Your Presence at the State House on October 18th Will Help Fulfill a Century-Old Vision for the Charles River Basin

October 13, 2000...Newton, MA...As you may know, the MDC Master Plan that will trigger the long-term rehabilitation of the Basin Parklands is ready for release. But without legislative support, the funding required to make the Master Plan a reality - and create the important improvements you have requested - may never be provided.

Please join us on Wednesday, October 18th at 12:30 p.m.
in Room B-1 at the State House to lend support
for this important step forward.

The Charles River Legislator's Caucus has already demonstrated its commitment to the Basin parklands. Your support is vital if the Caucus is to build the momentum required to create and pass legislation needed to make the vision you have defined for the Basin real. We all know how wonderful it is to spend time along the Charles; now we must help all our legislators understand that their support is critical if the promise of a renewed Charles River Basin is to be fulfilled.

Restoration of the Basin parklands is long overdue. With ever-diminishing capital and maintenance budgets taking a terrible toll, the time to begin this important work is now. The Charles River Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit advocacy group, will give you a concise overview of the work that is so sorely needed if the 18+ miles of Basin parklands are to be significantly improved. Your presence will let legislators know there is tangible public support for the Master Plan, while their response will give all of us a sense of what will be needed to gain the funding for this important undertaking.

Successful completion of the Master Plan will result in the Basin parklands becoming a premier public amenity, enhancing a world-class destination shared directly by Boston, Cambridge, Newton and Watertown, as well as millions of New Englanders and more than half-a-million tourists who visit the Basin annually.

Won't you and your colleagues please join us in advancing the great work you have already begun? Contacting us to confirm your presence will help us gauge the level of support for this important event.

Sincerely yours,

Renata von Tscharner,
for the Charles River Conservancy

cc:    Senators: Birmingham, Creem, DiMasi, Lynch, Tolman, Travaglini Representatives: Balser, Barrios, Demakis, Finneran, Golden, Honan, Khan, O'Flaherty, Kaprielian, Toomey, Wolf

About the Charles River Conservancy

The Charles River Conservancy is an advocacy group dedicated to the restoration, enhancement and maintenance and of the Charles River Basin and its surroundings, particularly its parks, parkways and bridges.

The Conservancy works to create a better understanding of the best uses of the Basin through education, public dialog and interpretive programs. Effective promotion of increased access, good planning and efficient management practices is designed to enhance the architecture, landscape and amenities of the Basin. The Conservancy seeks funding for public-private partnership initiatives.

Guiding the work of the Conservancy is the legacy of Charles Eliot, whose vision of a comprehensive park system built on a grand scale has sustained and enriched us all with the creation of greenspace throughout greater Boston.