Category: News

This Overlooked Region Has Some of the Loveliest Hikes in New England

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Madeline Bilis | Travel and Leisure | August 20, 2019 https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/eastern-massachusetts-hikes The gentle hills of Greater Boston aren’t exactly known for their heart-pumping hiking trails. The same goes for the sloping dunes of Cape Cod — you’d be hard-pressed to find gaggles of L.L. Bean-clad hikers trekking out to sandbars in Eastern Massachusetts the way some groups scale the mountains of Western Mass. And that’s exactly why it’s so wondrous to go hiking there. I know this because I spent the better part of last year hiking around Eastern Massachusetts to write an aptly named guidebook, "50 Hikes in Eastern Massachusetts." It details some of the most well-known trails beyond Boston, as well as the area’s more secret, under-the-radar walks. Indeed, one of the region’s biggest strengths as a hiking destination is a refreshing lack of other humans. Maybe uncrowded trails are a given, but until you go for a leisurely stroll among centuries-old trees — without seeing another person for hours — you might...

Leominster City Council OKs funds for Twin Cities Rail Trail easements

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

David Dore | Leominster Champion | August 13, 2019 https://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/20190813/leominster-city-council-oks-funds-for-twin-cities-rail-trail-easements The Twin Cities Rail Trail has moved another step forward, following a unanimous vote by the Leominster City Council on Monday night. Councilors approved spending $83,100 from the city’s Stabilization Account to reimburse property owners for use of their land — either temporarily during construction or permanently for needs such as utilities and sidewalks — for the first phase of the project. The 24 temporary and seven permanent easements themselves will be discussed and voted on by councilors Monday, Aug. 26. Public hearings are scheduled for 6:05 and 6:10 that night in the City Council chambers at Leominster City Hall. The rail trail would connect Mechanic Street in downtown Leominster and the Intermodal Transportation Center on Water Street in downtown Fitchburg. It would run through areas such as the South Fitchburg Playground and Fitchburg Municipal Airport in Fitchburg, and the Doyle Conservation Area, HealthAlliance-Leominster Hospital, Watertower Plaza, Doyle Field, Pine Grove Cemetery and Carter Park...

MassBike’s Letter to DCR on E-Bikes

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

MassBike | Galen Mook, Executive Director | July 29, 2019 https://www.massbike.org/massbikeletter_dcrebikes Last week, MassBike put out a call for your help, to join in the conversation on e-bikes and submit your comments to the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation in regards to their proposed regulations that would pertain to pedal-assist bicycles. We appreciate the desire for the DCR to allow Class-1 Pedal-Assist Electric Bicycles on improved trails over 8' wide (like rail trails). However, we disagree with the proposal to prohibit the use of pedal-assist bikes on "improved DCR trails that are less than 8 feet in width, dirt roads that are not open to vehicular traffic, and any natural surface trails, regardless of width or other conditions," and compiled our feedback for the DCR to review. You can learn more about these proposal amendments to DCR policies here (CMR 302 11.00) and here (CMR 302 12.00) and more about e-bikes on our website here. We received several hundred responses in support of our call to action and we greatly appreciate...

MCV Action Alert: Ask Gov. Baker to Support the Mass. Outdoor Economy!

July 25, 2019July 25, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Doug Pizzi | Executive Director We are pleased to report that the Massachusetts Legislature has responded to our request to provide the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Parks and Recreation Operations Budget (line 2810-0100) with a significant increase for the fiscal year that started July 1 (FY2020). Funded at a level of $40.25 million for the previous fiscal year, the Legislature has sent to Gov. Charlie Baker for his consideration a proposed $47.25 million funding level for the account. The additional funding will help DCR recover from previous budget cuts that greatly reduced staff. The governor, who proposed funding the account at $42.24 million, can seek to reduce that figure before he sends the budget back to the Legislature for final approval. The Legislature may then accept or override any changes the governor has made. Throughout the budget process, we kept you apprised of developments, asked for your help, and you responded. So thank you for supporting our efforts! Together, we’ve had a...

How Much Nature Is Enough? 120 Minutes a Week, Doctors Say

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Knvul Sheikh | The New York Times | June 13, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/health/nature-outdoors-health.html It’s a medical fact: Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is good for you. A wealth of research indicates that escaping to a neighborhood park, hiking through the woods, or spending a weekend by the lake can lower a person’s stress levels, decrease blood pressure and reduce the risk asthma, allergies, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, while boosting mental health and increasing life expectancy. Doctors around the world have begun prescribing time in nature as a way of improving their patients’ health. One question has remained: How long, or how frequently, should you experience the great outdoors in order to reap its great benefits? Is there a recommended dose? Just how much nature is enough? According to a paper published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, the answer is about 120 minutes each week. The study examined data from nearly 20,000 people in England who took part in the Monitor of Engagement with the...

The Beaches of Boston Harbor

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Amanda Stoll | NorthEndWaterfront.com | July 16, 2019 https://northendwaterfront.com/2019/07/the-beaches-of-boston-harbor/ Watch Boston Harbor Now’s most recent Waterfront Wednesdays episode with Director of Planning Alice Brown and Vice President of Partnerships and Operations Jack Murray to learn more about Boston Harbor’s beaches. To see the full video, click here. And to find your closest state park beach, check out Mass. DCR's accessible beaches web page here....

Franklin Park expansion is the opportunity of a lifetime

June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

MCV supports the Conservancy, and the many other Franklin Park enthusiasts who want to see this land restored to its original parkland use. For more information, click here or contact the Conservancy at 617-522-2700 Franklin Park expansion is the opportunity of a lifetime By Karen Mauney-Brodek, President of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Sometimes a city encounters a rare, pivotal moment when we can make a decision to invest in the long-term needs of our city, its communities and climate by adding in a significant manner to Boston’s open space inventory. We are in one now. In 1949, 13 acres of Franklin Park, the “crown jewel” of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace, were converted into massive buildings and vast parking lots. Today we have the opportunity to repair the area and restore the 13-acre parcel to its previous use as parkland. We must take the time to explore all options and opportunities to provide the most public open space possible in this high-needs area and...

MCV Letter to Budget Conference Committee

June 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

MCV Letter to Budget Conference Committee The Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) recently wrote to the Chairmen of the Budget Conference Committee, Chairman Rodrigues and Chairman Michlewitz, calling attention to Line 2810-0100 (Parks and Recreation Operations) in the proposed FY 2020 budget for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). MCV, along with the environmental community at-large, supports the $5 million increase in DCR funding provided in the House budget. To read our letter, please click below. MCV Letter to Conference Committee re DCR BudgetDownload...

Wherever You Are, There’s a State Park Nearby

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 by admin Comment Closed

Peter Kujawinski | The New York Times | June 5, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/travel/state-parks-eastern-united-states.html An island of glacier-tumbled rock, covered in trees, sits in the cold waters of Lake Michigan. On the horizon, it looks like the gathering of night. This is Wisconsin’s Rock Island State Park, where my love of nature began. Thirty years ago I spent part of a summer there with a troop of the Polish Boy Scouts, which is a story in its own right. We slept on rusty cots, played dubious games with pocketknives, tramped around the island and jumped into its hidden coves. Our clothes started to grow fungus and we may have blown up cans of creamed corn in bonfires. It was glorious. Rock Island is one of 8,565 state parks that are scattered across all 50 states. Some, like Niagara Falls, have international stature, but most are like Rock Island, locally popular but otherwise unknown. Some are no larger than city parks; others are as grand as national parks. Last year...

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...