What's New
Our parks are under-funded, and open space is rapidly disappearing. This fall, the governor and the Legislature are deciding where to invest the state’s resources through bond bills. Here what they need to do:
• Preserve open space: If Massachusetts invested $100 million per year for land conservation, we could protect threatened open spaces, preserve our working farms, and establish new signature urban parks.
• Restore our parks: Let’s catch up on backlogged maintenance in our forests, parks and beaches with $125 million per year—and get our parks back to world-class
How You Can Help
Ask Secretary Bowles to protect our parks and forests: Sign our online petition calling on Secretary Bowles to recomend $125 million per year to restore our parks and $100
million per year for open space preservation.
Brief Summary
The stunning vistas of the Berkshires. The Boston Harbor Islands. 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 drinking water, and provide countless recreational opportunities.
Development pressures and dramatic neglect are threatening the future of our parks and open spaces. It’s time to do something about it: Right now the governor and the Legislature are developing their capital spending plans for the next several years. We need to act soon to make sure they commit to reinvesting in both our public forests and parks, and conservation programs that protect threatened areas.
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.
Looking for a strong commitment
That’s why Environment Massachusetts is urging the governor and the Legislature to protect the places that make Massachusetts special by committing to invest $225 million dollars per year in our forests, parks and open spaces. The first steps: passing the environmental bond this fall, and replenishing funding for our most important conservation programs and projects. Together, we can preserve the open spaces that make Massachusetts special.
