Press Release: MCV Endorses Jonathan Zlotnik for State Senate

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Press Release: MCV Endorses Jonathan Zlotnik for State Senate For Immediate ReleaseOctober 24, 2023 Contact: Chuck Anastas774-249-8199 (mobile)chuck@massconservationvoters.com Mass Conservation Voters endorses Jonathan Zlotnik for State Senate Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV) today endorsed Jonathan Zlotnik in his bid to become the next senator representing the Worcester & Hampshire District. The special election will be conducted along with the regular election on November 7. The Senate seat is open because former Sen. Anne Gobi resigned last May to join the Healey-Driscoll Administration as the State Director of Rural Affairs. MCV is a statewide, non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to state parks and conserving publicly owned state lands, particularly those controlled by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. MCV board member and spokesman Henry Woolsey thanked Rep. Zlotnik for his work supporting Dunn State Park in Gardner. "His genuine commitment to land protection and conservation and understanding the importance of state parks and publicly owned lands make him the right choice for the Massachusetts Senate,” Woolsey said. “We are confident that...
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Joint Statement on the Public Lands Preservation Act Conference Committee

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Joint Statement on the Public Lands Preservation Act Conference Committee August 2, 2022 A coalition of environmental groups, including the Massachusetts Conservation Voters (MCV), today issued this statement on the legislative conference committee's inability to reach consensus on the Public Lands Preservation Act. MCV will continue to advocate for this bill, which now would have to pass in an informal session before year's end, where one objection can derail it. Joint-Statement-re-PLPA-Conference-Committee_02AUG22Download...
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Baker-Polito Administration Announces Over $11 Million for 81 Trail Improvement Projects Across the Commonwealth

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Baker-Polito Administration Announces Over $11 Million for 81 Trail Improvement Projects Across the Commonwealth Press Release | Department of Conservation & Recreation | June 28, 2022 https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-over-11-million-for-81-trail-improvement-projects-across-the-commonwealth The Baker-Polito Administration today announced $11.4 million in funding through the MassTrails Grant Program to support 81 trail improvement projects across the Commonwealth to expand and connect the state’s network of trails. Today’s announcement was made by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Beth Card, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary Jamey Tesler, Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner (DCR) Doug Rice, and state and local officials at Wharf Street Park in the Town of Milton. The grants will assist municipalities, non-profit organizations, and other public entities for the design, construction, and maintenance of a variety of public trails throughout the state, including hiking trails, bikeways, and shared-use paths. Additionally, this year, MassTrails has partnered with the Conine Family Foundation’s HubLuv Initiative, which seeks to further improve the Commonwealth’s existing trail network.  “Over the last couple of years, the importance of the Commonwealth’s...
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Transition Announced at the Department of Conservation and Recreation

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Transition Announced at the Department of Conservation and Recreation Press Release | Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Department of Conservation & Recreation | June 22, 2022 https://www.mass.gov/news/transition-announced-at-the-department-of-conservation-and-recreation BOSTON — Today, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card announced the departure of Department of Conservation and Recreation Acting Commissioner Stephanie Cooper and the appointment of Doug Rice, former General Counsel at DCR and currently Director of Procurement for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) as the incoming Commissioner, effective June 24, 2022. “Acting Commissioner Cooper has been a vital asset steering the Department of Conservation and Recreation, she demonstrated her commitment to the agency’s mission, its staff, and the state parks system every day. I am very grateful for her service, ” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. “I am excited to welcome Doug to the team, and have confidence that he will be a strong advocate and supporter of our state’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources.” In November 2021, Acting Commissioner...
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Baker-Polito Administration Announces Annual Park Serve Day

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Baker-Polito Administration Announces Annual Park Serve Day Press Release | Department of Conservation & Recreation | April 19, 2022 https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-annual-park-serve-day BOSTON —  The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that the 16th annual Park Serve Day will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, with dozens of volunteer activities planned throughout the Commonwealth’s state park system in collaboration with partner organizations and community stakeholders. Since Park Serve Day began in 2006, thousands have participated in a day of volunteerism by partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) by cleaning coastlines, clearing trails, picking up litter, planting flowers, painting, and contributing to other important tasks at state parks in every region of the Commonwealth. “Volunteering on Park Serve Day is one of the best ways to ensure a park or beach you love will be in good shape for the spring and summer seasons,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our Administration is grateful to the thousands of volunteers who will get outside with family, friends, and neighbors to improve state properties...
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Environmental non-profit changes name and mission to benefit state parks

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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...
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Letter to The Honorable Jeffrey Sanchez

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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...
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