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Massachusetts Statewide Greenways and Trails Map and Plan
Currently the DEM contracted the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)
to create a coordinated statewide greenways and trails map and
plan. This project will map existing greenways and trails and
identify opportunities for making additional greenway connections
within Massachusetts. Jennifer Howard, Greenways Coordinator
for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Peter
Donahue, Larry Garland and Colin Novick of the Appalachian Mountain
Club (AMC) are creating an inventory of existing greenways and
trails in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Statewide Greenways
and Trails Map and Plan are scheduled for completion by 2000.
DEM's Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grants Program
The DEM's Greenways and Trails Demonstration Grants Program provides
grant awards of up to $5,000 to non governmental organizations,
municipalities, and regional planning associations for innovative
greenway and trail projects throughout Massachusetts. The Grants
Program began in 1993 and it awarded 22 grants that first year
for a total of $50,000. To date, DEM has funded 159 projects
throughout the Commonwealth for a total of approximately $473,000
(DEM 1997, p. 1).
Connecticut River Greenway State Park
In 1986 the DEM began acquiring parcels of land along the banks
of the Connecticut River for the purpose of protecting natural,
scenic and historic landscapes in Massachusetts. A total of 3,500
acres of linear parks make up the Connecticut River Greenway
State Park. This greenway provides among other things, public
access points to the river and many different recreational opportunities
(DEM 1996). Terri Blunt of DEM heads this project from Northampton.
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