mrfreakinwhite wrote: For immediate release: Contact: S.J. Port
May 19, 2011 617-626-1453
DCR RELEASES DRAFT MAP IN ANTICIPATION OF ITS SECOND WORKSHOP SERIES ON LANDSCAPE DESIGNATIONS
FOR STATE PROPERTIES
BOSTON – As part of its upcoming series of public workshops to discuss proposed landscape designations on state properties, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is releasing the following
draft map. DCR is holding a series of seven regional workshops across the Commonwealth this spring to seek public input on the application of landscape designations for DCR properties.
At each workshop, DCR staff will provide the statewide context for the draft designations, but the discussion will be focused on park land in that particular region of the Commonwealth. The workshops are public and therefore open to anyone interested in the future management of DCR park land. The designations will be finalized by fall 2011.
The landscape designation process involves categorizing 308,000 acres of DCR lands as either “parklands,” “reserves,” or “woodlands” to prioritize the services and values these lands provide to the public and the environment. The designations are a top recommendation of the Forest Futures Visioning process that the agency undertook in 2009-2010 to develop a renewed vision and long-term strategy for managing forest lands in the state park system.
Of the three new categories, “parklands” would be managed primarily for recreation, human experiences, and the protection of cultural and natural features. “Reserves” would be managed primarily for biological diversity based on natural processes and the protection of large, contiguous blocks of high-value ecosystems. “Woodlands” would be managed primarily for state-of-the-art sustainable forestry, forest products, and active carbon management.
The upcoming workshops will build upon the first round of workshops held last fall that elicited public input on the draft selection criteria and management guidelines for the three designations.
DCR is holding the workshops around the state to share draft maps, such as the one released today, showing the designations that have been applied to all properties and discuss them with the public. The regional workshops will be held in the following communities:
Tuesday, May 24
Essex Agricultural & Technical High School
562 Maple St.
Danvers
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 25
Elm Bank Reservation
Washington St.
Wellesley
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 26
Berkshire Athenaeum
1 Wendell Ave.
Pittsfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 2
Frontier Regional High School
113 North Main St.
South Deerfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Monday, June 6
North Middle School
350 Southampton Rd.
Westfield
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 7
Bristol County Agricultural High School
135 Center Street
Dighton
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Monday, June 13
The Trustees of the Reservation’s Doyle Conservation Center
464 Abbot Ave
Leominster
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Further information about the Forest Futures Visioning Process, the draft Landscape Designation selection criteria and management guidelines, and the fall 2010 series of Landscape Designation public workshops is available on DCR’s website,
www.mass.gov/dcr.
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The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, bike trails, watersheds, dams, and parkways. Led by Commissioner Edward M. Lambert Jr., the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit
www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at
mass.parks@state.ma.us.
Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 4:44 pm
I thought the Leominster meeting was tomorrow night 