For immediate release Contact: Wendy Fox
GOV. PATRICK SIGNS BILL
AIMED AT HELPING VOLUNTEERS AND FRIENDS GROUPS HOLD EVENTS IN THE STATE PARKS
Governor Deval Patrick has signed a bill broadening
the ability of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to cosponsor
events on DCR property with Friends groups and other volunteers. The bill now allows DCR, which oversees all
state parks and beaches, to cosponsor volunteer fund-raising events, as long as
the money raised is used to support and enhance DCR facilities and programs.
Having DCR as a cosponsor will reduce the liability
of the Friends groups and other volunteers associated with the event. This will
relieve the groups of the financial burden of obtaining their own liability
insurance for their volunteers during those events.
In the past, Friends groups seeking to hold
fund-raising and other events on the DCR properties they were looking to
benefit were required to obtain a
formal DCR permit, because DCR was prohibited by law from being a co-sponsor of
a private group’s fundraiser. In order to obtain these permits, Friends groups had to show they had liability insurance
to cover risks associated with such events – possibly a costly requirement, especially
for new or small Friends organizations, and an obstacle to civic engagement in
support of state parks and beaches.
“This legislation is a huge acknowledgement
of the value of the Friends groups and other volunteers in the programs,
maintenance, and general well-being of the state parks,” said DCR Commissioner
Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “We at DCR want to continue improving our partnerships
with the Friends groups, and this new law will help us do that. We thank the
governor and the legislators – especially Senator Bob Antonioni and
Representative Jennifer Flanagan – who made this possible. ”
Senator Robert A. Antonioni, who
co-authored the legislation, said, “I think it was inadvertent, but the lack of
policies and a formal relationship between these volunteers and DCR hindered
the Friends from doing what they do best, which is encouraging people to get
involved with the parks and their community. I am very grateful to Governor
Patrick and Commissioner Sullivan for their support in making this a priority
in their administration."
“Volunteer groups are the stewards of our state parks who work
with the DCR staff to do events, programming, clean-ups, and a lot of great
work,” said Representative Jennifer Flanagan, who championed the legislation in
the House of Representatives. “This is the least we could do to help their
efforts statewide.”
Emily Norton, president of the Friends of
Willard Brook in Townsend, which had been active in lobbying for the
legislation, also cheered the new law.
“The passing of the liability legislation
is great news for Friends groups across the Commonwealth,” Norton said. “From
now on, Friends groups can focus their energies on the business at hand:
enriching the public’s enjoyment of the state parks and forests.”
Ed Murray, chairman of
the Friends of Breakheart Reservation, said, “The Friends of Breakheart enjoy a
great relationship with DCR, and the potential savings on insurance will allow
us to direct those funds to improvements in the reservation.”
The act signed by the Governor has two key
provisions that build on existing state and federal law to provide greater
liability protection for volunteers and nonprofit organizations, while also
ensuring the rights of innocent third parties to seek recourse in the case of
injury or property damage as a result of the volunteer activities in the park.
The measure broadens the purposes for which
DCR can cosponsor activities or events with nonprofit groups on DCR property to
include those in which the nonprofit charges, solicits, or receives money.
Also, while the new law no longer requires the nonprofit groups to purchase
liability insurance for their volunteers at those events, it does require the
groups to provide DCR with an annual accounting of the funds received and
spent, to ensure that funds raised in the parks benefit the parks.
“Friends groups across the state thank
those who have made this legislation possible,” said Norton, of the Friends of
Willard Brook, “especially Senator Antonioni, Representative Flanagan, and
Commissioner Sullivan.”
###
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), an agency of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, oversees 450,000 acres of parks and forests, beaches, trails, roadways, and bridges. Led by Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr., the agency’s mission is to protect, promote, and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural, and recreational resources. To learn more about DCR, our facilities, and our programs, please visit www.mass.gov/dcr. Contact us at mass.parks@state.ma.us.