Public Participation Guidelines
Each Resource Management Plan undertaken by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will include a public participation process to insure that interested parties have an opportunity to provide input on the project. The public participation process will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the property, the project goals, and the level of community and constituent interest.

Public participation in the review of Resource Management Plans will involve a combination of at least one public meeting and an opportunity to review and provide comment on a draft Plan. Additional public meetings or reviews of materials may be included.

• M.G.L. Chapter 21: Section 2F requires that draft Resource Management Plans will be available for public review and comment period through a notice published in The Environmental Monitor, published bimonthly by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. As part of the required public review, copies of the draft Plan will be made available to interested parties and posted on the DCR website.
• Any public meeting held to receive comments on the draft Plan will be published in The Environmental Monitor and on the DCR website. Notice will also be sent to local communities, constituent groups, and newspapers as appropriate.
• The final Resource Management Plan will be submitted by the Commissioner of DCR to the DCR Stewardship Council for adoption. The Plan will include a summary of the public participation process.
• DCR shall file a copy of the adopted Resource Management Plan with the Secretary of State and the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (formerly the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture).