As home to the first
public park and public beach, the Commonwealth has a long legacy of
preservation. From the Berkshires to the Cape, our landscape defines Massachusetts, providing
places where residents can relax and enjoy nature and annually attracting
thirty million visitors. Unfortunately, our state forests and parks and
our legacy as a leader are in jeopardy. Many of our public treasures are
suffering from chronic neglect, mismanagement and understaffing that in some
cases have led to visible decay, safety issues and environmental damage. Chronically
insufficient state funding, a lack of long-term planning and poor stewardship
have resulted in the deterioration of our forests and parks. This decline is evident all across the
state. Our members frequently reach out
to us about problems in their local parks.
Whether it’s stories about
getting lost in the woods, trash in the trails, deteriorating facilities or
disappearing programs for our children, the message is clear – these precious
places are suffering.
In our efforts to keep
people here for generations and attract new residents and businesses to the Commonwealth,
we cannot ignore the natural and recreational resources in our backyards as
part of the solution. Our state forests and parks not only support dozens of
rare species, natural communities and old growth and champion tree sites, and filter
our air and water, but also contribute significantly to quality of life and
economic prosperity in the Commonwealth.
People value recreational
opportunities and open space and consider access to natural and recreational
resources when choosing where to live. A study in 2003 conducted for the
Boston Foundation and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce found that access
to outdoor activities is the second most important factor in decisions by
recent college graduates on whether to stay in the area, second only to job
availability. Additionally, according to a report conducted by the Center
for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern
University, firms take
into account a city’s reputation for quality of life when deciding where to
locate. The report stated that “adding cultural amenities, improving the
quality of parks and recreational areas, and assuring good local schools can be
critical for attracting not only business but young families.” In a survey conducted for the Massachusetts
Institute for a New
Commonwealth (MassINC),
access to beaches, oceans, and mountains was the third most frequently
mentioned characteristic by respondents when asked what they liked about the
state.
These places contribute
directly to economic health of the commonwealth. The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
estimates that of the $21 billion per year that tourism contributes to the Massachusetts economy,
nearly half is directly attributable to outdoor recreational activities. Many of these outdoor recreational activities
take place in our public forests and parks.
Open space and recreational opportunities also increase property values
and make Massachusetts
a desirable place to live and do business.
In our effort to solve the “brain drain’ and to grow the commonwealth’s
economy, our public lands need to be included in the equation.
While
turning our forests, parks and beaches around and providing a world class
experience in Massachusetts will take long-term investment, planning and
citizen stewardship, there are some short term actions that would bring
immediate improvements.
After
years of underfunding, we need to play catch up to turn our parks around.
An additional $10 million in the FY08 budget for DCR would begin to chip away
at the problem. With these additional resources, our parks will be
cleaner, safer and provide more cultural, educational and recreational
opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy.
I
urge you to allocate $750,000 of this for the completion of resource management
plans for all state properties.
Currently DCR does not have an effective strategy for inventorying
managing its properties. The legislature,
recognizing this weakness, required DCR to create Resource Management Plans
(RMPs) for all state properties as part of the legislation that merged the MDC
and DEM and created DCR. These RMPs are
a critical component of a rational management system and planning structure,
allowing DCR to inventory its properties to determine where resources can best
be allocated. Unfortunately, DCR has
only just begun this process and currently lacks the resources to hire the
necessary staff. At the current pace, it
would take an estimated 20 years for DCR to develop plans for all its
properties. In the interim, our forests
and parks would continue to deteriorate.
These
additional resources could have real results on the ground – more parks would
be staffed, these public resources would be better patrolled and
maintained. By allocating an additional
$10 million in the budget this year, we can begin to turn our parks around so Massachusetts can become
a leader once again.
