News

Cheryl Fiandaca | CBS Boston | October 4, 2021 https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/10/04/i-team-revere-beach-parking-meters-coming-down/ An I-Team investigation has now led to action on Beacon Hill that will make parking at the nation’s first public beach free once again. It was a win for the people and a defeat for Governor Charlie Baker and Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, both of whom wanted parking meters on Revere Beach. But after community protests and several I-Team investigations into the unfairness of the program, the legislature stepped in and put a stop to it. Residents were jubilant after learning the state can no longer charge for parking on Revere Beach. “Those meters need to be removed from Revere Beach once and for all,” State Representative Jeff Turco said. “Once again we’ll restore the first public beach in the nation and make it truly a free public beach.” The Department of Conservation and Recreation owns the roadway along the beach. It put in metered parking during the pandemic with little notice to the community, igniting...

Christian MilNeil | StreetsBlog Mass | September 16, 2021 https://mass.streetsblog.org/2021/09/16/photos-dcrs-pedestrian-bridges-are-crumbling-away/ Five days have passed since BU professor David Jones died on a dangerous staircase next to the JFK/UMass T station, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which controls the streets above and below the stairway, is still not responding to reporters’ inquiries about the staircase, its history of safety inspections, or why it’s been missing several of its steps for over a year. On Wednesday evening, while still awaiting answers from the agency’s officials, StreetsblogMASS surveyed several other pedestrian bridges over other DCR roadways and found extensive deferred maintenance issues on many of those structures as well. Along the Charles River, a handful of footbridges over Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive, and Soldiers Field Road connect densely-populated city neighborhoods with the popular riverfront parks along the Charles. A few of them – namely the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge, which was renovated earlier this summer, and the Frances Appleton Footbridge, built in 2018 – are...

Bob Flaherty | Amherst Bulletin | October 25, 2021 https://www.amherstbulletin.com/The-solar-divide-solar-power-environment-forests-Amherst-ma-Shutesbury-ma-42711546 When it’s right in front of you, like the nine decaying cherry trees on Northampton’s Warfield Place that the city of Northampton recently removed in order to rebuild the road and sidewalk, residents lose their minds. Some likened the tree-cutting “violence” to napalm deforestation during the Vietnam War and “ordained” the trees as Zen Buddhist monks, while others climbed the trees and brought on arrests, clinging to their limbs in protest. Though the justification for the trees’ destruction may still be up for social media debate, no one would argue that the city’s actions were motivated by greed. But not too far away, in the fertile farmland of Northfield and in the deep forests of Shutesbury, where massive solar projects are proposed, some say it may not be so hard to make that case. Now, residents are speaking out against these developments. Statewide rallies took place this summer demanding a moratorium on funding for large-scale solar...

Lauren Sommer | WBUR | September 7, 2021 https://www.wbur.org/npr/1034670549/climate-change-is-the-greatest-threat-to-public-health-top-medical-journals-warn The rapidly warming climate is the "greatest threat" to global public health, more than 200 medical journals are warning in an unprecedented joint statement that urges world leaders to cut heat-trapping emissions to avoid "catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse." The editorial, which was published in leading journals such as The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal, says the world can't wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to pass before addressing climate change. "No temperature rise is 'safe'," the editorial says. "In the past 20 years, heat-related mortality among people over 65 years of age has increased by more than 50%." Public health systems are already under strainHotter temperatures are already taxing public health systems. Last week, Hurricane Ida caused dozens of deaths across several states from flash flooding and other impacts. With the power grid down, some died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by using generators....

Opinion, Doug Pizzi | Commonwealth Magazine | August 20, 2021 https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/lots-of-problems-but-also-hope-at-dcr/ SUMMERTIME, and the living is not easy. A lingering pandemic, intense heatwaves followed by drenching rains, followed by intense heatwaves and more rain have made this summer a bit problematic. Fortunately, we have our state forests, parks, beaches, pools, splashpads, and bike trails to provide respite. Weather aside, a unique set of circumstances offers a rare opportunity to reverse a decade of underfunding what the pandemic has proven are vital assets. When the lockdown began in March 2020, visitors flocked to the half-million acres the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) manages for us. As the executive director of Massachusetts Conservation Voters, a statewide park advocacy group, I wrote a piece entitled Get Thee to a Park, promoting DCR properties as a safe way to exercise and improve our collective state of mind. And get there you did. During the pandemic’s height, some parks saw triple digit increases in use. DCR rose...

Ryan Kath | NECN | August 5, 2021 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/only-2-of-mass-dcr-parkway-trees-surveyed-in-good-condition-report-found/ar-AAMXhmb When we bumped into Jack Flanagan along VFW Parkway and told him we were working on a story about the health of the historic trees, his eyes lit up. Flanagan told us to hang tight as he ran into his home and retrieved his iPad. When he reemerged, he showed us photos of a tree that fell into his driveway and caused $8,000 damage to his car in June 2020. “Luckily, it didn’t hit the house, because it would’ve wiped it out,” Flanagan said. The West Roxbury resident of more than 30 years then asked if he could take us for a drive. As we cruised down VFW Parkway in his car, Flanagan repeatedly pointed at dead branches, large cracks in trunks, or fungus growing at bases and asked, “Does that tree look healthy?” There is a reason Flanagan is on edge. Aside from the large tree that toppled near his home, Flanagan has observed several other...

Blog Post | National Parks Traveler | July 30, 2021 https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2021/07/interior-secretary-signs-boundary-establishment-blackstone-river-valley-national-historical The boundaries of Blackstone River Valley National  Historical Park in Rhode Island and Massachusetts have been finalized. That action marks a significant milestone in the ongoing evolution of a national park that tells the story of the birth of America’s industrialization and its profound impact on society.  Interior Secretary Deb Haaland made the announcement during a meeting with members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation earlier this week. That milestone reflects the principles laid out in President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative, a 10-year, locally-led campaign to conserve and restore the lands and waters across the country. The new park boundaries are expected to help strengthen the local economy, increase access to outdoor recreation, and honor the rich history of the region. “America’s national parks and public lands reflect the rich history we share across generations and geographies. The new boundaries of the Blackstone River Valley National  Historical Park will increase opportunities for visitors...

Miles Howard | National Geographic | July 30, 2021 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/heres-the-revolutionary-idea-behind-americas-urban-trails As a result of record visitation this summer, America’s wide-open spaces are feeling mighty cramped. To manage their teeming crowds, some of the most popular national parks are continuing to require advance reservations, with some packed state parks looking to do the same. But what if going for an epic hike or bike ride didn’t involve driving hundreds of miles to the mountains? What if you could amble through a maze of flora and fauna right in the heart of a city, savor the aroma of white violets, refuel with local gelato, and ride public transportation back home? Urban greenways could be the answer, and they’re gaining in popularity in the United States. Fueled by climate change concerns, new car-free corridors dotted with woodlands, parks, and local sights are taking shape in cities including St. Louis and Detroit. But greenways aren’t a new concept. Their roots go back to a time when American life was...

Anne Neal Petri | Opinion, Roll Call | August 2, 2021 https://www.rollcall.com/2021/08/02/in-pursuit-of-an-infrastructure-bill-lessons-from-frederick-law-olmsted/ To tackle today’s challenges, we need look no further than some enduring lessons from the past. Like water and electricity, public parks are essential. However, according to the Trust for Public Land, more than 100 million people in the U.S., including 28 million children, do not have a park or green space close to home. These spaces aren’t just vital for our quality of life; they are essential ecological, social, and cultural infrastructure — something Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of landscape architecture and designer of the Capitol grounds, recognized nearly two centuries ago. Long before the term was ever coined, Olmsted understood the necessity of “green infrastructure.” Facing regular pandemics, polluted air and deep social divisions — eerily similar to current challenges — he developed a few foundational principles that can guide leaders today: Parks are essential public infrastructure In order to combat crowded, poorly ventilated urban housing, poor sanitation and bad air,...

David Abel | The Boston Globe | August 13, 2021 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/13/metro/climate-change-is-bringing-higher-heat-boston-more-so-some-neighborhoods-than-others-we-went-see-ourselves It was so hot in Nubian Square Thursday afternoon that the humid air in Roxbury wasn’t just palpable, it was visible — hovering in blurry waves radiating over the asphalt. It was similarly steamy near Maverick Square in East Boston, where a warren of old brick buildings and few trees combined to make the heat wave feel unbearable. It was also hot in the Longwood neighborhood of Brookline, but in a park filled with century-old beech trees and surrounded by the manicured lawns of multimillion-dollar homes, the temperature was discernibly cooler, if only slightly, according to thermometer readings by Globe reporters who fanned across the city on the second day of the heat wave. As climate change brings more hot days to the area, those small differences can be significant, and they’re likely to become increasingly pronounced, especially in lower-income neighborhoods where there are fewer trees, more concrete, and less air conditioning, a...

Editor 99 | August 14, 2021 https://editor99.com/the-stone-living-lab-project-is-helping-boston-find-nature-based-solutions-to-climate-change/ Warming temperatures, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events are signs of global warming. “Climate change is here. We can’t really stop it right now, but there are many ways we can learn to live with it and hopefully reverse some of the effects, ”says Rebecca Shoer, Stone Living Lab’s Engagement Manager. Stone Living Lab is a collaborative partnership of local organizations, including the City of Boston, the University of Massachusetts Boston School for the Environment, Boston Harbor Now, Boston National Parks, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. , and James M. and Cathleen. D. Stone foundation. They have teamed up to help Boston find nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change by using the Boston Harbor and Harbor Islands. “It is a really unique laboratory. We call it a living laboratory. There is not just a lab in the corner of the building where we have investigators working in secret. We are using the entire...