The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) first presented its Green Budget in January, prior to the release of House 1. The Green Budget is an array of proposed additions to current environmental spending totaling $19.4 million that is the first step in rectifying the cumulative shortfall in the environmental operating budget over the last ten years, the state’s "Environmental Deficit." ELM developed the Green Budget with the input of many members of the Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative, an alliance of organizations dedicated to protecting the state’s environment through improved research, education, advocacy and communication.

ELM’s analysis compared spending for state environmental programs with all other state spending for the last ten years. It revealed that environmental programs were not funded as well as the average state programs. Had the environmental budget simply matched the average state program for this period, an additional $266 million would have been spent on a range of programs from hazardous waste site cleanups to state parks to recycling. Despite widespread popular concern about the environment, the state spent less than one cent out of every dollar for environmental programs for the period from FY89 to FY99.

Environmental spending has not only suffered by comparison to other state programs, it has not even kept up with inflation. ELM’s analysis also found that despite many new environmental initiatives over the last decade -- including major new legislation on toxics, hazardous waste, watershed protection, rivers, and open space -- the state environmental budgets had lost more than $89 million in purchasing power over the ten years since FY89.

ELM offers the following budget proposal to assist the legislature in preparing the operating budget for FY2000. In total, the Green Budget would add less than 1/10 of 1 percent to the state budget as whole, but would go a long way in protecting our air, land, and water. The goal is a budget that will allow the state to fulfill the promise of the many excellent laws and programs the legislature has created. Also, current budget levels should be adjusted upward for inflation, since level funding would actually reduce purchasing power, even in a time of relatively low inflation.

In 1993, the commonwealth initiated an innovative new program to address environmental issues called the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative (MWI). The MWI is an effort to better protect the environment by restructuring EOEA’s activities around natural systems, in this case watersheds. The MWI brings a broad range of interests to the table, including businesses, municipal staff, watershed organizations and state and federal agency representatives, to develop workplans that will document the watershed’s natural resources and existing or potential threats to those resources, and develop strategies that will ensure clean and plentiful drinking water and healthy coastal, estuarine, riverine and other aquatic ecosystems.

This past year was of particular note for the MWI as EOEA hired 20 Watershed Team leaders and granted funding to each team for priority projects identified in FY ’99 workplans. In addition, for the third year, EOEA made $250,000 available in grants to watershed organizations for much needed organizational and program capacity building.

To support the MWI, the additional funds requested will be used to:

• Establish and staff an Office of Watershed protection to better coordinate comprehensive watershed planning and protection among agencies and with citizens, non-profit organizations and businesses ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. $200,000
• Provide grants to support those watershed teams required to produce either a comprehensive plan or a watershed assessment report in FY 2000. (Teams are: Connecticut, Chicopeee, Nashua, Blackstone, French/Quinebaug, Narragansett Bay/Mt. Hope Bay, Boston Harbor, Merrimack, Parker) ….… $345,000
• Fund a training program, based at University of Massachusetts, in environmental science, policy and decisionmaking for public and private natural resource managers …………………………….... $300,000
• Support a Wetlands Restoration Program that provides technical support for watershed-based restoration plans and grants for restoration projects ………………………………………..…… $200,000

• Provide matching grant funds to communities for studies on water management including stormwater treatment and infiltration, mapping recharge areas, and the long term impacts of sewering on groundwater recharge and river flow ………………………………………………………………………… $900,000

Massachusetts’s coastal resources have tremendous economic value – coastal tourists spend $1.5 billion each year and the fish and shellfish industries bring in millions more. These important sources of revenue are dependent upon a healthy, unpolluted coastal ecosystem. Despite the massive expenditure of $3.4 billion to clean up Boston Harbor, there are still serious pollution problems resulting from stormwater runoff and raw sewage overflows into coastal waters throughout the Commonwealth. In Massachusetts, approximately 23 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage are discharged with each heavy rainfall. This amounts to approximately 1.1 billion gallons discharged annually. In 1997 almost 350,000 acres of shellfish beds in Massachusetts were closed for at least part of the year and 270 beaches were at least temporarily closed because of contaminated water. The bottom line is that our coast is too valuable to have its resources closed.

A critical part of ensuring pristine, productive coastal resources is coastal pollution monitoring. Without adequate monitoring, we can only guess at what is causing the deterioration of coastal resources. Monitoring allows us to detect and determine the sources of pollution in particular areas and can be cost-effective as an early-warning system for small pollution problems before they become big pollution problems.

Because of a lack of funding, Coastal Zone Management (CZM) has been unable to implement the Marine Monitoring Plan created in 1996. Presently, money is spent ($60,000) to enable citizen's monitoring groups to function, support ($75,000) regional planning agencies to provide technical assistance to municipalities and basin teams, and establish a pilot project in one embayment (Mt. Hope Bay) ($35,000). This, along with administrative funds for the program's management, totals the $200,000 that has been allocated for each of the past two years.

Proposed FY2000 budget for coordinated coastal pollution monitoring:

• Citizen's Coastal Monitoring Grants: To ensure that volunteer coastal monitoring is adequately supported ……………………………………………………………………………………..………………. $70,000

• Coastal Data Collection, Coordination & Management: To survey and coordinate all current marine monitoring efforts in Massachusetts; to set standards for coastal monitoring, protocol and analysis, including the training of monitoring groups on proper protocol and quality assurance; to support the creation of a state database to compile the coastal monitoring data that is currently being collected by various local, state and federal agencies, volunteer groups, private organizations, and universities ………………………………………………………………………………………………….… $585,000

• Embayment Monitoring: A selection process involving scientists from the MMRP advisory committee as well as EOEA watershed teams will identify and implement critical embayment monitoring needs. Each embayment selected will have a technical foundation for information dissemination (e.g., web site) ………………………….………………………………………………………………………… $120,000

• Outreach Support: Continued funding to Regional Planning Agencies as noted above ………...… $75,000

• Administration: For program coordinator and support staff …………………………………….. $100,000

Cities and towns are growing at a record pace in Massachusetts. Between 1970 and 1990, cement and asphalt surfaces have proliferated at three times the rate of population growth. In the past ten years alone, the state has lost 89,000 acres of open space to development. Momentum is building in the state to address sustainable growth issues. Communities and regional entities need adequate financial resources to help them develop and implement a vision for their future that balances their desire for environmental protection, economic development and a good quality of life. Because of limited funding, the state has had to turn away approximately $3 million worth of applications from cities and towns from its municipal planning-for-growth grant program. Without additional resources, plan development and implementation either will not happen in these communities or take place only in the most well-to-do or forward thinking cities and towns. And even the best local plans cannot address or prevent impacts from neighboring communities.

Even though the law (MGLA 94 § 323F) specifies that the entire Clean Environment Fund should be used solely for recycling purposes, the state currently designates less than one-half of the approximately $20 million in unclaimed bottle deposits for recycling programs. The proposed increase in allocation would not only help protect the environment, but also public health. This dual objective would be achieved by expending funds on two ends:

1. Helping the state improve upon its current 33% recycling rate as the year 2000 deadline for achieving its 46% recycling rate goal approaches. The state will come closer to meeting the 46% recycling goal if it targets funds for unit pricing grants, municipal recycling equipment grants (including to increase recycling from apartment buildings), public education brochures, statewide media campaigns, assistance on recycling/source reduction plans for businesses and municipalities (including multi-family dwellings).
2. Reducing the toxicity of the waste stream. The following expenditures would minimize toxics in the waste stream: municipal collection equipment for oil, mercury, and paint; permanent collection centers; education/outreach; training and technical assistance for pilot projects at hospitals, schools, and municipalities (including carcinogenic precursors); recycling of products containing mercury and cathode ray tubes (CRTs); and pollution prevention (e.g. using less toxic cleaning solutions).

The state’s forest and park system consists of approximately 280,000 acres that are scattered across the Commonwealth in tracts ranging in size from several acres to 16,000 acres. The statutes governing the management of the state forest and park system require that they are managed for both forest products and the public’s enjoyment. The present level of staffing on these properties is not adequate for achieving either obligation. With a reasonable level of staffing, not only would the state be able to meet these broad objectives, but would also result in:

• a diverse and resilient forest -- one that is better able to withstand the depredations of insects, diseases, and severe weather events.
• enhanced growth potential of higher quality trees which would increase both volume and value.
• the creation of a significant amount of early successional wildlife habitat to reverse the decline of birds and mammals that are dependent on such habitat.
• the supply of raw materials to the Commonwealth’s wood products industry and thus the generation of revenue. In general, forest products have a relatively high amount of value added to the Massachusetts economy as they move upward through various manufacturing processes. Depending upon the final product, the economic contribution ranges from $1-$10 per cord for fuel to $1 to several hundreds of dollars per thousand board-feet for fine furniture.

Currently, staffing is as follows: one program supervisor with no direct support staff; eight management foresters each covering a district which averages 35,000 acres in size; three assistant foresters; and, five "03" continuous forest inventory (CFI) foresters. To achieve the above goals, the following staff levels are recommended: a program supervisor, a clerk and two support staff. One staff person would support all the program’s computers and technology and analyze stand and CFI data. The other staff person would create spatial data from the information gathered by the field staff (primarily the inventory/mapping foresters mentioned below). Each of the eight districts needs one management forester, two assistant foresters, and a 1/4 "03" consultant. One assistant (the inventory/mapping forester) would complete the CFI and assist the management forester in preparing district and compartment plans. The other assistant would oversee forest product sales, road and trail maintenance, and state forest boundary line enforcement. The 1/4 "03" consultant would mark the timber for sale.

DEM currently orchestrates several valuable environmental education programs:

"Forests & Parks on Wheels" is an outreach program which visits schools and provides hands on learning experiences facilitated by professional interpretive staff. These programs invite learning and investigation in areas of biodiversity, forest ecology and watersheds.

"Parks as Classrooms" invites students and educators to visit and learn in the field. Participants investigate alongside field professional about the unique natural and cultural landscape of our rich Forests & Parks system.

"Project Learning Tree" serves Massachusetts educators as an effective, engaging curriculum to use in their classrooms or afterschool settings. PLT is an internationally recognized PreK-12 curriculum providing students and educators a window on to the environment. This "classroom friendly" environmental education curriculum emphasizes comprehensive, hands-on, interdisciplinary learning about land, air and water systems. DEM is the state facilitator of this curriculum and its MASS PLT network of volunteer educators provide formal, certification training in the PLT curriculum. Participating educators receive Professional Development Points, PLT curriculum, educational materials, network resources for their continued professional development courses.

These programs are tremendously effective and popular among schools, community groups, and educators, but access to minimal resources limit these programs. To expand and extend the commitment, presence and access of these resources to Massachusetts students, educators and citizens, the state needs a year-round staff presence in each of the 5 regions of the state.

The proposed $326,000 increase would provide for 5 regional coordinators and 5 regional assistants to encourage and facilitate local access and coordination of trainings for school programs. It would also finance 2 staff persons for the "Forests & Parks on Wheels" outreach vehicle. This staff increase would enable greater availability of this resource to schools, support more effective teaching by reducing student:teacher ratios, increase scheduling opportunities for the van, and eliminate program cancellations due to staff vacation, leave or illness.

Over the last twenty years, the decline in health of public shade trees has been measurable and visible to the point that today more than four trees are being removed for each one planted along our public ways. Liability issues and lawsuits related to the hazardous condition of public trees has led to tree removal, rather than relatively inexpensive treatment. There is little coordination in the planting, protection and care of trees between the many agencies that manage public land, resulting in the loss of thousands of newly planted trees, paid for with state and federal resources. To best protect the community forests that impact residents in all cities and towns, the following actions are recommended:

• Establish an interagency Shade Tree Advisory Committee with input from municipal, utility, and nonprofit agencies with the purpose of developing standards of practice and funding guidelines;
• Establish or designate coordinator positions in each of five state agencies: Mass Highway Department, Housing and Community Development, Department of Environmental Management, Metropolitan District Commission, and UMass Extension;
• Provide combination of competitive and formula funding to municipalities for the planting, protection and maintenance of public trees.

Public shade trees benefit all residents of the Commonwealth in all sizes and types of communities. They add to the livability, vitality, environmental quality and beauty of communities. And, it is relatively inexpensive to plant and maintain trees. Unlike most capital investments, trees grow more valuable with time. Specifically, this proposal to coordinate public land managers through the Shade Tree Advisory Committee and to designate staff will maximize the state’s return on its investment in trees. By bringing together those agencies which create and maintain greenspace, and those with technical resources, opportunities for tree planting and preservation will be captured, losses will be reduced and projects will be done right. The benefits will be enduring.

The proposed program is aimed at protecting Massachusetts's lakes and ponds and other waterways by controlling the proliferation of non-native invasive aquatic vegetation that have few or no natural controls. The program also would encompass non-native invasive animal species, although currently none are known to be present in the state.

The program would be part of the DEM Lakes and Ponds Program and would augment DEM’s existing efforts to protect and enhance water bodies across the state to ensure their future ecological and recreational values. Specifically, the program would establish the following program components:

• Exotics Monitoring: The Department needs the capacity to detect infestations before they have a chance to spread to other water bodies or further affect lakes and waterways where they occur. Under this program, DEM staff would monitor aquatic vegetation in cooperation with watershed teams, lake associations, and state universities. Data collected would be kept on a statewide data base and used to prioritize grant allocations and to develop GIS data maps for public education, planning and prevention efforts on a watershed basis.

• Exotics Control: Once infestations have been identified, remediation would be applied through a special matching grant program and/or a pilot research project within the existing DEM Lakes and Ponds Program.

• Prevention/Public Education: Because people are the most frequent vectors of aquatic exotics (via aquariums or ornamental use), the program would target public education to lake users, lakefront property owners and lake/watershed associations. These groups and others would learn about how exotics are spread and the preventative steps they can take. Volunteers would be trained to identify exotics as a way to identify infestations early on. In addition, there would be regional and statewide training workshops and seminars, development of educational publications and distribution of informative signs at boat access sites.

• Watershed Planning and Management: All communities receiving grants for the control of exotics would be required to develop a long-term management plan to address exotic plant management strategies and to focus on watershed-based problems that can exacerbate exotic plant growth.

The program would augment DEM’s existing efforts to protect and enhance water bodies across the state to ensure their future ecological and recreational values.

This proposal would continue funding for two popular programs: the Historic Landscape Preservation Grant Program, and the Scenic Inventory Program. The Historic Landscape Preservation Grant Program is a state-funded competitive grant program established in 1997 to support the preservation and restoration of historic landscapes listed or in certain instances eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Many municipal landscapes across the state are over a century old and continue to suffer from deferred maintenance, intrusive additions and limited ability of municipalities to fund rehabilitation projects. By providing funding and technical assistance to these important, municipally owned, historic landscapes, DEM can ensure their preservation and revitalization. In FY ‘98 and FY ‘99, the Cellucci Administration funded this program out of capital accounts. The program has been a great success and is now seeking continued ($900,000) and increased (an additional $600,000) funding from the operating budget.

The Scenic Inventory Program, a project that starts and ends at the local level, is an opportunity for communities to identify and learn how to protect the landscapes that make each community unique. Heritage landscapes can range from a town square or burial ground to a farm or estuary, any landscape that makes a community special. Each city and town has the opportunity to identify a wide range of landscapes. Professional landscape architects and historians who provide additional data on model sites review the information.

Every community will benefit from the survey, the expertise of professionals and the information from across the state. This, however, is not just about collecting data. This projects gets communities ready to apply for funding from the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund and the DEM’s Historic Landscapes Preservation Grant Program (see above). It helps local, regional and statewide efforts to identify and protect the landscapes that are important to our social, cultural and natural heritage. By combining the data from agencies and private organizations at all levels and making that information readily available in printed and electronic form, this project will provide immediate benefits (model protection strategies, for example) with long term consequences – protection of those places which define and enhance our communities.

In 1982, DEM did complete a limited Scenic Landscapes Inventory. In Chapter 289 of the Acts of 1998, $250,000 was appropriated in the capital budget for developing an updated inventory of Massachusetts’ unique landscapes. The program is now seeking continued funding at $250,000 in the operating budget. is to complete its work on this important conservation and preservation tool.

At a time when DEP’s responsibilities have increased considerably, staffing has not increased at the same rate and, in fact, has decreased significantly. Between FY’ 93 and FY’ 98, DEP professional wetlands staff declined by 33% and the workload went up by 25%. Without sufficient numbers of staff, DEP cannot adequately perform its duties, both in terms of providing technical assistance and managing its case loads in the regions and enforcing regulations as necessary. This funding will restore staff to FY ’93 levels and enable DEP to 1) assist volunteer conservation commissions with implementation of the Wetlands Protection Act, including the new responsibilities created by the passage of the Rivers Protection Act; 2) improve relationships with the business community through more timely decisionmaking and consistent enforcement efforts; and 3) participate fully on Watershed Basin Teams.

In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, the state is required to provide for the testing of its drinking water. Instead of Lawrence Labs directly conducting the analysis of samples, beginning in 1991 the state privatized the process. Currently, there are over 200 certified laboratories testing drinking water samples in Massachusetts. EPA requires that these labs are audited once every three years. The audit process involves a one to two day on-site inspection followed by a write-up of the results, a document that averages 40 pages and requires approximately a month to compile. The audited lab then must respond to concerns which subsequently must be reviewed by the Lawrence Lab staff. Depending on the results, certification may be downgraded or revoked. During the last round of audits, it took the Lawrence Lab staff of 2.5 FTEs 3.5 years to complete the process.

With the help of an additional FTE, who joined in December, the Lab is now embarking on the second round of audits. The audits will only be completed within the required time period if done to the exclusion of the staff’s other duties. Other primary responsibilities include enforcement actions, review and revision of regulations, and certification protocols. The certification protocol is particularly time-consuming, involving the review of applications, quality assurance plans, and performance evaluation studies. To complete audits on time as well as other responsibilities requires the addition of 1.5 FTEs.

A similar concern exists for staff that is responsible for analyzing citizen monitoring samples. Currently, there are 9 FTE scientists handling 2-3,000 watershed samples per year, as well as Environmental Strike Force work, and hazardous waste site discovery work for 70-100 sites per year. Because the laboratory is highly automated, they are able to cover much of their workload, however, they are still unable to handle all requests. With the further implementation of the Watershed Initiative, citizen monitoring is expected to increase initially by about 5,000 samples per year. The $100,000 requested will partially meet the need for new staff to handle existing and anticipated workload.

The state has several important regulatory innovation efforts underway which have great potential for improving environmental quality while reducing the cost of environmental protection and the delay for regulated businesses, such as the Environmental Results Program, the Toxic Use Reduction Program, and INFO 2001, to name just a few. One cost effective step towards successfully implementing these programs is to automate the collection, use, and delivery of the environmental information these programs are gathering. By capitalizing on advancements in technology, DEP will be able to enhance environmental protection efforts, increase efficiency, reduce costs for customers and increase the level of environmental knowledge and understanding throughout the state.

Local boards and commissions are increasingly responsible for implementing and enforcing environmental regulations and mandates. As this level of responsibility has increased over time, local boards and commissions have found it difficult to stay current with technical issues, case law and new regulations and policies. This funding will be used to train and provide technical assistance to local officials so they can properly fulfill their duties.

As concerns continue to grow regarding the cumulative health effects of environmental emissions and conditions in certain overburdened areas, there is a real need to improve DEP’s technical ability to analyze and assess these concerns. These funds will enable DEP to develop better analytical tools and models needed to properly evaluate cumulative impacts. Monies will be used for pilot projects designed to gather and analyze the environmental data necessary to understand the scope and complexity of this issue.

With the implementation of the Watershed Initiative and the EPA requirement that DEP develop Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) calculations for 3,000 plus water bodies in the Commonwealth, there is a need to develop a comprehensive water quality monitoring system in the Commonwealth. Funding is needed to establish a monitoring system, analysis and development of GIS data layers and the development of TMDL’s in each basin. Failure to comply with this federal requirement could result in the commonwealth losing millions of dollars in federal funds and losing regulatory authority as well.

Cities and towns rarely have the expertise to comment on proposed cleanups of hazardous waste sites. Communities have little or no understanding of issues such as risk evaluation, what type of information to ask for, how to obtain and review reports, and how the results of a cleanup compare to regulatory requirements. Furthermore, there is little funding available to contract for such expertise. This line item would be used to increase funding for the grant program (currently funded through the capital budget) for communities to obtain this assistance. The funding would be administered by DEP and be available to municipalities upon application.

This program promotes green places and riverside greenways in our cities and will make many neglected urban neighborhoods more livable and economically healthy. This initiative is an excellent complement to the Brownfields legislation passed last year that will assist in cleaning up contaminated and unused sites. Many brownfield sites are located adjacent to rivers and nearly 80% of superfund sites are located next to residential areas. It thus makes sense to combine brownfield cleanup planning with efforts to address broader issues that redevelopment can trigger such as the need for recreation and community open space. Funding will support staff and technical assistance and four $25,000 grants for pilot projects that will enable urban residents to participate in the planning of brownfields redevelopment.

Massachusetts is home to a broad array of plants and animals, natural communities, and ecosystems. Last year the state Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program published a comprehensive report called "Our Irreplaceable Heritage" which documents the ecological wealth of Massachusetts and threats to it, and divides the state into 13 "ecoregions" characterized by distinctive ecological features e.g., Berkshire Highlands and Connecticut River Valley. This funding will enable the Program to implement the report’s recommendations to improve biodiversity conservation (and protect threatened and endangered species in the commonwealth.) Actions would include: 1) more comprehensive and systematic ecoregion-based inventories and analyses of biodiversity on existing open space lands; 2) working with all state conservation agencies and conservation organizations to focus land acquisition to protect priority habitats for rare species and uncommon or threatened communities; and 3) tracking the rate and type of land use change by ecoregion to determine the degree to which biodiversity is threatened by development. The three ecoregions with largest diversity of rare species and threatened natural communities are Cape Cod and the Islands, Connecticut River Valley and New England Marble Valleys (includes the Housatonic and Hoosic Valleys).

The Environmental Police are responsible for enforcing environmental laws and play a critical role in ensuring public safety. Understaffing within the Environmental Police force has been a perennial problem and severely hampers their efforts to protect both citizens and our natural resources. These vacancies mean the state is ill-equipped to protect against midnight dumping, vandalism in the parks, or the harvesting of contaminated shellfish.

The Division of Law Enforcement, through its inland officers, coastal officers and marine patrol vessels, enforces all environmental laws, rules and regulations relating to hunting, commercial and recreational fishing, shellfishing, boating, wetlands protection, hazardous waste and illegal dumping. The staffing shortfall is of particular concern for coastal communities as much of the Division’s work is multiplied in coastal communities due to its boating and fishing related responsibilities. The Division is responsible for the registration and licensing of approximately 140,000 boats and 25,000 recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth. The Division also provides education programs in hunter safety, boater safety, recreational vehicle safety and outdoor ethics and survival.

Funds received from registration and titling efforts are returned to the Division, thereby reducing total reliance on the General Fund. Despite this revenue source, it is not sufficient for financing the full need of the Division. The requested funding will enable the Division to fill 14 of 24 vacant staff positions.

The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) manages and operates over 14,000 acres of reservations, 84 miles of waterways, 33 miles of beach or ocean front, 3 harbor islands, and almost 5,000 acres of recreational parks and open spaces. The Commission contains a number of nationally significant sites and many of its facilities are either individually on the National Historic Register of Historic Places or they are included as part of a historic district. The MDC also operates 22 indoor ice rinks, 18 outdoor swimming pools, two golf courses, 50 regional athletic fields and over 70 tennis, handball, and basketball courts.

During a period of growth in the park system not seen since its initial acquisitions during the 1890s, the parks operating budget declined 31% from 1988 to 1995, and full time staffing declined 38%. Based on the Management Review commissioned by EOEA, MDC parks are currently understaffed by 47 positions. Concerns in this time of understaffing include: 1) slow response to complaints; 2) unclearly marked park lands; 3) poor preventative maintenance; and 4) security and anti-social behavior in the parks. The $2 million would allow the state to hire 47 full-time parks staff and to commit an additional $600,000 to park maintenance.

The Metropolitan Park System presents a great opportunity not only to enhance public appreciation of parks and the many and varied experiences they offer, but to teach, through example and public involvement, about the region's ecosystem and history and the need to preserve its natural and cultural resources. The parks can be, in effect, living laboratories that involve countless students and citizens. The fact that the MDC's cultural and recreational facilities attract so many is an opportunity that should not be missed. They should be used as an educational resource and become a linchpin in the promotion of environmental literacy.

One of the most fundamental constraints in expanding the educational potential of the park system is insufficient agency staff. Schools and other outside sources can contribute greatly to the resource and staffing needs of educational programs. School systems at all levels offer much expertise and enthusiasm and great potential for leveraging the skills and experiences available through private partnerships. However, the fundamental starting point is the limited availability of MDC's own rangers, who must act as hosts, interpreters, guides, managers, and promoters of education activities. They must train outside leaders and make sure that sites to be used are safe. They know best what resources are available in the park system and must assist in preparing educational materials.

Given the breadth of programs and activities, the MDC ranger position involves year-round obligations. Yet, only ** full-time rangers work in the park system today. While staffing is not the only issue, this is the most fundamental impediment to taking full advantage of the educational opportunities of the park system. These additional funds would finance the hiring of 10 additional rangers, ** of whom would be specifically designated for the Boston Harbor Islands, an increasingly popular destination for school, youth, and community groups.

One of the most effective developments in park management has been the integration of private and non-profit activities with the day-to-day publicly funded management programs. In a well functioning park system volunteer efforts range from one day clean-ups to year-long "adopt-a-park" programs; from tree pruning to garden maintenance. These activities serve to create a better park system for all while increasing local pride in any given park and leveraging tight park budgets.

Professional coordination is essential for a volunteer program to reach its full potential. A small office for volunteer programs is proposed to provide consistent long-term coordination and outreach and to direct volunteer efforts to the areas where they are most needed. This will assure good will between the agency and the public and will maximize the results of the thousands of hours of volunteer labor and community service.

Since its establishment 21 years ago, the Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program has protected 462 farms in 130 towns across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts has spent $111 million to permanently protect 41,476 acres of farmland, nearly every acre of which remains in production today.

Many farms, however, remain at risk of development. As of July 1998, the APR program’s backlog had reached 130 farms totaling approximately 16,000 acres. Assuming that per-acre APR values today are the same as the average over the last 21 years, this program would need $42.5 in present day dollars to catch up with demand.

Farmland merits special attention because of its unique qualities. These are lands with the nutrient-rich, tillable soil types that can support the production of fruit, vegetables and dairy products. If these soils are dug up and paved over, they are gone for good. Unlike a woodlot or wetland, if farmlands are neglected for a period of years, they are essentially "lost" even if they aren't developed. The costs of clearing land combined with the economics of farming mean that once a new crop of trees has established itself on a heretofore useful field, meadow or pasture, the forest will take over for good. Compared to a woodlot, farmland is much more economically productive and provides pastoral beauty that both residents and tourists alike can enjoy.

The state's APR Program is efficient and effective, and has many strong private partners, including land trusts willing to help with acquisitions and farm owners willing to show a reasonable amount of patience and sacrifice in order to make the program work. But, the program needs a higher commitment of state dollars.

Massachusetts is the only state in the country that does not have an agricultural education coordinator in its Department of Education. The new Massachusetts Agricultural Education Coordinator will expand programs at agriculture and vocational technical schools across the state, and provide needed support for transitional programs into college level agricultural schools. The Coordinator will partner with "Agriculture in the Classroom" (described below) and the Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA) in their efforts to educate elementary and high school students about agriculture in the state, with a focus on urban public schools. The Coordinator will also assist and promote Future Farmers of America and 4-H groups in their educational activities and programming.

The "Garden in Every School" project is a new initiative modeled on a very successful program in California. It involves offering small grants to urban public schools that incorporate a gardening/nature component into science classes and initiate hands-on garden projects. A DFA staff member will partner with each school to involve teachers and students in garden planning and provide curriculum resources. DFA will enlist nursery owners, farmers and horticulturists throughout the state to visit schools and share ideas and resources, and will seek soil testing and preparation assistance from UMASS/Amherst. DFA has found that public school teachers are eager to expose their students to agriculture. The Gardens Project would augment this exposure and act as a springboard for teaching urban children about science and technology, health and nutrition, the environment, and community values.

"Agriculture in the Classroom" currently operates as a private nonprofit program that works closely with DFA. Initiated as a pilot curriculum in the early 1980s, Ag in the Classroom now offers teacher workshops, a comprehensive agriculture resource directory, a newsletter and mini-grants for projects by educators and schools. Run by a volunteer board of directors representing various producer groups and agriculture agencies, the organization must seek grants each year for proposed projects.

This year the program is producing a video on Massachusetts agriculture for elementary schools. Many other ideas are on the drawing board awaiting funding, including an expanded program to connect farmers with students through more farmer-to-school visits, a handbook for farmers, more field trips to local farms, a revision of the grade school curriculum and development of curriculum for high schools. Other proposed projects are a CD-ROM for elementary schools, an upgrade of the Ag in the Classroom website, a calendar of the agricultural seasons to accompany the video to be released this year, and a classroom specialty foods project. Funding is always needed for the mini-grant program, newsletter, and teacher workshops. A full-time program coordinator is also recommended.

All states have Ag in the Classroom programs, many with budgets far exceeding that in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Legislature once budgeted $75,000 for the program; now it budgets none. Agriculture education projects and partnerships would multiply exponentially with a dependable source of revenue.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a very promising set of methods for controlling pests with the limited use of dangerous chemicals. DFA currently receives under $300,000 annually for IPM, the bulk of which is used to fund research and demonstration projects through the University of Massachusetts. These projects have been very successful in agriculture and turf settings in both enhancing the effectiveness of pest control programs and reducing the use of pesticides. For FY99, UMass started a pilot Urban IPM program using temporary funding. The program cannot continue without additional funding.

As recommended by a committee convened by UMass and consisting of industrial, agricultural, and environmental consultants, there is currently a strong need to implement an IPM program in and around buildings because human exposure to pesticides is greatest in these settings. This initiative was identified as important to the Commonwealth in that it will help maintain the economic viability of Massachusetts businesses, and will help educate the general public on low risk techniques for managing pests in and around the place where citizens work, live, and play. Furthermore, the Pesticide Board has directed DFA to promulgate regulations requiring IPM in all publicly-funded schools. Additional funds are needed to safely and effectively implement these directives.