Oyster Restoration Offers New Market for Shellfish Farmers

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Initiative could help growers, ecosystem, and coastal communities Joseph Gordon, Aaron Kornbluth & Zack Greenberg | The Pew Charitable Trusts | October 21, 2020 https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/10/21/oyster-restoration-offers-new-market-for-shellfish-farmers This year has been hard on shellfish farmers, with sales to restaurants way down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That has left many farmers holding oysters even as they grew beyond the ideal size for the half-shell market, and has created a major dilemma over what to do with those oversized bivalves. Now, there’s a new option on the table. Under a partnership called Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR), eligible growers in seven states—Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Washington—can sell their overgrown oysters for use in reef restoration projects. How oyster reefs help coastal ecosystems Oyster reefs help protect shorelines, filter water, and provide habitat for wildlife. Sadly, U.S. native oyster populations have declined to a fraction of their historic levels because of over harvesting, pollution, and habitat destruction. But rebuilding shellfish habitats is one...
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MCV Action Alert: Department of Conservation and Recreation budget and Public Lands Protection Act going before the House this week

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation budget and Public Lands Protection Act are going before the House this week. We need your advocacy on both. Last week, we alerted you to the release of the House budget for the balance of FY2021. Things are moving quickly. Debate on this spending plan will start this week. Please thank Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and members of the House Ways & Means Committee for supporting our petition by recognizing the importance of parks and open spaces as essential infrastructure for our physical and mental health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the time to advocate for the House’s $2.3 million increase for DCR’s operations account (Line Item 2810-0100) and a common sense $4.0 million decrease in the sum DCR must try to raise from the public to fund the retained revenue account (Line Item 2810-2042). This will take considerable pressure to increase user fees for our parks off of DCR. Also up for a vote, as...
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House proposed FY 2021 budget is good news for parks and people

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House proposed FY 2021 budget is good news for parks and people Doug Pizzi | November 6, 2020 On Nov. 5th, the Massachusetts House Ways & Means Committee released its budget for the remainder of FY 2021, and its good news for Massachusetts residents and visitors who use the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) parks, forests, other facilities, and infrastructure. Thanks for joining us, signing our petition and contacting legislators. Ways & Means has recognized DCR facilities as essential for our collective physical and mental health. The Baker Administration, prior to the pandemic, sought to level fund DCR’s Parks and Recreation Operations Account (2810-0100), which, due to inflation would have actually been a cut. During the pandemic, Governor Charlie Baker offered a $400,000 increase in this account. We are pleased to announce that with your help for our advocacy, Ways & Means is seeking a $2.3 million increase over FY 2020 in that account, funding it at $50 million. Also, Ways & Means...
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Boston land and transit planning group calls for at-grade Mass Pike rerouting and upgrade

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Boston land and transit planning group calls for at-grade Mass Pike rerouting and upgrade Doug Pizzi | October 14, 2020 The Trustees Collaborative for Parks and Open Space (Collaborative), one of several advocacy groups long involved in the rerouting and rebuilding of the Massachusetts Turnpike and adjacent transportation infrastructure along the Charles River, is making a case for an at-grade solution for the project. The Collaborative, part of a task force that has been reviewing and commenting on the project for several years, is an, “…ad hoc group of open space and parks advocates, leaders and donors…” Members meet quarterly to discuss and weigh in on issues of great importance to Boston, which this project certainly is. They represent themselves within the Collaborative structure, not the organizations to which they belong. The project will straighten and replace decrepit, failing infrastructure plaguing all three roads, and in particular the raised portion of the Mass Pike, where the columns that support the highway show rebar exposed...
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Park Finder

Find a Park To help guide you in choosing a park to visit, please use this 'Find a DCR Park Map' tool below. This map will be updated regularly by DCR as parking restrictions and recommendations change. Source: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-park...
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Resources

MassParks Regions, Districts & Complexes Map MassParks-Regions-Districts-Complexes_2017Download Additional Resources DCR Trail MapsPDF maps to download Find My LegislatorFind your legislator by entering your street address, city/town, and ZIP code Massachusetts Environmental OrganizationsEco USA list for Massachusetts Massachusetts Forest & Parks Friends NetworkGrassroots network of volunteer networks Bay State Trail Riders AssociationKeeping trails open for equestrian use Boston Park AdvocatesA citywide network championing urban greenspace The Connecticut River ConservancyClean water. Healthy habitat. Thriving communities. Friends of the Blue HillsDevoted to preserving and protecting the Blue Hills Reservation Friends of Cochituate State ParkSupporting the efforts of DCR to operate and improve the park Friends of the FellsDedicated to the protection of the Fells Friends of Upton State ForestTo preserve, enhance, protect Upton State Forest Groundwork LawrenceCreating the building blocks of a healthy community New England Mountain Bike AssociationCommunity of mountain bikers committed to preserving open space Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens AllianceAll-volunteer organization supporting the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens...
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DCR Stewardship Council

DCR Stewardship Council The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council is a thirteen member volunteer Council, whose members serve seven-year terms and are appointed by the Governor. Members Jack Buckley, ChairmanMiddlesex CountyMelissa Harper, Vice ChairPlymouth CountyAnn Canedy, SecretaryBarnstable CountyJeffrey CollinsEnvironmental SeatDicken CraneBerkshire CountyPhil DohertyNorfolk CountyTed DooleyEssex CountyKevin O'SheaBostonVivian OrtizSuffolk CountySusan SmileyWorcester CountyDennis SmithPlymouth CountyJennifer N.S. WilsonMiddlesex CountyLaura JasinskiEnvironmental Seat Transition Recommendations Offered by the DCR Stewardship Council The DCR Stewardship Council offered transition recommendations to provide the new administration with thoughts on the changes, improvements, and initiatives that we see as critical to the DCR’s success in its mission. Read the recommendations here. Meetings of the DCR Stewardship Council For questions about Stewardship Council meetings or additional information, please contact Matthew Perry, DCR Manager of Stewardship Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Matthew.s.perry1@mass.gov. To view meeting schedules, future agendas and more, visit the DCR Stewardship Council website. Past Meetings To view past meeting agendas and related materials, click here. October 12, 2023, DCR Trails and Greenways Presentation https://youtu.be/l6dhVC4h2vM?si=t2zCxfA6tJAiEaCn May 11, 2023, Strategic...
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New England’s forests are sick. They need more tree doctors.

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Marguerite Holloway | New York Times Service for Boston.com | October 8, 2020 https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/10/08/new-englands-forests-are-sick-they-need-more-tree-doctors Bear and Melissa LeVangie spent much of their childhood aloft, in a then-forested area of Massachusetts. “Our mother would say, I don’t want to see you until it is dark,” said Bear LeVangie. “We would climb an 80-foot — it seemed like a 100-foot then — white pine and hang out and not think twice about it.” The twins still spend much of their time in and around trees: Both are arborists, which is akin to being tree doctors. Both are seeing a surge in demand for arborists because the region’s trees are faring so poorly. “I would never have anticipated how fast things are declining,” said Melissa LeVangie, who works for Shelter Tree, a tree care supply company, and is tree warden, or caretaker, for the town of Petersham in central Massachusetts. As climate change accelerates, the trees in the Eastern forests of the United States are increasingly vulnerable. For...
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Election 2020

General ElectionTuesday, November 3, 2020 Due to the spread of COVID-19 (a.k.a. coronavirus), Massachusetts has expanded voting options for voters to protect their health, while still being able to exercise their right to participate in our democratic system. Massachusetts elections website Important dates & deadlines for voting Voter registration deadlines Online: October 24, 2020By Mail (postmarked in the mail by): October 24, 2020In Person: October 24, 2020 Vote early in person Starts statewide: October 17, 2020 Vote on election day in person November 3, 20207:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Hours may vary by town. Contact your local election official to learn more about the hours at your polling place. Where do I vote? Vote by mail Request your ballotVote by mail applications were mailed to every person who was registered to vote in Massachusetts by July 1. The United States Postal Service recommends that you submit your Vote by Mail application no later than October 20, in order to ensure that you will then receive your ballot in time to return it...
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A Dam Removal Reunites A Mass. Neighborhood With The Housatonic River

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Nancy Eve Cohen | New England Public Radio | September 30, 2020 https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2020/09/30/dam-removal-pittsfield-housatonic Over the past two decades more than 60 dams have been torn down in Massachusetts with the goal of restoring river habitats and improving safety. One came down this year on the West Branch of the Housatonic River with yet another, more neighborhood-focused goal. The Housatonic River takes many twists and turns from the Massachusetts Berkshires to Long Island Sound. One way to picture it is to imagine a squiggly letter Y. The right or East Branch is where toxic PCBs from the former General Electric plant have been dug up. The tail of the Y includes the stretch that GE has yet to clean up. The left or West Branch, the site of the former dam, winds through a Pittsfield neighborhood known as the West Side. "It was a neighborhood hangout for all the neighborhood kids," said 59-year-old Tony Jackson. To read the full article, please click here....
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DCR Stewardship Council considers changes to its enabling statute

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DCR Stewardship Council considers changes to its enabling statute Doug Pizzi | September 29, 2020 The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council is considering proposing changes to its enabling statute (Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21) enacted in 2003. The Council conducted a detailed, lengthy discussion on proposed changes at its virtual meeting on Thursday, July 9, and again on September 10. There was no meeting in August. Chapter 21, written in conjunction with merging the former Metropolitan District Commission and the Department of Environmental Management, set up the Council as board of directors for the new agency. In practice, many of the provisions, especially Section 2, have never been the reality in terms of how the Council operates. It reads: “The department shall be under the control of a stewardship council, which shall consist of 13 persons to be appointed by the governor in the manner provided in section 2A for terms of seven years.” While the Council provides valuable input on...
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How Parks and Recreation Will Change Forever

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Richard J. Dolesh, Editor at Large for Parks & Recreation magazine | National Recreation and Park Association | July 23, 2020 https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2020/august/how-parks-and-recreation-will-change-forever/ Just six months ago, our entire world was turned upside down by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nationwide, most businesses, schools, churches, parks and recreation facilities shut down. Many believed it would just be a short time to “flatten the curve” of the rate of infections and get back to normal. Yet, now in the heat of summer, we find that coronavirus infection positivity rates have surged, and more than half of U.S. states are facing increasing rates of infections. And, this is all before a second wave of infections that epidemiologists predict is virtually certain to strike America this fall. In addition to the pandemic and the resulting economic recession that has profoundly affected hundreds of millions of people, there are also momentous changes taking place across the country in support of racial equality and social justice that are embodied in...
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