Tag: News

Events at Heritage State Park in Fall River for February Ken Paiva | Fall River Reporter | February 6, 2022 https://fallriverreporter.com/events-at-heritage-state-park-in-fall-river-for-february/ All programs are free and open to the public. The Visitor Center is located at 200 Davol Street in the Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. Memorial Building. Free parking is available in the DCR Lot at 5 Water Street in Fall River. An adult must accompany children. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. Please follow all current COVID guidelines. Visit Mass.gov/COVID. For more information call 508-675-5759. HERITAGE QUEST: Activities Daily 9:00 AM—3:00 PM Stop by the Visitor Center, grab one of our unique coloring sheets of moments in Fall River History. Try your hand at origami or even weave a row on our community loom. If you complete an entire row, you too can add your name tag! Get creative and make a holiday ornament or decoration! This is a drop-in self-guided program. Stay for the duration or drop in for a few moments. PROGRAMS: Water +...

7 Black Environmentalists Who Truly Made History This blog was written in part by Naomi Snyder, an Urban Green Lab volunteer, and edited by Nicole Brose. The environmental movement has a troubled past. The historical defenders of nature in this country, such as Madison Grant and Henry Fairfield Osborn, espoused conservation at the same time they espoused white supremacy. Early conservationists such as John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt said and wrote horrible things about Black and brown people. It’s a shame, since Black and brown communities often suffer the worst impacts from environmental damage due to systemic racism. However, Black people have not stayed on the sidelines when it comes to the historical conservation movement. We’ll honor just a few of their names here. Solomon Brown 1829-1906 Photo Credit: Smithsonian Institution Archives Solomon Brown was the first African-American employee of the Smithsonian Institution. He served under three Smithsonian secretaries. He rose in the ranks despite a lack of formal education, writing letters that help document the experience of a free Black man during the Civil War....

Flush With Federal Cash, States Invest in Their Crowded Parks Alex Brown, Stateline | The Pew Charitable Trusts | June 23, 2021 https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/06/23/flush-with-federal-cash-states-invest-in-their-crowded-parks For years, Michigan officials have fretted about the ever-growing list of overdue maintenance needs at their 103 state parks: roads and trails, water and sewer systems, restrooms and electrical infrastructure. All are in dire need of replacement or repair—with a price tag that exceeds a quarter-billion dollars. “A lot of these parks are coasting on the fumes of the investments we made in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” said Dan Eichinger, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “We’ve had this $264 million millstone around our neck.” Much of that aging infrastructure was pushed to the limit last year, as the pandemic drove people outdoors in record numbers. Michigan state parks saw 36 million visitors in 2020, up from 27 million in a typical year. State leaders expect that demand to continue. So when the American Rescue Plan dropped more than $6 billion...

Report: State parkland agency neglected Christian Wade | The Salem News | January 10, 2022 https://www.salemnews.com/news/report-state-parkland-agency-neglected/article_8e1bed5a-7253-11ec-bcc3-a7d50e345a94.html BOSTON — The state agency overseeing security at the Statehouse and a vast swath of recreational facilities and Massachusetts parklands has been starved of resources for years, according to a new report, which calls for a major boost in funding and other reforms. The report, released by a 15-member state commission, found that funding for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation has dropped by 16% since 2009 and remained largely flat over that time period. This, coupled with a 25% reduction in staffing since 2009, has prevented the agency from dealing with a backlog of maintenance needs estimated at more than $1 billion in 2016, according to the report, which was compiled by the University of Massachusetts’ Donahue Center. “Considering the state’s needs for conservation and recreation and its renewed focus on climate change, the adequacy of the DCR budget to address future needs has come into question,” the...

Baker-Polito Administration Announces First Day Hikes at Massachusetts State Parks Press Release | Department of Conservation & Recreation | December 28, 2021 https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-first-day-hikes-at-massachusetts-state-parks BOSTON — Continuing a decades-long tradition, the Baker-Polito Administration today announced it is offering First Day Hikes throughout the Massachusetts State Parks System on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Organized by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Administration will offer seven guided hikes as part of the 31st annual First Day Hikes in Massachusetts to provide the public with an opportunity to incorporate outdoor recreational activities into their New Year’s Day celebrations. “The Baker-Polito Administration is thrilled to continue the tradition of offering First Day hikes at state parks throughout the Commonwealth again this year,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “There is nothing more invigorating than hiking through one of our beautiful parks with family and friends, and we’re pleased to offer the opportunity kick off the New Year by getting outside and exploring the wonderful natural...

Author Dennis Drabelle on how national parks came to be Jeff Glor | CBS News | December 11, 2021 https://www.cbsnews.com/video/author-dennis-drabelle-on-how-national-parks-came-to-be/ Our national parks system is one of our country's proudest achievements, but protecting lands like this wasn't always a goal. Dennis Drabelle, the author of "The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks," speaks to Jeff Glor about the man who helped bring about the change. https://www.youtube.com/embed/9viKjd68G_Y Author Dennis Drabelle on how national parks came to be...

The state needs a better way to track what it owns The Editorial Board | The Boston Globe | December 5, 2021 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/05/opinion/state-needs-better-way-track-what-it-owns/ The tragedy involving the dilapidated staircase near the MBTA JFK/UMass Station, where a Boston University professor fell to his death, is an opportunity for state leaders to rethink how they track state-owned properties and come up with a better system for tracking maintenance and repairs. As the Globe’s Elizabeth Koh recently reported, several government agencies, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, flagged safety issues on the staircase that led from Columbia Road toward JFK/UMass Station. The staircase was shut down and blocked off, but not repaired or removed, until after professor David Jones died. At that point, it also became clear there was confusion over which state agency was responsible for repairing those stairs. Initially, a T official suggested the structure belonged to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. That was true up until 2009, when the Legislature reorganized the state’s...

Panel aims to ensure Massachusetts public beaches are accessible to all Chris Van Buskirk | State House News Service, Mass Live | November 30, 2021 https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/11/panel-aims-to-ensure-massachusetts-public-beaches-are-accessible-to-all.html Arguing that all people should have access to public beaches regardless of physical ability, advocates and public officials on Tuesday called for improvements and upgrades so people with disabilities can easily enjoy seaside offerings in Massachusetts. The Metropolitan Beaches Commission and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay held the second of three hearings Tuesday focused on access to public spaces for people with disabilities as officials work toward a report in the spring. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Executive Director Chris Mancini said the report will provide a roadmap for improvements in areas of access, equity, and inclusion. “We are focusing on these specific issues of access in an effort to continue what has alway been our mission which is to connect everybody to the beaches and the harbor and the clean water that we have in Boston,” Mancini told...

World Atlas: Charles River Diptarka Ghosh | World Atlas | December 6, 2021 https://www.worldatlas.com/rivers/charles-river.html Also referred to as River Charles, the Charles River is a 129 km long river that flows in the eastern portion of the US State of Massachusetts and is the longest river that flows entirely within the state. The river begins at Echo Lake in the town of Hopkinton and then follows a highly meandering route flowing through 23 towns and cities in the eastern portion of the state, finally draining into the Boston Harbor. The Charles River drains an area of 798 sq. km. Geography of Charles River The Charles River originates at Teresa Road, located just to the north of Echo Lake in the town of Hopkinton in the Middlesex County of the US State of Massachusetts. The river follows a highly winding course that doubles back on itself numerous times and is fed by more than 80 streams and several other principal aquifers. This 129km long river drains...

Now-closed parks were built with taxpayer money Paul Leighton | The Salem News | December 6, 2021 https://www.salemnews.com/news/now-closed-parks-were-built-with-taxpayer-money/article_3dc6788a-52c2-11ec-bcca-83be96f1feb6.html BEVERLY — Two pieces of land in the Gloucester Crossing neighborhood that are now locked up and for sale were once neighborhood parks built with taxpayer money. The parcels, at 14 and 34 Simon St., were developed into recreation areas in 1991 with $40,500 in grant funds secured through the city’s Community Development Office, according to a story in the Beverly Times from May 13, 1991. The lots are owned by the Beverly Housing Authority and are now being advertised for sale. The move has upset many residents, who say the parks serve as valuable open space and play areas for children in a crowded lower-income neighborhood. It is unclear if the use of public money means the two parcels must remain as public parks. Tom Bussone, the chairman of the Beverly Housing Authority board of commissioners, said he was unaware that grant money had been used to...

Letter to the Editor, Richard Stafursky | The Recorder | December 3, 2021 https://www.recorder.com/my-turn-starfursky-NotOneMoreAcre-43807986 Massachusetts must shut all State Forests for tree cutting now. A few years ago I spent an entire year in Massachusetts State Forests with state foresters who were planning management of those forests. In each case the plan was to inventory and mark trees to be cut by contractors. At the end of that year I told the foresters that I had not seen any need to cut any of the trees. Contrarily, in each location they had a plan to convert the state forests into even-age forests using silviculture practices. Silviculture converts a deep woods forest rating of zero on the NLATS scale to a 6. This is over half way to total natural landscape destruction which is NLATS 10. Silviculture is simply another name for forestry. Even-age is just another forestry word for forest agriculture; management for the continued cutting of trees. Management is the opposite of “Just let...

Sarah Shemkus | Northshore Magazine | December 3, 2021 https://www.nshoremag.com/faces-places/renovations-unveiled-at-halibut-point-state-park-in-rockport/ After three years of preparation, planning, and construction, the $4.6 million renovation of Halibut Point State Park is complete, featuring updates intended to make the park more welcoming, accessible, and environmentally sustainable. The completion was made official in late November at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides, acting commissioner of the Department Of Conservation and Recreation Stephanie Cooper, and several local officials. Halibut Point, perched at the northernmost tip of Rockport, is one of Massachusetts’ most popular state parks, offering a combination of stunning natural beauty, fascinating history, and easy access. The centerpiece of the property is the water-filled Babson Quarry, once an active part of the area’s granite industry. The park’s gentle main path circles the quarry, while side trails descend to the rocky waterfront, branch off to scenic outlooks (on a clear day, you can see as far as Maine), and meander through...

As billions hang in limbo, lawmakers take a breather Adrian Walker | The Boston Globe | November 19, 2021 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/19/metro/billions-hang-limbo-lawmakers-take-breather If there’s one thing our state lawmakers have historically been good at, it’s spending large pots of money. And getting their rest. So it’s astonishing that they have been unable to reach an agreement to spend more than $5 billion in funds, a federal gift-in-hand intended to ease the effects of the pandemic. But it’s not astonishing at all that lawmakers adjourned for the year Thursday, leaving the issue hanging in limbo. Both the House and the Senate had passed spending plans for the money, but those bills have to be reconciled into a single document and signed into law. As legislators headed off into the sunset, Governor Charlie Baker made no secret of his frustration with them. He’s absolutely right to believe they’ve shirked their duty. “The Legislature made a commitment to get it done before they went home for the holiday season and I can’t tell...

DCR needs funding to preserve our priceless conservation resources Letter to the Editor | The Lowell Sun | November 23, 2021 https://www.lowellsun.com/2021/11/23/letter-dcr-needs-funding-to-preserve-our-priceless-conservation-resources/ We are writing to address the lack of adequate budget support in recent years for the Department of Conservation & Recreation which has created a crisis condition in one of the commonwealth’s most cherished resources: our state parks, trails, forests and conservation lands. As a volunteer group founded to support DCR, the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail is painfully aware of this reality as it impacts citizens who use the trail. From trail surface conditions to lack of routine maintenance, the NRRT serves as the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” to the overall lack of budget support for DCR as it impacts all of that agency’s resources. Understanding this fundamental reality, we were extremely dismayed to see Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal to spend $100 million in federal ARPA relief money for DCR drastically cut. Much of this funding would...

‘I can’t tell you how frustrated I am.’ Baker criticizes lawmakers for failing to pass pandemic stimulus bill Matt Stout | The Boston Globe | November 18, 2021 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/18/metro/baker-raps-lawmakers-not-passing-pandemic-stimulus-bill-says-massachusetts-is-already-behind-others/ Governor Charlie Baker rebuked state lawmakers a day after they went on recess without a deal on how to spend billions in federal stimulus and state funds, arguing it leaves Massachusetts “stuck in neutral” in its circuitous climb out of the COVID-19pandemic. Baker’s pointed criticisms on Thursday reignited his months-long dispute with Democratic leaders over how quickly the state should be spending the nearly $5 billion it still has in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Lawmakers have long rejected the second-term Republican’s calls to move with alacrity in allocating the money, instead holding a half-dozen hearings to take public feedback while arguing that deliberation — not speed — was most important in dividing up a “once-in-a-lifetime” pot of money. But legislative leaders failed to reach a compromise on a nearly $4 billion spending package before formal sessions ended for the...