On The Record 5 - Massachusetts Conservation Voters

DCR Stewardship Council Must Retain Experienced Leadership to Maximize Recent Successes

October 19, 2018November 9, 2018 by admin Comment Closed

By Doug Pizzi | October 10, 2018 The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Stewardship Council, which has legislatively mandated advisory and oversight authority over DCR operations, is going through a period of transition that, if not handled correctly, could diminish the Council’s ability to fulfill its role as envisioned in its enabling legislation. The 13-member volunteer Council, whose members serve seven-year terms, are appointed by the Governor. Currently there are three vacancies and four members whose terms expire in 2018. The terms of the councilors are not staggered, so a significant amount of institutional knowledge and expertise on DCR issues could leave the Council in rapid succession, severely limiting the its ability to fulfill its mission to the agency and the public. Combine that with the fact that over the past 15 years, the average tenure for a DCR Commissioner is a little more than two years, and you have the potential for a disaster. In 2003, the governor and legislature...

Environmental non-profit changes name and mission to benefit state parks

August 28, 2018November 8, 2018 by admin Comment Closed

BOSTON – 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 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 the world class public parks they deserve.” While there...

Letter to The Honorable Jeffrey Sanchez

August 15, 2018November 8, 2018 by admin Comment Closed

June 27, 2018 The Honorable Jeffrey Sanchez, Chairman House Committee on Ways & Means State House, Room 243 Boston, MA 02133 Dear Chairman Sanchez and House Ways & Means Members, We at Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) wish to be on record as opposing passage of An Act Authorizing the Town of Westminster to Acquire State Forest Land (H-4677). MCV is a newly re-named statewide conservation and environmental education non-profit, formerly called the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, (MLEV) dedicated to protecting and improving our state-held open spaces, primarily those administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Converting this 85-acre parcel protected by Article 97 of the state Constitution from state forest land to expand a landfill would forever alter the forest and destroy a portion of the Ball Hill Trail, one of the more popular hiking trails in the forest, a large gem acquired by the state over a 30-plus-year period beginning in the 1920s. We respectfully request that the House Committee on Ways and Means reject...