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Five winter fun activities to do this season Emilia Cardona | The Gardner News | January 5, 2023 https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/2023/01/05/skiing-snowboarding-skating-and-hiking-in-greater-gardner-mount-wachusett-mount-watatic/69751588007/ GARDNER ― Massachusetts is no stranger to below-freezing temperatures and several inches of snow, but the cold weather does not mean staying inside is the only option. There are many activities to pick from in winter time. The Greater Gardner region offers several places to go cross-country skiing, hiking, or indoor ice skating. Don't forget to wear layers to keep warm and to enjoy the free hot chocolate that is offered at several of these locations. Cold weather doesn't mean the whole family can't stay active — just bundle up and then pick from these places where you can make the most of winter's offerings. Want to learn how to ski or snowboard? If you are looking to learn how to downhill ski or snowboard, you don't have to look far. Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton is only a 20-minute drive from Gardner, and offers a variety...

Begin the new year outdoors with First Day Hikes across Massachusetts Kristi Palma | Boston.com | December 16, 2022 https://www.boston.com/things-to-do/fitness/first-day-hikes-across-massachusetts/ For those whose new year goals include fresh air and exercise, plenty of free guided hikes are taking place across the state on Jan. 1, 2023. The Massachusetts First Day Hikes program is a free guided hiking event that began in Massachusetts in 1992 and was rolled out nationwide in 2012. This year, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which manages more 150 state parks, will offer First Day Hikes at 10 locations across the state. This year’s DCR hikes, many of which include a hot chocolate social at the end, will take place at spots like Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord, Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston, and more. See a full list of DCR’s 2023 First Day Hikes. What’s more: Cape Cod is hosting its second annual First Day Hikes Cape Cod, inspired by DCR’s program. This...

6 beautiful Massachusetts winter hiking spots to tackle this season Kristi Palma | December 7, 2022 | Boston.com https://www.boston.com/travel/new-england-travel/2022/12/07/6-beautiful-massachusetts-winter-hiking-trails/ Sure, the temperatures are falling, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your hiking boots away. Massachusetts parks provide lots of pretty trails for hiking and snowshoeing during the cold months. Ahead, discover six parks the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) recommends for hiking while bundled up. Mohawk Trail State Forest in Charlemont If tall trees captivate you, head to the 6,000-acre Mohawk Trail State Forest, where the DCR says you’ll find some of the tallest recorded white pines in New England. According to the DCR, one particularly stunning spot in the woodlands is a 2-mile round-trip path called the Nature Trail Loop, a moderately strenuous hike that includes an open meadow loop. To get to the trail, begin at the headquarters located on Cold River Road in Charlemont, hike up the road, and turn right toward the group camp site area. Then continue down...

Massachusetts Announces New Office of Outdoor Recreation Kristin Hostetter | Outside Business Journal | December 6, 2022 https://www.outsideonline.com/business-journal/advocacy/massachusetts-announces-new-office-of-outdoor-recreation/ Massachusetts became the latest state to open an Office of Outdoor Recreation, joining 17 other states across the country that aim to galvanize and harness the collective power of outdoor businesses. The new office, announced yesterday by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito at a ceremony at Wachusett Mountain ski area, is within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and will work alongside state agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, to enhance outdoor recreational opportunities throughout the state and support the associated economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits they bring. What does this mean for outdoor recreationists in Massachusetts? “When a state like Massachusetts invests in outdoor businesses and opens an OREC office, it means new business recruitment and retention, resilient rural communities, equitable access to the outdoors, and increased public...

Baker-Polito Administration Launches Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation Press Release | December 5, 2022 https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-launches-massachusetts-office-of-outdoor-recreation PRINCETON — The Baker-Polito Administration today joined state and local officials and industry leaders at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area to celebrate the establishment of the new Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation, furthering its commitment to outdoor recreation. The new office, announced today by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, is within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretariat and will work alongside state agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership (MMP), and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT), to enhance outdoor recreational opportunities throughout the Commonwealth and support the associated economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits they bring. “From the Berkshires to the Cape and Islands, the Commonwealth is home to a range of recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The new Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation will help us continue...

State Promises New Safety Measures On Lynn Fells Parkway After Review Dakota Antelman | Patch | December 6, 2022 https://patch.com/massachusetts/melrose/state-promises-new-safety-measures-lynn-fells-parkway-after-review MELROSE, MA — Portions of the Lynn Fells Parkway in Melrose are set to receive a series of new safety measures, according to a letter from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) recently shared by State Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian. The letter, signed by DCR commissioner Doug Rice and dated Nov. 29, outlines measures following a safety evaluation and a review of road conditions of the area in recent months. The department is largely looking to make changes over “the next few weeks,” according to Rice, before tackling a larger slate of recommendations and projects in the area. “DCR is committed to continuing its ongoing communication with the City of Melrose, state and local representatives and members of the public as we work to implement these changes,” Rice wrote in his letter. The Lynn Fells Parkway runs through parts of Stoneham, Melrose and Saugus, connecting the Middlesex...

Area skiers concerned for safety after Wachusett Mountain Ski Area ends Ranger program Shaun Sutner | Telegram & Gazette | December 6, 2022 https://www.telegram.com/story/sports/2022/12/06/area-skiers-concerned-for-safety-after-wachusett-mountain-ski-area-ends-ranger-program/69706110007/ PRINCETON — Wachusett Mountain Ski Area ended its volunteer Ranger program at the start of the ski and snowboard season last month in an unexpected move that could have safety consequences on the mountain's busy slopes, at least in the short term.  The ski area apparently was forced into ending or suspending the program due to an investigation by the state attorney general's office into whether treating the Rangers as volunteers violates state labor laws.  A spokeswoman for the AG's office declined to comment on whether the office is investigating Wachusett. The case could have national ramifications in the ski industry, where more than 600 ski areas across the country use volunteer ski patrollers under the umbrella of the nonprofit National Ski Patrol, as well as volunteers similar to Rangers.  While a Wachusett spokesman said safety won't be compromised and the area will take steps...

State House delegation visits, surveys Nashua River Rail Trail conditions Shane Rhodes | Sentinel & Enterprise | November 26, 2022 https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2022/11/26/local-delegation-visit-survey-nashua-river-rail-trail/ GROTON — State Sens. Jamie Eldridge and Ed Kennedy made their way to Groton last Friday to survey the current state of the Nashua River Rail Trail. The Nov. 18 site visit, which also included representatives of state Sen. John Cronin and state Rep. Dan Sena’s offices, came in response to a letter penned by Peter Cunningham, a member of the Groton Select Board and the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail, back in August that described the condition of the “vital recreational resource” as “deteriorated.” Managed by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, Cunningham recently said he felt the NRRT had been neglected by the agency. That said, he called Friday’s visit “huge” for the future of the trail. “Obviously (a visit by the legislators) can help us raise awareness, but I think it can also help (the legislators) back on Beacon Hill...

Our View: Healey can bring beauty back to neglected spaces Editorial | Gloucester Daily Times | November 23, 2022 https://www.gloucestertimes.com/opinion/our-view-healey-can-bring-beauty-back-to-neglected-spaces/article_e9902663-8367-50b9-b641-60830a95e490.html It took a pandemic to push people outdoors. In the early days of COVID-19, with gyms, pools, basketball courts and hockey rinks shut down, Massachusetts residents laced up their hiking boots and made for the woods like never before. “Six months ago you’d go on the trails and see one or two people,” David Alden-St. Pierre of Beverly’s Open Space Committee said back in the summer of 2020, as people began to cautiously venture outdoors. “Now there are days when you see tons of people on the trails. People were looking for a way to get outdoors. That’s what the trails are for.” Essex County’s open spaces saw usage grow by more than 200% during the pandemic. Two years later, the state’s outdoor spaces remain as popular as ever. “The tremendous increase in park visits did not wane when pandemic conditions eased,” a group of state and...

Getting our state parks back on track Doug Pizzi & Chris Redfern, Opinion | Commonwealth Magazine | November 23, 2022 https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/getting-our-state-parks-back-on-track/ On October 14, Massachusetts Conservation Voters convened a state virtual parks summit attended by more than 20 environmental organizations from across the Commonwealth. This open letter, signed by more than 50 organizations, is the result. MASSACHUSETTS STATE PARKS are in crisis. More than a decade of funding and staffing cuts have eviscerated the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) ability to meet its mission “to protect, promote, and enhance our Commonwealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the well-being of all,” while digging a $1 billion deferred maintenance hole. The December 2021 Legislative Special Commission report on DCR (page 51) found that Massachusetts, one of the wealthiest states in the nation,  ranks last in per capita spending on state and municipal parks. State park visitors rarely encounter rangers, and too often find shuttered facilities, crumbling infrastructure, and dirty bathrooms. Park rules enforcement to ensure visitor safety and resource protection is...

Conservation groups call for more investment in MA state parks Ellen Fleming | WWLP | November 23, 2022 https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/conservation-groups-call-for-more-investment-in-ma-state-parks/ BOSTON (WWLP) – The weather is getting chilly, but people are still going out to enjoy the state’s public parks and forests. However, a recent letter sent to lawmakers is saying that those parks are in crisis. https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Dr0FcirX6w In an open letter, more than 50 conservation groups called on lawmakers and the future administration to invest in the Commonwealth’s state parks. The Department of Conservation and Recreation oversees close to 500,000 acres of state land. A report released last December shows that the agency lost 300 full time employees since 2009 and operational funding fell by 16 percent between 2009 and 2021. The report also found that even though Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states in the country, it “ranks last in per capita spending on state and municipal parks.” “There’s a lot of parks you go to and there’s crumbling infrastructure, sidewalks that haven’t been fixed,...

Charles River flooding will increase considerably with climate change Paula Moura | WBUR | November 22, 2022 https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/11/22/report-charles-river-flooding-increase-climate-change A new report finds communities along the Charles River will experience an appreciable increase in flooding within the next 50 years. Due to climate change, extreme storms that are less common now are expected to become more frequent and discharge a higher amount of water. Using these existing rainfall predictions, a Charles River Watershed Association report modeled the impact of future storms on 20 towns along the river and found many places where flooding could damage key infrastructure, including in Newton, Dedham, Watertown, Waltham and Wellesley. “One of the big takeaways was that it is going to take considerable adaptation efforts, considerable investments to be able to address the flooding that this tool tells us is coming,” said Julie Wood, the Charles River Watershed Association’s Climate Compact initiative director. She said the report will help towns to make planning decisions. The research made clear that the towns need...