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CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
Fall 2003

Fog Clears, But Post-MDC Parklands Future Still Hazy

Last summer's skirmishes in the legislature over the state budget and departmental re-organization have come to a close. So who's taking care of the Parklands now?

Combining the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has led to the formation of a new agency, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The newly named department manages all the state's parks and forests.

Former MDC parks, along with DEM parks located in Greater Boston, have been combined under the control of the Division of Metro Parks within the DCR. Kathy Abbott, former president of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, has been named commissioner of the DCR.

Ms. Abbot is highly regarded in the parklands community, but organizational changes aside, things are still the same on the ground: Money is even tighter than before (when it was already very tight), equipment is dilapidated, and staff is overwhelmed.

Our contacts in state government promise things will get better. The Conservancy is committed to being there to ensure those promises are kept.

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

Next: New Basin Skatepark Picks Up Momentum.
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© 2003, The Charles River Conservancy.
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