Commonwealth Conversations: Conservation and Recreation

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Live Chat on Choices and Priorities Test

Here's our live chat where we'll talk about things like the budget and the choices we've had to make.  Hope you'll join us.  If you miss the chat, an archive will be available here, as well.

Thanks to you Park Serve Day is a huge success!

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

 

What a beautiful day!  The weather could not have been more perfect for our 3rd Annual Park Serve Day.  The volunteers came out in droves as we had a record 4,000 people help out at 67 parks all across the Commonwealth.  Together, we planted 81,800 flowers and trees and collected 51 tons of trash.  In the oddest find of the day, a volunteer at Salisbury Beach scooped up a set of false teeth! 

Governor Patrick, Secretary Bowles and I, along with 140 volunteers, had a great time at Houghton’s Pond in the Blue Hills. 

We planted several trees in one of our picnic areas with Cub Scout Pack #42 of Quincy while other volunteers built picnic tables and cleared hiking trails. 

This season, we expect to have more visits to our parks than in previous years as people stick closer to home.  Your help on Park Serve Day ensures our visitors will have a memorable DCR experience! 

Thanks to everyone who gave their day to take part in the largest Park Serve Day ever!  I can’t wait until next year!  

 

 

Spring Vacation Ideas

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

Next week is School Vacation Week, and at DCR, we are ready.

Our knowledge staff members are ready, willing, and able to offer free, high quality outdoor activities for kids and their families, April 18th through the 26th.  They’re educational, too!

One of my goals as Commissioner is to reconnect kids and their families to the outdoors.  This week provides ample opportunity to do just that!  You can explore a tidal pool and learn about all the creatures that live along our coast.  Or hike through the Blue Hills with a DCR ranger as your guide. There are plenty of chances to get outside, learn about nature or just get some fresh air! 

For a complete list of all of our great activities at DCR, please click here.

And don’t forget to sign up for Park Serve Day – it’s a great way to top off your week in the great outdoors.  Pick a park!  Give a day!  Make a difference!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Pick a park! Give a day! Make a difference!

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

 

I am very pleased to announce that Park Serve Day 2009 will be held on Saturday, April 25th! The website is up and registration is now open!

Park Serve Day is DCR’s statewide volunteer day. In cooperation with Governor Patrick’s Office of Civic Engagement, DCR staff works hard each year to develop worthwhile projects that prepare us for our busiest season. This year, with the ice storm damage and a potential shortfall in seasonal staff, your help is needed more than ever to get our parks ready!

In its third year, this event continues to grow with ever expanding volunteer opportunities in our parks. The date was moved back to better coincide with Earth Day. This has allowed us to join forces with the 10th Annual Earth Day Charles River Clean-up. The Clean-up is an extraordinary event that draws thousands of volunteers to the banks of the Charles River. We are very excited to be able to work closely with our partners, the Charles River Watershed Association, the Charles River Conservancy and the Esplanade Association and to incorporate their great work into Park Serve Day.

Last year, 1,504 volunteers worked in 55 parks statewide. By day’s end, they had planted 1,758 flowers and trees, distributed 300 yards of mulch, and collected 17 tons of trash. These impressive numbers quantify all that can be accomplished by working together.

With over 50 parks participating all across the Commonwealth, Park Serve Day provides a great opportunity to see a park you have never visited. The projects vary widely based on the park’s need from simple post-winter beach clean-up to repairing the damage done to the trails by the vicious storm. There is something for every one and every level. Family friendly activities can be found in each region with the majority of the projects suitable for kids 8 and up.

The overwhelming response to Park Serve Day shows how Massachusetts residents value their state parks and our shared responsibility to them. So pick a park! Give a day! Make a difference! It’s a lot of fun!

A Big Year for Skiing at Blue Hills

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

Saturday marked the end of one of the most successful Boston-area ski seasons in years, thanks to a lot of snow – and the revitalization of the Blue Hills Ski Area.
 
Blue Hills is a unique facility, offering opportunities from schuss to snowplow in unusual proximity to the Commonwealth’s largest city. Yet, as recently as last season, the Blue Hills Ski Area was in trouble. The operator suffered from financial difficulties, falling behind on water, electrical and insurance bills, let alone any type of capital improvement that would make the facility more attractive to local skiers.  Lifts fell into disrepair. Snowmaking was shaky. DCR’s ability to bring skiing to Greater Boston was on the brink. 

Then came Ski Blue Hills, an entity created by the successful operators of Campgaw Mountain in New Jersey, who took over the Blue Hills slope under a new five-year permit, and we couldn’t be happier. In Ski Blue Hills, DCR found a partner with a proven track record of successfully operating a small, metropolitan ski area in partnership with a public entity – and the makings of a booming ski season in Greater Boston. 

Even before the season began, Ski Blue Hills invested $400,000 in infrastructure, purchasing a new groomer, regrading the beginners trail, and upgrading the snow-making system.  These improvements resulted in 40 percent more snow coverage.

The operator also focused on getting skiers up the slopes.  The double chair lift received a much needed upgrade and the installation of new “Magic Carpet” and “Mini Magic Carpet” conveyor belts made it easier for young skiers to get to the “Skiwee” trails – vital to the Blue Hills mission of introducing young skiers to the sport. 

As the season developed, Blue Hills provided much-needed outdoor time as well as skill development.  The winter vacation camps were a huge success, with the number of participants increasing 50 percent, to 225, during the February vacation.  The Ski Area also reached out to recreation departments in Braintree, Quincy, Norwell and Weymouth, encouraging them to sign up young people for the Ski Area’s Junior Program. 
 
High schools signed on as well.  This year, the ski area added Mass Bay East to the roster of MIAA leagues who call Blue Hills their home slope. More than 20 schools from MIAA leagues host meets at the Blue Hills Ski Area.

I couldn’t be happier. This year, the cost of travel, as well as the price of lift tickets for ski resorts up North, caused local skiing enthusiasts to seek alternatives, and they found one at DCR’s Blue Hills Ski Area. Of course, Mother Nature played along. Record local snowfalls made Blue Hills an even better option.  But I am optimistic that, with our new partner, DCR will provide a family-friendly ski opportunity near Boston for many years to come. 

Reforming Transportation

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

 

As I’m sure you have heard, Governor Patrick has released a broad proposal to build a long-term, sustainable transportation system for the Commonwealth.  As a part of that overall plan, DCR will be transferring the care and control of the agency’s vehicular bridges to Mass Highway.  We are supportive of this move as it allows us to focus our limited resources on the core mission of enhancing our parks, forests and beaches for all our visitors.
 
This idea has been bandied about for some time and sometimes provokes concern.  It is important to note that this transfer does not include our historic parkway system.  DCR is uniquely qualified to maintain their historic and scenic character and we will continue to bear that responsibility.  I am confident that the transfer of the bridges will allow for a much sharper focus on their preservation as an integral part of our parks system. 

Another exciting component of the Governor’s plan is the commitment to alternative modes of transportation such as walking and biking.  These are activities we love to encourage at DCR! 

Earlier this month, I launched a Bicycle and Pedestrian Working Group.  They will be working with us in a number of ways – planning bicycle and pedestrian projects, reviewing the design of specific projects, improving public awareness and safety, and developing programs that encourage cycling and walking.  I look forward to incorporating their good work into the overall plan. 

Just before the Governor made his announcement, I was fortunate to speak with many of the advocates who have been very active in the public process surrounding our Accelerated Bridge program.  I wanted them to know what was coming, and how the investments all of them have in DCR assets would be protected. In that candid conversation, what I heard, for the most part, was a desire for DCR to continue to have a voice in protecting the historic character of bridges such as the Longfellow, and we will do that. But there were other questions and concerns, and I did my best to address them.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding this transfer, please post a comment here and we’ll keep the dialogue going. 

Partnership Matching Funds

Posted by:
Commissioner Rick Sullivan, Department of Conservation and Recreation

As a former mayor, I learned long ago that government works best when it works side by side with the community.  Few programs embody that notion better than DCR’s Partnership Matching Funds Program.  The program accepts proposals for capital projects within DCR facilities, matching the partners’ contributions and then working with those partners to plan and implement the projects. It’s a great way for DCR to capitalize on the energy, initiative, and generosity of our community partners to improve the facilities we all care about and  enhance the visitor experience.

Over the years, projects have been big and small, ranging from roof renovation for a boathouse to the installation of bike racks.  The partners have varied as well from start-up friends groups from the Blackstone Valley to large institutions like Harvard Business School. 

The best part is that anyone can participate, with any amount of funds.  Something doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to be a great idea. For the past two years, we have been able to make a 2-1 match for contributions under $25,000, making partner contributions go farther.

We’ve just awarded this year’s projects– check them out, and see what improvements might be coming to your favorite park, beach, or recreation facility, thanks to the efforts of DCR’s partners. 

Applications to next year’s Partnership Matching Funds Program will be available in the late summer. But now is the perfect time to start talking to your friends, neighbors, youth soccer team, or anyone who shares your passion for a park or activity about ideas for a project to make a DCR property you care about better for everyone. We can’t wait to hear what you come up with!