The River Current ~ April 29, 2009 ~ Issue 90

The e-newsletter of the Charles River Watershed Association
...bringing our backyard river to your door...

 

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In this issue:

Parkways Action Alert #2

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Action Alert Update! We again need your help to keep parkways under control of the DCR!

Last month, we sent you an alert to prevent the transfer of the state’s parkways away from MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). After debate in the legislature, the House version of the bill included an amendment to keep parkway bridges within DCR (a victory, thanks to your calls and emails!), but the Senate version did not.

A Conference Committee has been appointed to make one bill out of the two conflicting versions (H 4051 and S 2024). Debate is ongoing, with a decision expected fairly soon. The members of the committee are Senators Steven Baddour, Stephen Brewer and Robert Hedlund, and the House negotiators are Reps. Joseph Wagner, George Peterson, and Ways and Means Chairman Charley Murphy.  

Please contact your legislators in both the House and Senate and ask them to contact the members of the conference committee, and urge them to support DCR retaining ownership of all its parkways and bridges.

CRWA supports the House version of the bill, as many of the parkways are an integral part of the Charles River parkland, and are cultural and historic landmarks. DCR has built up significant in-house capacity to care for these resources, including improving stormwater management, and is committed to public participation.  Transferring these bridges and parkways would, in effect, be handing over park assets to a highway agency.  The state’s historic bridges and parkways should remain under DCR’s care, custody and control.  We need your help to keep the pressure on during this period of bargaining between the House and Senate! 

How to take action

Call and/or email your state legistators as soon as possible to voice your opposition to the transfer of parkways away from DCR. Ask them to contact the members of the conference committee (listed above), and urge them to keep ownership and management of the parklands with DCR. Click here to find your legislator.

To call the State House, dial 617-722-2000 and ask for your representative by name. If you don't know your representative's name, use this link to find it, or mention your town and the operator will connect you.

For more information, click here go to CRWA’s action alert web page.