MYRWA ADVOCATES FOR MORE FUNDING & RESOURCES FOR MASS PARKS
Altogether, Massachusetts state parks cover 450,000-acres, the 9th largest system in the country. However, Massachusetts is ranked 47th in state and local budget on parks and recreation, spending less than 1% of the state’s overall budget. Meanwhile, the importance of these parks was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic with state park use increasing 300%.
In 2020, the Massachusetts Legislature funded a Special Commission study to examine DCR’s internal operations and asset management. The UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI) was hired to complete the study with oversight by a 15-member commission made up of state environmental and transportation officials, legislators, friends groups, statewide partners, public employee unions representing DCR staff, and the DCR Stewardship Council. A culmination of many months of work by the Special Commission and these advocacy groups, the final DCR Special Commission report was unanimously approved by the MA Legislature on December 9th, 2021.
The 126 page report-outlines challenges for DCR and recommendations for how to increase the capacity and efficiency of the organization. Read the DCR Special Commission Report here.
MyRWA and a coalition of park advocates including the Charles River Conservancy, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Esplanade Association, Friends of the Middlesex Fells, Neponset River Watershed Association, and the Solomon Foundation have advocated that the report include a focus on partnerships, quantifiable metrics and prioritized projects, and more well-defined follow-through tasks.
This coalition issued two letters, collectively signed by 61 park Friends Groups around the state, to push for strengthening and improving the final report – and ultimately our parks.
The Work is Not Done
Although the Special Commission report was approved by the MA Legislature, the state park system was only given $15 million in additional funding, $85 million less than what Governor Baker proposed should be appropriated from American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) funds. This means that there is a backlog of improvement projects–many right here on the Mystic! It also means that too much maintenance (approximately $1 billion worth) has been deferred, leaving our parks overrun with invasives and trash and paths and benches in poor condition.
This is where you can help. Though we can do our best to advocate, state legislators respond best when they hear directly from their constituents – that’s you!
Consider sending a message to your state legislator asking them to support state parks (or your favorite Mystic Park) – you can see samples here.
When you notice an issue with a state park, contact mass.parks@mass.gov to report it. It is important for DCR to know what needs to be fixed in our parks!
