FORESTS AND PARKS

By Representative Don Humason, Jr.

May 5, 2007

Governor Deval Patrick recently appointed my friend Attorney Victor Ascolillo to a new statewide Anti-Crime Council.  Vic is my former Westfield State College criminal justice professor.  I applaud the governor for choosing Vic.  Not only is he well-qualified to serve on the Council, but he will also bring a Western Massachusetts perspective to the group.  Congratulations Vic!

I also want to offer congratulations to Harry Rock and the Westfield YMCA.  They were recognized at a ceremony in the Great Hall at the State House Thursday by the  Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition for their work in offering employment opportunities to people living with and recovering from mental illness.  Members of Westfield’s Forum House clubhouse and I were on hand for this tribute and recognition. 

As I wrote in last week’s column, the House debated and passed, unanimously, our version of the state budget.  Now it’s on to the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the Senate for their debate and vote. 

Our own Senator Mike Knapik has a key position on the SW&M Committee as ranking Republican member.  He will also have the burden and responsibility on the Conference Committee that will be formed later to come up with a compromise between the House and Senate versions. 

It’s a lot of work, but Mike and his staff are very good at it.  We’re lucky in Westfield to have such a powerful member of this important committee to represent us in the Senate.

One of the areas of the budget that I felt Governor Patrick and Lt. Governor Murray under funded was our state forests and parks; places like Hampton Ponds and Robinson State Park.  Happily, the House was successful in restoring some of those revenues to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the state agency charged with maintaining our forests and parks across the Commonwealth.

In a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee, which I signed onto along with over 140 of my House colleagues, we made a case for increased funding.  We wrote,

“Massachusetts has a rich and diverse system of parks and open space and a long legacy of environmental leadership.  Approximately one-quarter, or 1.3 million acres, of Massachusetts is protected open space and 43 percent of that (606,650 acres) is state-owned.  The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is the lead land manager, responsible for managing 450,000 acres of the state’s open space.  All of the Commonwealth’s 6.4 million residents are within a few minutes or a few hours’ drive of all of our forests and parks. 

Unfortunately, chronic under-funding for this department has had detrimental effects across the Commonwealth.  Inadequate funding has not only led to visible decay, safety issues and environmental damage in our parks but has also taken a serious toll on communities across the Commonwealth, a number of which rely on DCR for parks, roads and other vital public services.  Communities needing public recreation resources will continue to lack safe, clean and accessible parks.

Our parks and forests provide ample opportunities for healthy living and contribute to healthy communities. As violence continues to plague our youth, we should consider that well-maintained parks and outdoor recreation programs can reduce neighborhood crime by 10 to 40 percent.   Our urban parks are part of a statewide network of safe havens to reduce crime, delinquency, and improve the health of our youth.

Finally, our state parks are more than places for us to exercise, relax and enjoy our historic and natural legacy. They are a crucial underutilized part of our economy generating $26 dollars of wages, taxes, and other services for every $1 dollar invested. If allowed to deteriorate further we will eventually feel the ripple effects in lost visitors, lost jobs and lost dollars. In our efforts to solve the ‘brain drain’ and attract new businesses to the Commonwealth, we cannot continue to ignore the natural and recreational resources in our backyards as part of the solution.

Our forests and parks are a resource that we have not properly cared for, and the upside — in improved quality of life and increased jobs, taxes, and private sector revenues — is waiting to be generated by careful, thoughtful stewardship of these ecological, recreational and economic resources.  We strongly urge you to support an appropriation of $99,490,868 in FY 2008 for DCR.”

I believe every citizen of this state, and every boater, swimmer, hiker, and camper, should consider themselves stewards of our precious environmental resources.  Without our help, they won’t last long.