Tag: News

Jonathan Lambert | NPR | February 25, 2019 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/25/697788559/greener-childhood-associated-with-happier-adulthood The experience of natural spaces, brimming with greenish light, the smells of soil and the quiet fluttering of leaves in the breeze can calm our frenetic modern lives. It's as though our very cells can exhale when surrounded by nature, relaxing our bodies and minds. Some people seek to maximize the purported therapeutic effects of contact with the unbuilt environment by embarking on sessions of forest bathing, slowing down and becoming mindfully immersed in nature. But in a rapidly urbanizing world, green spaces are shrinking as our cities grow out and up. Scientists are working to understand how green spaces, or lack of them, can affect our mental health. A study published Monday in the journal PNAS details what the scientists say is the largest investigation of the association between green spaces and mental health. Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark found that growing up near vegetation is associated with an up to 55 percent lower risk of mental health disorders in...

Christopher Ingraham | The Washington Post | January 11, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/01/11/people-are-happier-states-that-spend-more-money-public-places-like-parks-libraries A new study published in the journal Social Science Research finds that Americans report greater levels of happiness in states that spend more money on public goods such as parks, libraries, infrastructure and public safety. In economics, public goods are defined as goods that are available to everybody and to which no one is excluded from using. “They’re typically not profitable to produce in the private market, so if the government doesn’t provide them, they will either be underprovided or not at all,” study author Patrick Flavin of Baylor University said in a statement. Because they’re available to all, spending on public goods tends to be less politically contentious than other spending categories, such as antipoverty programs or unemployment benefits. Flavin suspected spending on these types of goods would be linked to higher levels of happiness in a given state. By devoting resources to amenities that otherwise would probably not exist, “government can help to...

George L. "Gige" Darey 6/5/1928 - 12/21/2018 Conservation Advocate https://www.rochefuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/George-Darey/#!/Obituary George L. Darey, 90, passed away peacefully from congestive heart failure at home in his native Lenox on Friday afternoon December 21, 2018. Born to the late John Darey and Francine Darey, Gige graduated, after some pranks, from Lenox Memorial High School, received a B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and two Masters degrees from the University of Massachusetts, in Biology and School Administration. Following graduation, he served in the Korean War. Thanks to a claimed major in Geology at induction, Gige met and began to work for a speed reading instructor in the Army, which led to a future in teaching. Gige loved teaching high school: History and Social Studies at Mahar, in Orange, MA, Speed Reading and Study Skills at Wahconah in Dalton, MA. Being a lifelong outdoorsman, he started highly successful Fish and Game Clubs at each school. He began a Lenox summer...

Opinion | Telegram & Gazette | December 14, 2018 https://www.telegram.com/news/20181214/as-i-see-it-conservationists-must-defeat-fitchburg-westminster-landfill-expansion It was a beautiful fall day, with cool crisp air and plenty of sunlight filtering through the partially bare hardwood trees when I set out to hike the Ball Hill loop in the state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Leominster State Forest. The trail heads southeast from the parking lot for Lower Crow Hill Pond, where families swim and picnic during the warmer months. This beach is the most popular attraction at the 4,200-acre, nearly 100-year old state forest, which also features hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and other soul replenishing activities. As I headed toward Berry Hill, elevation 1,185 feet, I planned to walk the loop to Black Bear Run, which passes just south of the Fitchburg-Westminster landfill. At the junction of the Red Oak and Ball Hill trails, I cut the loop short by bushwhacking due north toward Black Bear Run. I hadn’t gone more than a few yards when I heard...

Editorial | The Boston Globe | November 30, 2018 https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2018/11/30/voters-say-raise-taxes-preserve-parks-but-beacon-hill-isn-keeping-with-demand/mt1Y00W9LXGaEmqd9MlRPJ/story.html Quincy is restoring a bell tower at a historic church; Bedford chose to fix up a skate park; Cambridge put its money into a rehab of affordable housing. What those projects, along with hundreds of others like them all over Massachusetts, have in common is that they were paid for with a wonky government program that’s rightly celebrated as a runaway success. Now, though, the program — a state-local partnership known as the Community Preservation Act — is becoming a victim of its own popularity. The number of towns and cities participating has ballooned to 175 over the past two decades, but the main state funding source hasn’t grown with it. Boston’s vote to join the program in 2016 put an especially big strain on its finances, forcing the state’s contribution to be split among even more municipalities. Advocates, including local leaders, are asking the state to provide more revenue to account for the program’s growth. Governor Charlie Baker is on board. Now...

Matt Stout | The Boston Globe | October 12, 2018 https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/10/11/dual-forums-baker-gonzalez-stake-their-positions-environment/9lpfmxle2gDxjFagY0o3mJ/story.html Governor Charlie Baker vowed that, if reelected, he’ll deliver a “much better” MBTA built on a multiyear, $8 billion investment plan, with a promise to find more resources if needed. His Democratic challenger, Jay Gonzalez, said if he’s successful on Nov. 6, revamping public transportation, including a commitment to expansion, will be a top priority. And it’s “going to take money” — more than Baker’s investing, he said. The contrast was just one of several the two delivered Thursday in a pair of forums, where questions ricocheted between transportation, gas pipelines, climate resiliency, and some of the state’s most pressing energy and environmental issues. Baker and Gonzalez both stressed the importance of combating climate change and greasing the skids for more sustainable solutions, such as more electric cars on the roads. But they also cut clear lines of distinctions, perhaps none more so than on the T, where Baker has resisted calls to funnel...

The Wilderness Society | October 2, 2018 https://wilderness.org/blog/congress-fails-save-land-and-water-conservation-fund-america%E2%80%99s-most-important-parks-program-expires  Lawmakers have officially failed to renew the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that protects and improves parks and outdoor areas without burdening taxpayers. UPDATE: On Oct 2, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced out of committee S. 569, a bill to permanently reauthorize and provide full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. But the full Senate sill needs to vote on this bill. With the end of official legislative business for the week on Sept. 30, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, or LWCF, is officially out of business. The LWCF has been used to protect iconic landscapes in all 50 states and for more than 41,000 state and local projects. It draws on revenues from oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf to pay into these projects—everything from ensuring access to your favorite trail or climbing area, to protecting critical parts of our national parks from development,...

Elizabeth Shogren | September 10, 2018 https://www.revealnews.org/article/national-park-officials-were-told-climate-change-was-sensitive-so-they-removed-it-from-a-key-planning-report Park officials scrubbed all mentions of climate change from a key planning document for a New England national park after they were warned to avoid “sensitive language that may raise eyebrows” with the Trump administration. The superintendent of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Parkin Massachusetts had signed off a year ago on a 50-page document that outlines the park’s importance to American history and its future challenges. But then the National Park Service’s regional office sent an email in January suggesting edits: References to climate change and its increasing role in threats to the famous whaling port, such as flooding, were noted in the draft, then omitted from the final report, signed in June. The draft and the emails were obtained by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents provide a rare peek behind the usually closed curtains of the Trump administration. They illustrate how President Donald Trump’s approach to...

Staff | Community Advocate | September 5, 2018 https://www.communityadvocate.com/2018/09/05/environmental-nonprofit-changes-name-and-mission-to-benefit-state-parks Region – As state funding continues to significantly decline for Massachusetts parks, beaches, forests and other protected areas, a new organization has formed to ensure the long-term viability of these critical places that play a major contribution to tourism, recreation, education and quality of life. Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) will strive to keep voters and elected officials informed about the importance of supporting the operation, maintenance and improvement of our state’s open spaces, one of the first state park systems in the nation. “The state budget for environmental programs suffered devastating reductions during the Great Recession, and the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) still has not recovered from those losses, particularly from the impact of deferred maintenance,” said MCV’s Executive Director Doug Pizzi. “In a state that has one of the oldest and largest state parks systems, MCV is one of the few statewide organizations whose sole focus is on giving residents and visitors...

Daily News Staff | August 29, 2018 | The Metro West Daily News https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20180829/state-environmental-nonprofit-changes-its-name BOSTON - A statewide environmental nonprofit has changed its name in an effort to ensure that state parks, beaches, forests and other protected areas maintain their viability and continue contributing to tourism and recreation. The Massachusetts Conservation Voters, formerly the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, will strive to keep voters and elected officials informed about the importance of supporting the operation, maintenance and improvement of the state’s open spaces, according to a press release. “The state budget for environmental programs suffered devastating reductions during the Great Recession, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation still has not recovered from those losses, particularly from the impact of deferred maintenance,” said MCV’s executive director, Doug Pizzi, in the release. “In a state that has one of the oldest and largest state parks systems, MCV is one of the few statewide organizations whose sole focus is on giving residents and residents and visitors...

Mary C. Serreze | The Republican | August 28, 2018 https://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/08/statewide_environmental_group.html The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters has rebranded as Massachusetts Conservation Voters and is pledging to fight for state parks and forests. The state's environment budget "suffered devastating reductions" during the great recession, and properties run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation still suffer from deferred maintenance, said MCV executive director Doug Pizzi. While the DCR got a modest funding boost this year, a decade of cuts eliminated 436 positions, more than a third of the agency's workforce, according to a release. Pizzi said the cuts have hurt maintenance at a half-million acres, including parks and forests, campgrounds, beaches, swimming pools, walking and bike trails, skating rinks, ballfields, playgrounds, Boston Harbor islands, and historic parkways. "In a state that has one of the oldest and largest state park systems, MCV is one of the few organizations whose sole focus is on giving residents and visitors the world class public parks they deserve," he said. A new website has...

Mina Corpuz | Sentinel & Enterprise | July 31, 2018 http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_32041943/landswap-leominster-forest-would-grow-westminster-landfill WESTMINSTER -- Town Administrator Karen Murphy is calling a land swap that could allow the town to expand its landfill and grow the Leominster State Forest a win-win situation. Legislation could authorize the town to acquire 85 acres of forest land, which the town plans to use for the landfill. In return, Westminster would give 175 acres to the state, increasing the forest by about 90 acres. "We're losing a lot of landfill space around the state, so we feel the landfill is meeting a need around here," she said. Acquiring the state forest land could add another 10 years to the landfill, according to a fact sheet about the legislation proposed by Reps. Jon Zlotnik, Kim Ferguson, and Stephan Hay. Extending the life of the landfill could help while solutions for longterm waste management are developed, he said. "This will help us while we figure things out," Hay said. The bill is up for consideration by...