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Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup - 9/11/09
Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations
Jennifer Ryan, Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs
This Week:
Mass Audubon's Free Workshop Series: Get Involved and Make a Difference!
This fall, Mass Audubon's Shaping the Future of Your Community Outreach and Assistance Program is holding free workshops in communities throughout the state. Make a difference in your town's future -- join us and learn effective strategies for working with your local officials to guide your community's development, ensuring a high quality of life for years to come. Over the past 40 years, the landscape of Massachusetts has been dramatically transformed. In June 2009, Mass Audubon released Losing Ground: Beyond the Footprint, documenting changes in Massachusetts' land-use and exposing the harsh reality of unplanned development's impacts on natural resources and community character. Shaping the Future of Your Community is Mass Audubon's response to the issues revealed in Losing Ground. Working together, we can maintain the Commonwealth's natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations. Each workshop will consist of two parts:
Part 1: "Problems and Possibilities" will review town-specific land use and development patterns, and provide regional examples of best practices for guiding growth to preserve natural resources and maintain a high quality of life. Speakers will include author Albert Lima. Part 2: "Tools and Techniques" will provide more detailed guidance for crafting and implementing effective strategies to update and implement community plans, protect special places, provide incentives for well-planned growth, develop housing and jobs in a sustainable manner, and establish and apply standards to minimize the impacts of development.
Workshop Schedule Dighton, Berkley, Rehoboth:
Dighton Town Hall
Part 1: Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m.
Part 2: Tuesday, October 20, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. Attleboro, North Attleboro, Norton:
Mass Audubon's Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary
Part 1: Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m.
Part 2: Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. Plymouth, Plympton, Carver:
Carver Town Hall
Part 1: Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m.
Part 2: Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. Grafton, Upton, Millbury:
Brigham Hill Community Barn, Grafton
Part 1: Thursday, September 24, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m.
Part 2: Thursday, October 24, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. Shrewsbury:
Shrewsbury Town Library
Part 1: Tuesday, October 6, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Part 2: Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 - 8:30pm Northbridge, Sutton, Douglas, Uxbridge:
Great Hall, Northbridge Town Hall
Part 1: Wednesday, October 7, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m.
Part 2: Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 -- 9:00 p.m. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend both parts of this two-part workshop.
Free, pre-registration strongly encouraged. For more information or to register, email shapingthefuture@massaudubon.org, call us at 781.259.2146, or visit http://www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture/outreach.php
Upcoming Event Reminders
Blowing in the Wind: Managing Renewable Energy Siting Conflicts
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
9:30 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Doyle Conservation Center
Leominster, MA Organized by The Trustees of Reservations, Mass Audubon is among the co-sponsors for this seminar that looks at the complicated process of siting and building renewable energy structures. The event is designed for staff and volunteers from planning boards, conservation commissions, open space committees and land trusts, elected officials and others who care about conservation and sustainability in their communities. Registration required; Mass Audubon members get a reduced rate. For more information please contact Miriam Scagnetti at 978-840-4446 x1935 or mscagnetti@ttor.org. Ocean Management Hearings
Public hearings regarding Massachusetts' first-in-the-nation Draft Ocean Management Plan will take place next week. The plan, released on July 1, 2009, was developed by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Department of Coastal Zone Management, with input from additional state agencies. The four upcoming hearings will provide opportunities for public review and comment, and are scheduled as follows (all are at 7:00 p.m.): Monday, September 14, 2009
Exchange Conference Center
Boston Fish Pier Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New Bedford Public Library, Main Meeting Room
613 Pleasant Street, New Bedford Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tilden Arts Center Main Theater, Cape Cod Community College
2240 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable Thursday, September 17, 2009
Kyrouz Auditorium, Gloucester City Hall
9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester As required by the Oceans Act of 2008, a final draft of the plan is due by December 31, 2009, and public comment period closes November 16. To provide online comments, see the Ocean Plan Public Input Portal comments page. Written comments can be submitted to: Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Re: Draft Ocean Management Plan
251 Causeway Street, Suite 800
Boston, MA 02114 For more information on the draft plan, please see our related Roundup or visit the Draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan website, where you can access the full report.
National Wetlands Awards
Nominate a colleague or friend who has worked tirelessly to conserve, protect, or educate others about the importance of wetlands. For more than 20 years, the National Wetlands Awards have honored individuals who have demonstrated outstanding innovation or dedication in: conservation and restoration; education and outreach; landowner stewardship; science research; state, tribal, and local program development; and wetland community leadership. These awards provide the critical examples of how citizens from across the country make a difference in wetland conservation. Visit http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org/ to read about past recipients and fill out a 2010 nomination form. The deadline for submission is December 15, 2009.
Calendar
Public Hearing: National Ocean Policy Task Force
Thursday, September 24, 2009
4:00 p.m. -- 7:00 p.m.
Rhode Island Convention Center, Ballrooms D & E
Providence, RI This hearing is one in a series of regional public meetings hosted by the federal Ocean Policy Task Force. The goal of these hearings is to garner public input to help develop a national policy to protect, maintain and restore the health of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. For more information and outreach materials please visit: https://sites.google.com/site/healthyoceansandlakes/. Greening the City: Fostering Inspired and Innovative Leadership for Just and Sustainable Urban Communities A conference sponsored by Lesley University's graduate Division of Environmental Studies and Mass Audubon, November 6-8, 2009. Join more than 150 urban environmental leaders from throughout New England at the main campus of Lesley University in Cambridge, MA to explore key strategies for fostering inspired and innovative urban environmental leadership. "Greening the City" is geared toward environmental practitioners and thinkers from nonprofits, higher education institutions, local community groups, government agencies, and businesses. It will feature prominent environmental thinkers and practitioners from academia and government agencies, as well as from for profit and nonprofit organizations. There will be keynote talks, workshops, and an exhibit area, and other interactive ways to engage with the challenges and solutions arising from our increasingly urban world. Keynotes will include well known environmentalists like Julian Agyeman, environmental social scientist, activist and academic from Tufts University. Other keynotes will be announced shortly. The conference is meant to engage in-depth and meaningful dialogue among participants while addressing the difficulties and opportunities faced in cultivating just and sustainable urban communities. Registration required. A Water Resources Conference: Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Environmental Trust Hogan Conference Center
Holy Cross College
Worcester, MA
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Established as part of the Boston Harbor cleanup, the Trust has infused over $17 million into projects for water quality, aquatic species, environmental education and more. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the Trustees are hosting a one-day conference on Tuesday, November 10, 2009. The conference is intended to bring together practitioners engaged in the work of protecting and restoring water quality and the continuity of aquatic systems. For more information contact Susan Lanza at 617-626-1068 or email Susan.Lanza@state.ma.us
Please contact us if you have any questions at: action@massaudubon.org.
About The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup tracks the legislative priorities of Mass Audubon, focusing on the protection of the nature of Massachusetts. We encourage you to forward this newsletter to friends, family, and colleagues and to enlist their support.
If you are not already a member of Mass Audubon's Action Network, we encourage you to join by filling out our online form or by e-mailing us. Membership dues provide vital support for Mass Audubon's advocacy work on Beacon Hill and across the state. If you are not already a Mass Audubon member please join today.
Legislative Tool Kit
Stay In Touch
Senators and Representatives need to hear from their constituents! Contact your legislators and share with them the environmental issues that are important to you.
Find out who represents you in the Senate and House.
Senate and House Sessions Go Live
Consistent with the theme that decision-makers act differently when they know they are being watched, House and Senate sessions are now available on live webcast. Tune in to view live web stream broadcastings of the Senate and House and watch as the Massachusetts legislative process unfolds!
Current Legislation
Access the text of current legislation, bill histories and Massachusetts General Law by visiting one site. We encourage you to visit The General Court's website frequently as it is an important tool for conservation advocates like you!
How to Lobby
Discover effective ways to convey your environmental interests to your Senator or Representative.
View Mass Audubon’s How to Lobby document, and get started now!
How the Law is Made
Learn about the steps a bill takes before becoming law. You can also use our graphic charts to guide you through the life of a bill, from when it is first filed, to when it is signed into law.
 Mass Audubon Advocacy
6 Beacon Street, Suite 1025
Boston, MA 02108
617-523-8448 (phone)
617-523-4183 (fax)
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