|
April, 2003
Doug Foy, Chief of Commonwealth Development
Office of the Governor
State House, Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Ellen Roy Herzfelder,
Secretary of Environmental Affairs
251 Causeway Street, 9th floor
Boston, MA 02114
Dear Chief Foy and Secretary Herzfelder:
We are writing to express our general support for the creation
of a Division of Conservation and Recreation within the Department
of Environment, as proposed in Article 87 reorganization legislation
of April, 2003. We support the concept of a unified park and forest
management agency, with a Bureau of Parks and Recreation that is
divided into a number of regions, because we believe it will offer
improved management of the Metropolitan Park System, as well as
the resources currently under the control of the Department of Environmental
Management. The proposal would meet our coalition's goals for the
Metropolitan Parks System: keeping the park system intact; improving
management of parks and facilities; providing for transparency and
accountability; institutionalizing public participation; and local
management based on geographic decentralization.
There are several specific sections of the draft legislation that
we feel need modification.
Stewardship Council
We are strongly supportive of the proposed Stewardship Council,
which would act as an independent oversight body within DCR. Such
a body will provide much-needed accountability and trust, and will
strengthen an open decision-making process in statewide park management.
The legislative language creating this Council should be clear and
specific about the Council's duties, makeup, and administration.
We believe the legislative language should be modified as follows:
-
The Council should be given enforceable oversight of park management
plans, capital planning and policy development;
-
The Council should be given advisory review of budgets and
fees;
-
Nominations for the 11 seats on the Council should be made
to the Governor from NGOs with relevant expertise and regional
distribution;
-
The Chair should be self-selected from among the Council;
-
The Chair should have a 2-term limit;
-
The Council should be provided with staff.
Parkways
The intent of the legislation, as described by administration staff,
is to keep management responsibilities for the Parkways with DCR
in order to maintain the Parkways as part of the Park System, not
part of the state highway system. The legislation should be modified
to reflect this. In particular:
-
The legislation should specify that the capital and maintenance
funds for Parkways, and the control of those funds, remains
with DCR;
-
Consideration should be given to putting management and maintenance
responsibilities for all Parkways in the state into this Bureau,
with funding under control of DCR.
We welcome the opportunity to continue working with you and the
many partners you have brought to the table, as well as with the
legislature, to move forward and improve the management of our state's
great parks systems. We look forward to final Article 87 legislation
that we can wholeheartedly support.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr., Charles River Watershed Association
Renata von Tscharner, Charles River Conservancy
John Pike, Conservation Law Foundation
Nancy Goodman, Environmental League of Massachusetts
Linda Cox and Jeryl Oristaglio, The Esplanade Association
Kathy Abbott, The Island Alliance
John J. Clarke, Massachusetts Audubon
Wesley T. Ward, The Trustees of Reservations
METROPOLITAN PARKLANDS COALITION:
- Charles River Watershed Association
- Charles River Conservancy
- Conservation Law Foundation
- Environmental League Of Massachusetts
- The Esplanade Association
- The Island Alliance
- Mass Audubon
- The Trustees Of Reservations
|
