The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation releases their new Volunteer in the Parks Program Guide policy “with an opportunity to achieve the goal of standardizing and simplifying the process for proposing, reviewing, and conducting all volunteer activities – whether under the supervision of the Department or a Nonprofit Organization – on DCR property statewide.”
SAM reported on the process in June and has encouraged feedback. Members need to review the documents and contact SAM with questions.
The full press release follows:
Dear Volunteers and Friends of the Massachusetts State Parks System,
I am excited to announce that DCR is distributing its Volunteers in Parks Program Guide!
At DCR, we recognize and appreciate the tremendous support that volunteers provide to our agency and staff in helping us to achieve our broad stewardship and recreation mission. Volunteerism promotes understanding of the wonderful resources that we care for and the significant effort that it takes to manage and maintain them. We believe that our Volunteers in Parks Program reflects our ongoing commitment to encourage public involvement in the protection and care of our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources, and to communicate and reinforce the contributions these resources make to our quality of life.
The completion of the Volunteers in Parks Program Guide is a follow up to the draft we issued last summer and the public input process we launched last November, which included a public comment period and six public meetings across the state. DCR appreciates the time and effort that many of you shared to be a part of this process by attending these meetings or submitting comment. This final version of the Guide reflects much of the valuable feedback we received during this process.
To read a copy of the Volunteers in Parks Program Guide, please visit our Volunteer Information webpage. By navigating through this site you can access the Guide and also find links to the relevant forms – some of which can be completed in an electronic format.
We truly appreciate your continued interest in and support for DCR and our parks system! We hope that you will take a moment to familiarize yourself with the updated Guide and we look forward to ongoing opportunities to work with the many organizations and individuals who give so much to the Massachusetts State Parks System.
Sincerely,
Jack Murray
Commissioner
Photos by Mark Kenyon and Becky Jurek
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