Brief Summary

The stunning vistas of the Berkshires. The Boston HarborIslands. The dairy farms of the Connecticut River valley. The pine forests and sandy beaches of Cape Cod. Our open spaces define our landscape, provide critical habitat, filter our air and drinking water, and provide countless recreational opportunities.

Development pressures and dramatic neglect are threatening the future of our parks and open spaces. Last fall, the governor made cuts to an environmental bond bill that allocates money to state forests and parks in desperate need of repair. We need to make sure that this funding gets restored so our open spaces can continue to thrive.

Parks are in disrepair, open space is disappearing

Massachusetts has almost 1 million acres of public land, comprised of hundreds of forests, parks, reservations and beaches. The Massachusetts forests and parks system supports dozens of rare species and critical natural communities, boasts exemplary old growth and champion tree sites, and annually attracts more than 30 million visitors who walk, play, camp, bike, hike and otherwise enjoy these natural resources. But as anyone who has visited recently knows, these parks are falling apart due to years of under-funding and neglect. In fact, the backlog of maintenance projects now totals nearly $1.2 billion.

Hanging in the balance

Aside from our public parks, there remain thousands of acres of precious open space—untouched forests, working farms—that could be turned over to second home developers or big box stores at any time. In fact, a recent study by Mass Audubon found that we are losing open space at a rate of 40 acres per day. Protecting large, continuous tracts of land is essential to ensure that our ecosystems are healthy and vibrant.