DCR needs funding to preserve our priceless conservation resources

We are writing to address the lack of adequate budget support in recent years for the Department of Conservation & Recreation which has created a crisis condition in one of the commonwealth’s most cherished resources: our state parks, trails, forests and conservation lands.

As a volunteer group founded to support DCR, the Friends of the Nashua River Rail Trail is painfully aware of this reality as it impacts citizens who use the trail. From trail surface conditions to lack of routine maintenance, the NRRT serves as the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” to the overall lack of budget support for DCR as it impacts all of that agency’s resources. Understanding this fundamental reality, we were extremely dismayed to see Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal to spend $100 million in federal ARPA relief money for DCR drastically cut. Much of this funding would have gone to remedy deferred maintenance and infrastructure support for resources that are fundamental to the quality of life here in the commonwealth.

As the state seeks to position itself as a destination for innovative businesses and job opportunities, it cannot lose sight of the importance our recreational resources play in that equation.

Here in the Nashoba Valley, we are keenly aware of the importance of the NRRT as well as other DCR parks and forests to the quality of life for the region. And they serve as a critical component of the reason businesses choose to locate here. Failing to adequately support DCR is short-sighted when considered in the larger context of the role its resources play in the overall vitality of our area towns.

It is embarrassing that Massachusetts ranks last of all 50 states in the amount spent on our parks and recreational assets. We respectfully request that you encourage the Senate/ House conference committee members to revisit the allocation of ARPA relief funds and provide DCR with the funding it needs to preserve our priceless conservation resources.

— Friends of the NRRT Irv Rockwood and Marion Stoddard of Ayer Sue Edwards, Gerald Couper, Robert Cataldo and Bill Watson of Pepperell Nick Miller, Peter Cunningham, Duane Cromwell and Rick Muehlke of Groton The letter’s authors serve on the Ayer Select Board, Groton Select Board, Pepperell Select Board and Dunstable Board of Selectmen.