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Join us in supporting Massachusetts’ open spaces Our parks, campgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, forests, greenways, historic sites, scenic parkways, and bike paths make Massachusetts such a beautiful place to live, stimulate our economy especially in the outdoor and tourism industries, and provide thousands of jobs. To get involved with MCV, please: Sign-up via the form below to receive our e-newsletters and stay up to dateMake a recurring donation to support our work And for more information about MCV and other ways to get involved, contact our Executive Director, Doug Pizzi via email at doug@massconservationvoters.com....

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What’s at risk With 450,000 acres under management, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) oversees a diverse portfolio of open space ranging from state parks, both day-use and campgrounds, fresh water and ocean beaches, swimming pools, forests, greenways, historic sites, scenic parkways, and bike paths. Established in 1892, the park system initially grew in size, mission and funding over the decades. But overall, funding has not only failed to keep pace with growing need and demand, it has in fact been cut sharply during a time when demand for these vital resources has grown. Since Fiscal Year 2001, with a budget of $149 million, DCR and its antecedent, the Department of Environmental Management, has lost more than half of its funding. The proposed budget for parks and recreation for the coming Fiscal Year 2019 is $86 million, representing a 57 percent cut since the turn of the century. This has resulted in deep cuts to public services, staff and the ability to...

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About Us

Massachusetts Conservation Voters is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Massachusetts State Parks and developing a vision for transforming the current parks system into a robust, well-used and adequately-supported public parks system. Board of Directors Andrew Schuyler | Chair Chuck Anastas Ann Roosevelt Marina Jokic Rebecca Morris Tom McShane...

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Our History

In 2003, a small dedicated group of activists created The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters (MLEV), a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to making environmental issues a top priority for lawmakers on Beacon Hill. That same year, the two Massachusetts state parks agencies, the Department of Environmental Management and the Metropolitan District Commission, combined in a much-heralded government reorganization into the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The stated objectives: improved management and less redundancy (saving tax dollars). It was a worthy goal. Who wouldn't want a better managed and a more efficient park system? But the results have been much less than the promise. Going forward, MLEV, now called Massachusetts Conservation Voters, will still work to make Beacon Hill environmentally aware and responsive, but with our new name will come a new focus on our state parks and forests. Initially, we will concentrate on the diminishing support for the vital work of the DCR. Surely an agency that maintains 500,000 acres of...

What’s At Risk

With 500,000 acres under management, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) oversees a diverse portfolio of open space ranging from state parks, both day-use and campgrounds, fresh water and ocean beaches, swimming pools, forests, greenways, historic sites, scenic parkways, and bike paths. Established in 1892, the park system initially grew in size, mission and funding over the decades. But overall, funding has not only failed to keep pace with growing need and demand, it has in fact been cut sharply during a time when demand for these vital resources has grown. Since Fiscal Year 2001, with a budget of $149 million, DCR and its antecedent, the Department of Environmental Management, has lost more than half of its funding. The proposed budget for parks and recreation for the coming Fiscal Year 2019 is $86 million, representing a 57 percent cut since the turn of the century. This has resulted in deep cuts to public services, staff and the ability to even maintain...

Our Work

One of the most significant assets we own is our state's park system. It fuels the outdoor industry, greatly contributes to our tourism industry, and is a primary factor in people choosing to make Massachusetts their home. Despite this, the parks system has too few vocal supporters, lacks legislative champions, and is missing from any meaningful public debate. MCV means to change this by increasing support for our parks and open spaces; by providing facts on the importance of our parks to our economy and our health; by analyzing the budget of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and making it more transparent; and by working with, supporting, and strengthening the DCR Stewardship Council, which is responsible for oversight of DCR. Our Board consists of enthusiastic supporters of the state's park system and believes in DCR's dedicated and hard-working staff. We also realize that pushing the debate means offering critical analysis and new ideas. To this end, ideas for alternative...