it in committee. MCV also authored an Op-Ed piece opposing the bill, which appeared in the Worcester Telegram on Dec. 14th. Some people in the area, who have problems with the way the landfill is run now, only found out about the expansion plan via that column. The process was clearly at odds with the spirit of the Article 97 land conversion review policy in place at the Executive Office...

Support DCR, Call Your State Representative Today!

April 12, 2019April 15, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Message from Chuck Anastas, Chairman, MCV Board of Directors: April 12, 2019 Dear MCV Supporter, As you may know, Mass Conservation Voters submitted oral and written testimony to the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways & Means in favor of increasing the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s FY 2020 parks and recreation operations budget (line item 2810-0100). MCV asked for $6.0 million more than the FY 2019 figure of $40.2 million. This is the budget that will take effect on July 1, 2019. House 1, the Baker Administration’s proposed budget, included a $2 million increase in this account. The House Ways & Means budget, just released, added another $2 million to this line item. House Chairman of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee, Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, is offering an amendment to the HW&M budget that would add an additional $2 million to line 2810-0100, bringing it to the $6 million increase MCV and other conservation and environmental advocates support. Deliberations on...

Having vacation fun while helping the planet

April 12, 2019April 12, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Cheryl Cuddahy | The Lowell Sun | April 11, 2019 http://www.lowellsun.com/contests/ci_32566740 We may all be guilty from time to time of getting so caught up in our daily lives that we forget there is a gorgeous planet that surrounds us that sometimes can only be seen by taking the back roads. One beautiful piece of this Earth is the Wachusett Reservoir Watershed, a 117-square-mile paradise touching the communities of Boylston, Clinton, Holden, Hubbardston, Leominster, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling, West Boylston, Westminster and Worcester. The Wachusett Reservoir, along with the Quabbin Reservoir and Ware River, are the unfiltered source of high-quality water for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water-supply system. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation's Division of Water Supply Protection manages and protects the watersheds and the drinking-water supply. They offer educational programs to inform the public of this important mission and the importance of clean water. "The Wachusett Reservoir was constructed as a water supply to Boston and its suburbs by damming the...

Photo: MCV Testifies On Beacon Hill

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

On April 2, 2019, the Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) testified in support of the Green Budget’s proposed $6 million increase to DCR’s State Parks and Recreation account for FY2020. To read the full statement, please click here. Doug Pizzi, Executive Director of MCV, testifies at the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. ...

Park Serve Day 2019 | Saturday, April 27

April 4, 2019April 4, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

PICK A PARK | GIVE A DAY | MAKE A DIFFERENCE https://www.mass.gov/service-details/park-serve-day-2019-saturday-april-27 The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) invites you to attend DCR’s Annual Park Serve Day, Saturday April 27, 2019 at parks across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With the help of volunteers, DCR will spruce up park facilities, clean coastlines, clean and maintain trails, plant flowers, and more! These valuable resources belong to all of us, and we can all take pride in them. To read the full DCR post, please click here. To find parks & register for Park Serve Day 2019, please click here. ...

Letter to the Honorable Aaron Michlewitz, Chair House Ways and Means

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

RE: FY2020 Budget Line Items 2810-0100; 2810-2042 March 21, 2019 The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz, ChairHouse Ways and Means CommitteeState House24 Beacon Street, Room 243Boston, MA 02133 Dear Chairman Michlewitz and Committee Members, The Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV), a statewide non-partisan, non-profit NGO, appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on the FY2020 budget, specifically as it relates to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). MCV’s mission is to support the operation, maintenance and improvement of our state’s parks and open spaces. Our focus is simple: ensure that residents and visitors have access to world class parks in the Commonwealth with an eye toward reversing the massive funding cuts DCR has experienced over the past decade. A modest increase in DCR’s budget last year has only begun to reverse the loss of some 400 employees, a third of its workforce since 2008. This has had a devastating impact on the agency’s ability to maintain nearly a half-million acres of open space, including parks, campgrounds, forests, beaches,...

Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood

February 27, 2019April 12, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Jonathan Lambert | NPR | February 25, 2019 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/25/697788559/greener-childhood-associated-with-happier-adulthood The experience of natural spaces, brimming with greenish light, the smells of soil and the quiet fluttering of leaves in the breeze can calm our frenetic modern lives. It's as though our very cells can exhale when surrounded by nature, relaxing our bodies and minds. Some people seek to maximize the purported therapeutic effects of contact with the unbuilt environment by embarking on sessions of forest bathing, slowing down and becoming mindfully immersed in nature. But in a rapidly urbanizing world, green spaces are shrinking as our cities grow out and up. Scientists are working to understand how green spaces, or lack of them, can affect our mental health. A study published Monday in the journal PNAS details what the scientists say is the largest investigation of the association between green spaces and mental health. Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark found that growing up near vegetation is associated with an up to 55 percent lower risk of mental health disorders in...

DCR Stewardship Council Vacancy Update

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

By Doug Pizzi | February 6, 2019 In October we discussed the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council with an eye toward the process of filling vacancies on a 13-member advisory board that does not feature staggered terms. We emphasized the need to keep a contingent of experienced leadership, and that leadership’s institutional memory, on the Council to keep DCR moving forward along the path of recent successes. There’s some good news and not so good news on that front. But first, it’s important to point out that baked into the process is the fact that the original 2003 enabling legislation did not see fit to stagger the councilors’ seven-year terms. While the lag time between term expirations and new appointments has given some de-facto term staggering, it is theoretically possible to remove most existing councilors and replace them with new appointees in very short order. In recent months, the Baker Administration has appointed four new councilors to fill vacancies. Some of these vacancies are the result...

People are happier in states that spend more money on public places like parks and libraries

January 24, 2019February 27, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Christopher Ingraham | The Washington Post | January 11, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/01/11/people-are-happier-states-that-spend-more-money-public-places-like-parks-libraries A new study published in the journal Social Science Research finds that Americans report greater levels of happiness in states that spend more money on public goods such as parks, libraries, infrastructure and public safety. In economics, public goods are defined as goods that are available to everybody and to which no one is excluded from using. “They’re typically not profitable to produce in the private market, so if the government doesn’t provide them, they will either be underprovided or not at all,” study author Patrick Flavin of Baylor University said in a statement. Because they’re available to all, spending on public goods tends to be less politically contentious than other spending categories, such as antipoverty programs or unemployment benefits. Flavin suspected spending on these types of goods would be linked to higher levels of happiness in a given state. By devoting resources to amenities that otherwise would probably not exist, “government can help to...

Mr George L Darey Jun 5, 1928 – Dec 21, 2018 Conservation Advocate

January 1, 2019January 4, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

George L. "Gige" Darey 6/5/1928 - 12/21/2018 Conservation Advocate https://www.rochefuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/George-Darey/#!/Obituary George L. Darey, 90, passed away peacefully from congestive heart failure at home in his native Lenox on Friday afternoon December 21, 2018. Born to the late John Darey and Francine Darey, Gige graduated, after some pranks, from Lenox Memorial High School, received a B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and two Masters degrees from the University of Massachusetts, in Biology and School Administration. Following graduation, he served in the Korean War. Thanks to a claimed major in Geology at induction, Gige met and began to work for a speed reading instructor in the Army, which led to a future in teaching. Gige loved teaching high school: History and Social Studies at Mahar, in Orange, MA, Speed Reading and Study Skills at Wahconah in Dalton, MA. Being a lifelong outdoorsman, he started highly successful Fish and Game Clubs at each school. He began a Lenox summer...

Photos: Leominster State Forest

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by admin Comment Closed

Conservationists must defeat Fitchburg-Westminster landfill expansion Recently MCV's Chuck Anastas and Doug Pizzi hiked the Ball Hill loop in Leominster State Forest. Pending legislation would remove 85 acres of land from the state forest in order to expand the Fitchburg-Westminster Land Fill. Enjoy these photos and read Doug's opinion piece opposing the landfill expansion in the Telegram & Gazette. Lower Crow Hill Pond, where families swim and picnic during the warmer months. Heading toward Berry Hill, elevation 1,185 feet. View from Black Bear Run where trucks were waiting to dump their loads at the Fitchburg-Westminster landfill. Read: Conservationists must defeat Fitchburg-Westminster landfill expansion ...

As I See It: Conservationists must defeat Fitchburg-Westminster landfill expansion

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by admin Comment Closed

Opinion | Telegram & Gazette | December 14, 2018 https://www.telegram.com/news/20181214/as-i-see-it-conservationists-must-defeat-fitchburg-westminster-landfill-expansion It was a beautiful fall day, with cool crisp air and plenty of sunlight filtering through the partially bare hardwood trees when I set out to hike the Ball Hill loop in the state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Leominster State Forest. The trail heads southeast from the parking lot for Lower Crow Hill Pond, where families swim and picnic during the warmer months. This beach is the most popular attraction at the 4,200-acre, nearly 100-year old state forest, which also features hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and other soul replenishing activities. As I headed toward Berry Hill, elevation 1,185 feet, I planned to walk the loop to Black Bear Run, which passes just south of the Fitchburg-Westminster landfill. At the junction of the Red Oak and Ball Hill trails, I cut the loop short by bushwhacking due north toward Black Bear Run. I hadn’t gone more than a few yards when I heard...