The Northeast Regional Center for Rural
Development Land Use Toolbox
Massachusetts - You and Your Community:
What You Can Do With Others links
Association
to Preserve Cape Cod
Association
to Preserve Cape Cod,
http://www.apcc.org/
Description:
The mission of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod is to promote policies
and programs that foster the preservation of the natural resources of
Cape Cod.
Topics: Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Appalachian
Mountain Club
Appalachian
Mountain Club,
http://www.outdoors.org/
Description:
The enhancement program reflects a growing recognition that transportation
programs, while vital for national mobility and international competitiveness,
must also be environmentally sound. The Vermont Agency of Transportation
(VTrans) encourages local communities to be directly involved in enhancement
projects. Enhancement activities are a means to more creatively and sensitively
integrate transportation facilities into the surrounding communities.
Topics: Healthy Communities, Land Preservation, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
Bay
Circuit Trail and Greenway
Bay
Circuit Trail and Greenway,
http://www.baycircuit.org/
Description:
The Bay Circuit - An Original Bay State Concept: First proposed in 1929
as an outer "emerald necklace," linking parks, open spaces and
waterways from Plum Island to Kingston Bay, the Bay Circuit idea - a precursor
of today's national greenways movement - continues to take shape. Focused
on a 200 mile corridor of 50 cities and towns, the Bay Circuit Trail connects
the "jewels" of the "emerald necklace." Community
by community, the dream of connecting more than 79 areas of protected
land in a greenway around Boston is now becoming a reality.
Topics: Healthy Communities, Land Preservation, Transportation, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Charles
River Watershed Association
Charles
River Watershed Association,
http://www.crwa.org/index.html?wavestop.html&0
Description:
Since its earliest days of advocacy, CRWA has figured prominently in major
clean-up and watershed protection efforts, working with government officials
and citizen groups from 35 Massachusetts watershed towns from Hopkinton
to Boston. Initiatives over the last three decades have dramatically improved
the quality of water in the watershed and approaches to water resource
management.
Topics: Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Clean
Water Action
Clean
Water Action: Massachusetts,
http://www.cleanwateraction.org/ma/index.htm
Description: Clean Water Action is a national citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses, and empowerment of people to make democracy work.
Topics: Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Connecticut
River Watershed Council
Connecticut
River Watershed Council,
http://www.ctriver.org/
Description:
Founded in 1952, the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) is the
only broad-based citizen advocate for the environmental well-being of
the entire Connecticut River. Our primary mission is to promote improvement
of water quality and the restoration, conservation, wise development and
use of the natural resources of the Connecticut River watershed.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Intergovernmental Cooperation, Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont
Deerfield
River Watershed Association
Deerfield
River Watershed Association,
http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/drwa/index.html#work
Description:
The Deerfield River Watershed Association is a non-profit organization
with the mission to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural resources
of the Deerfield River watershed in south-eastern Vermont and north-western
Massachusetts.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Healthy Communities, Land Preservation, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts, Vermont
Department
of Fish and Game
Riverways
Program,
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/
Description:
The Riverways Programs has developed several programs targeted to meet
the needs of both river advocates and river resources. The programs strive
to provide tools citizens may use to protect and restore water quality
and healthy stream flows, protect open space and river access, improve
fish and wildlife habitats, enhance aesthetics and help reconnect people
to their rivers. Each program is directed by one or two staff members
(some part-time) and share the goal of providing assistance to citizens,
citizen groups and communities.
Topics: Land Preservation, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Department
of Housing and Community Development
Division
of Municipal Development,
http://www.state.ma.us/dhcd/components/dcs/default.htm
Description:
As one of four operating divisions within the Department of Housing and
Community Development, we are committed to providing the best information
available to help communities access grants, training, and technical assistance.
If you are involved in city or town government, or are concerned with
community development and your local economic base, this is an excellent
Massachusetts state government resource to find relevant and up-to-date
information at your desktop.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Healthy Communities, Planning/Zoning, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs
Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Protection,
http://www.state.ma.us/envir/biodiversity/default.htm
Description:
The three objectives of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection Initiative
are: build a constituency for biodiversity, through education and outreach
to the public including all ages and sectors of society (teachers, students,
corporate leaders and employees, municipal officials, and citizens); protect
and restore ecosystems, through land protection and ecological restoration
projects; and promote incorporation of biodiversity and ecosystem health
considerations in decision making regarding our use and management of
natural systems, including decisions made by private citizens in their
daily lives, corporate leaders in establishing and growing their businesses,
and developers and land use decision makers in land use decisions.
Topics: Land Preservation, What You Can Do, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs
Community
Preservation Initiative,
http://commpres.env.state.ma.us/
Description:
Massachusetts has taken an innovative approach to growth management, creating
a grassroots, municipally-driven smart growth initiative called Community
Preservation. Community Preservation is an organizing principle focused
on preserving and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts community
by community, watershed by watershed. The Initiative provides tools, technical
assistance and outreach to local decision-makers to help them make informed
decisions about future growth.
Topics: Healthy Communities, Historic Preservation, Housing, Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Transportation, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Green
Valley Institute
Green
Valley Institute,
http://thelastgreenvalley.org/gvi/
Description:
The Green Valley Institute exists to help Heritage Corridor communities
and citizens sustain their environment and quality of life while growing
their economies. We are a non-regulatory organization dedicated to: improving
the knowledge base from which land use and natural resource decisions
are made and building local capacity to protect and manage natural resources
as our region grows.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Fiscal Impact/Taxation, Healthy Communities, Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, What You Can Do, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Association of Community Development Corporations
Massachusetts
Association of Community Development Corporations,
http://www.macdc.org/
Description:
MACDC is a nonprofit trade association established in 1980 to support
the work of CDCs. It exists to promote and assist nonprofit community
development corporations and other community based non-profits organizations
in their efforts to create jobs, improve housing and otherwise address
the needs of low income and minority communities across the Commonwealth.
Topics: Housing, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Housing Partnership
Massachusetts
Housing Partnership,
http://www.mhp.net/
Description:
The Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) is a self-supporting state
agency that promotes more stable and diverse neighborhoods in cities and
towns across Massachusetts through the development and preservation of
affordable housing.
Topics: Fiscal Impact/Taxation, Housing, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Land Trust Coalition
Massachusetts
Land Trust Coalition,
http://www.massland.org/
Description:
Purposes of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition: increase the effectiveness
of land trusts and conservation organizations in Massachusetts in working
with the legislature and governmental agencies on issues of direct interest
to the conservation movement; promote high ethical and professional standards
as outlined in the Land Trust Alliance Statement of Standards and Practices
for Land Trusts.
Topics: Land Preservation, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
MassGIS
Massachusetts
Geographical Information System,
http://www.state.ma.us/mgis/
Description:
MassGIS is the Commonwealth's Office of Geographic and Environmental Information,
within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Through
MassGIS, the Commonwealth has created a comprehensive, statewide database
of spatial information for environmental planning and management. Recent
legislation has established MassGIS as the official state agency assigned
to the collection, storage and dissemination of geographic data. The legislation
gives MassGIS the mandate to set standards for geographic data to ensure
universal compatibility.
Topics: Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Transportation, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Natural
Resource Conservation Service - USDA
Massachusetts
NRCS,
http://www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov/
Description:
NRCS soil conservationists, soil scientists, agronomists, ecologists,
engineers, planners, and other specialists promote land stewardship by
providing technical assistance through teams to address surface and groundwater
quality; wetlands, riparian areas, and biodiversity; aquatic and terrestrial
habitat; and impacts of landuse changes. NRCS teams work on all of a state's
landscapes: agricultural, wetlands and riparian areas, suburban, rural,
urban centers, and forested.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Healthy Communities, Land Preservation, Planning/Zoning, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
New
England Grassroots Environment Fund
New
England Grassroots Environment Fund,
http://www.grassrootsfund.org/
Description:
The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) is a small grants
program designed to foster and give voice to grassroots environmental
initiatives in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont. It provides grants of up to $2,500 to fuel civic
engagement, local activism, and social change.
Topics: What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
New
England Regional Water Quality Program
New
England Regional Water Quality Program,
http://www.usawaterquality.org/newengland/
Description:
The CSREES New England Regional Water Quality Program works to improve
water quality management through educational knowledge and extension programming
that emerges from a research base. The program builds on the strengths
of the Extension Water Quality Programs at the Land Grant Universities
throughout New England.
Topics: Ag & Rural Change, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Regional
Planning Agencies
Regional
Planning Agencies,
http://www.mass.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=mg2terminal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=State+Government&L2=County+Government&sid=massgov2&b=terminalcontent&f=regional_planning_agencies&csid=massgov2
Description:
Links to the homepages of all the Regional Planning Agencies in Massachusetts.
Topics: Planning/Zoning, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Townboard.org
Townboard.org,
http://www.townboard.org
Description:
Townboard.org was created to help meet the training and information needs
of volunteer land-use board members in Massachusetts (Planning and Appeals
Boards, Conservation Commissions, Boards of Health, Sewer Commissions
and Water Commissions).
Topics: Planning/Zoning, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
University
of Massachusetts
Mill
Creek Watershed Project,
http://www.millriverwatershed.org
Description:
The goals of the Mill River Watershed Project are to make science, research,
and planning resources available to watershed officials and residents
and to develop a coordinated, community-based approach to resource protection
across town boundaries.
Topics: Planning/Zoning, Water/Sewer, What You Can Do With Others
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
NERCRD ©2004
The Toolbox is a joint effort of The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD)
and Penn State Cooperative Extension in Adams County.
This page was last updated on July 13, 2005.
For questions, suggestions or to report broken links, please contact NERCRD: nercrd@psu.edu.