Tag: On The Record

A Walk in the Woods – Early Spring

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

This is the second of a continuing series of Profiles that paint a picture of who we are and the public lands and resources we have cared for every day and have for generations. The first profile is available here. A Walk in the Woods - Early Spring By Patricia Bergeron “I get no kick from champagne,” Cole Porter famously wrote, although friends of the songwriter would probably doubt that claim. This verse is more to the point: “I get no kick in a planeFlying too highWith some guy in the sky is my idea of nothing to do…” Even in this nearly-post-pandemic, almost-universally-vaccinated year, you can skip the plane ticket and still experience the novelty, beauty and fascination of a different place. You won’t need a passport, and the experience is sure to enhance your physical and mental well-being. Plus, it might be less than a tank of gas away. Here is a brief guide to one such destination, Willard Brook State Forest, a 2,597-acre...

MCV’s Recommendations to the DCR Special Commission

May 17, 2021July 27, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

updated July 27, 2021 MCV's Recommendations to the DCR Special Commission By Chuck Anastas, Doug Pizzi and the MCV Board of Directors Massachusetts Conservation Voters’ (MCV) sees DCR’s and the DCR Stewardship Council’s work as crucial to the public’s health and welfare. Furthermore, DCR’s stewardship enhances the natural, historical, cultural, and recreational resources we depend on, while supporting the outdoor industry. Outdoor activity in turn supports more than 113,000 jobs and contributes $10.5 billion in annual revenue to our economy. And yet, the FY21 general revenue share of the DCR budget was $3 million less than it was in 2009. While at the same time, the overall state budget saw an increase of $18 billion. When a public agency is starved of needed funds, its performance falters, putting the public’s confidence at stake. In a slow downward spiral the agency plays a game of whack-a-mole, attending to emergencies rather than moving forward with strategic improvements in its service to the public. It results in bad public policy...

The Great Revere Beach Heist

May 6, 2021June 4, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

The Great Revere Beach Heist Landscape architect Charles Eliot never envisioned Revere Beach, our nation’s first public beach, being out of public reach By Doug Pizzi "I want to report a robbery." - "What was stolen?" "A mile-and-a-half of public land." - "Where?" "Revere Beach Boulevard." Let me explain. It is a decades long story of unintended consequences. Despite recent increases in its Parks and Recreation Operations budget, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) remains under immense pressure from the Governor and Legislature to increase user fees to fund the agency’s stewardship of 450,000 acres of public land, our land. To meet these demands, DCR has begun charging for public parking by installing meters on agency-controlled parkways in Revere and Cambridge. Other meters on DCR parkways in Boston and Watertown may follow. Last October DCR held virtual public meetings and to no one’s surprise, most opposed the meters. DCR moved forward in April anyway, installing the meters on Memorial Drive in Cambridge and Revere Beach Boulevard,...

Special Legislative Commission on DCR has rare opportunity to benefit our parks

April 12, 2021April 29, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

Special Legislative Commission on DCR has rare opportunity to benefit our parks Public input is key to any successful outcome By Chuck Anastas and Doug Pizzi Every public park department and local open space committee felt the strain on its resources caused by the tremendous pandemic-driven increase in park attendance in 2020. With most day-to-day social opportunities shut down, people across the nation turned to our parks and other open spaces to satisfy both their physical and mental health needs. Closer to home, no organization felt this strain more than the state's premier park system stewards, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Throughout the ebb and flow of the pandemic, where it was safe to do so, DCR kept our forests and parks open - all of the time. Some areas of the state saw as much as 300 percent increases in use. Now enter the Legislative Special Commission on DCR. Conceived before the pandemic by state Senator William Brownsberger of Belmont and passed...

Letter: State lawmakers should make open space a real policy priority (The Boston Globe)

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

Letter: State lawmakers should make open space a real policy priority https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/13/opinion/fort-point-plan-gives-boston-another-shot-true-destination-waterfront/ Massachusetts Conservation Voters, a statewide advocacy group for public open space, applauds Shirley Leung’s call for abundant public parkland in conjunction with any future Fort Point Channel development. The state Legislature can act now to protect existing public parkland. Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution guides municipalities and developers in the process of converting public parkland to another use. That process, spelled out in a policy directive overseen by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, needs a two-thirds vote of the Legislature for final approval. But before the vote, proponents must prove that a better alternative to taking a park does not exist and be able to replace the land taken with property of at least equal size and ecological value. Because the requirements are set out in policy, not law, some proponents have tried to bypass the policy before filing the legislation, or not file legislation at all. Attempts...

The DCR Retained Revenue Account is Slowly Supplanting Operating Funds

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

The DCR Retained Revenue Account is Slowly Supplanting Operating Funds By Doug Pizzi | February 10, 2021 Thanks to Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council Chairman Nate Walton, the Stewardship Council Finance Subcommittee, and state DCR finance staff for a detailed presentation on DCR’s retained revenue account at the council’s January meeting. A special thanks to DCR’s Lisa Barstow for providing a recording of the session now seen on our website. It turns out there is a lot to the retained revenue account, and it is a lot for DCR to manage every year. First, DCR must spend a lot of staff time and effort, too much time and effort in our opinion, chasing an ever increasing, unrealistic revenue target the Legislature and Administration throw at the agency. In the vernacular, we call it moving the goalposts. That staff time would be better spent maintaining and improving current facilities. Second, as it is with most state spending accounts, any money DCR...

DCR Retained Revenue Account needs examination, explanation

January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 by admin Comment Closed

DCR Retained Revenue Account needs examination, explanation By Doug Pizzi | January 10, 2021 If you have been following the MCV blog and our work, you know we are concerned that the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) annual budget relies too heavily on fees. It is not too much to expect that when our tax dollars buy park and forest land that we have affordable access to that land. However, in an ongoing attempt to recover from massive budget cuts going back to the 2008 recession, DCR has been pressured to increase fees, which go into the Retained Revenue Account (Line Item 2810-2042), to meet its budgetary needs. Until this fiscal year, the Legislature and Governor have consistently pushed DCR to raise more and more revenue to supplement tax dollars to run its day-to-day operation. This has included increasing fees where they already existed and instituting new fees where they had not existed. The Governor’s pre-pandemic FY21 budget called on DCR...

A Park Grows in Dorchester, Again

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

This is the first of a continuing series of Profiles that paint a picture of who we are and the public lands and resources we have cared for every day and have for generations. A Park Grows in Dorchester, Again By Patricia Bergeron At the intersection of Adams and Bowdoin streets in Dorchester’s Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood is a small kidney-shaped area of unkempt grass, a few trees, and a disconnected three-tier fountain dwarfed by the large basin in which it sits. The basin is the sole remnant of the Lyman Fountain, once a Victorian tourist attraction, later damaged and replaced by the smaller fountain, which was ultimately disconnected in the early 1970’s for lack of funding and, to be frank, lack of interest to keep it operating. Welcome to Coppens Square Park. Like many neglected urban parks, Coppens Square is not much to look at. But the story of the park and its stakeholders is one of persistence. It is a story about the...

November Blog: Conference Committee Fully Funds DCR Parks

December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

FY 2021 State Budget Conference Committee fully funds DCR Parks and Recreation Operations We at Mass Conservation Voters want to send a big thank you to everyone who contacted legislators on the Commonwealth’s FY 2021 Conference Committee Budget. All of our efforts paid off and then some. The Conference Committee released its budget on Dec. 3rd and is proposing $51.5 million for the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Parks and Recreation Operations Account (line 2810-0100). That’s $1.1 million more than the House Budget figure we asked you to support. From here the budget, which covers spending for the balance of FY 2021 through June 30th of next year, will go to both chambers for final approval and then to Gov. Baker for his approval. When the pandemic hit last spring, and our open parks and forests represented one of the few activities that could get us outdoors safely, DCR admirably handled triple digit increases in use. This proved beyond all doubt that our...

MCV Action Alert: Support a $2.3 Million Increase in DCR Ops. Budget

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

MCV Action Alert: Support a $2.3 Million Increase in DCR's Operations Account (Line Item: 2810-0100) The time to act is now for our parks and forests! The Budget Conference Committee members are meeting on the FY21 budget. Now is the time to advocate for the House version of the budget, which included a $2.3 million increase in DCR’s operations account (Line Item 2810-0100). The members of the Conference Committee are: Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair, House Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-2990)Representative Denise Garlick, Vice Chair, House Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-2380)Representative Todd Smola, ranking Republican member of the House Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-2100)Senator Michael Rodrigues, Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-1114)Senator Cindy Friedman, Vice-Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-1432)Senator Patrick O’Connor, ranking Republican member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee (Phone: 617-722-1646) Take action: call the Conference Committee members using the numbers above today, don't wait! Ask members to support the House figure of $50.4 million for...

MCV Action Alert: Department of Conservation and Recreation budget and Public Lands Protection Act going before the House this week

November 9, 2020November 9, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

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...

House proposed FY 2021 budget is good news for parks and people

November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

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...

Boston land and transit planning group calls for at-grade Mass Pike rerouting and upgrade

October 14, 2020October 15, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

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...

DCR Stewardship Council considers changes to its enabling statute

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

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...

Congressional Candidate Town Hall on the Environment

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 by admin Comment Closed

Guest Blog | Friends of the Blue Hills | July 23, 2020 https://friendsofthebluehills.org/town_hall/ Massachusetts Conservation Voters was proud to co-sponsor the 8th District Congressional Candidate Town Hall on the Environment. What do the candidates of the 8th Congressional District say about the environmental issues you care about? Hear directly from candidates, Dr. Robbie Goldstein and U.S. Congressman Stephen Lynch, and learn how they will address the challenges facing our communities. The issues that affect you, your community, and the natural places you care about, need strong leadership at the federal level. Watch the Town Hall to better understand the candidates’ positions so that you can make an informed decision for this important election on September 1st. The primary for the 8th MA congressional district election is on Tuesday, September 1. Visit the MA Secretary of State's website to register to vote, find your polling place, or learn how to vote by mail....