Category: Blog Post

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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 of...

By Doug Pizzi | October 10, 2018 The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council, which has legislatively mandated advisory and oversight authority over DCR operations, is going through a period of transition that, if not handled correctly, could diminish the Council’s ability to fulfill its role as envisioned in its enabling legislation. The 13-member volunteer Council, whose members serve seven-year terms, are appointed by the Governor. Currently there are three vacancies and four members whose terms expire in 2018. The terms of the councilors are not staggered, so a significant amount of institutional knowledge and expertise on DCR issues could leave the Council in rapid succession, severely limiting the its ability to fulfill its mission to the agency and the public. Combine that with the fact that over the past 15 years, the average tenure for a DCR Commissioner is a little more than two years, and you have the potential for a disaster. In 2003, the governor and legislature...