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Governor Patrick, Secretary Bowles, Commissioner Griffin and DFG staff at the Jamaica Pond fish stocking event
News and Press Releases
- Media / press inquiries contact:
- Kate Plourd, Assistant Press Secretary
- (617)626-1136
- kate.plourd@state.ma.us
October 30, 2009
Divison of Ecological Restoration, the Town of Plymouth, and Conservation Community Celebrate Partnership to Restore Former Cranberry Bogs in Plymouth
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Commissioner Mary Griffin joined local, state and federal officials to kick off construction of the Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project, which will restore 40 acres of former cranberry bogs to a variety of native wetland types, including an Atlantic white cedar swamp and nearly 2 miles of cold water riverine habitat. Secretary Bowles also announced that the Riverways and Wetland Restoration programs at DFG and EEA’s Office of Coastal Zone Management have merged to create a new Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) at DFG.
August 17, 2009
Spotlight: Release of the Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan developed by DFG and DCR and the related management measure proposed by DFG’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access governing the use of state boat ramps in the Hoosic and Housatonic watersheds.
The Department of Fish and Game (“DFG”), its Office of Fishing and Boating Access (“OFBA”), and the Department of Conservation and Recreation ("DCR") today released an Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan that includes a comprehensive set of regulatory measures and outreach activities designed to prevent the spread of this invasive species to other Bay State water bodies. The interim plan - key parts of which will be implemented through a long-term OFBA management measure also proposed today - is in response to the first documented occurrence of zebra mussels in a Massachusetts water body in July. DFG and DCR will solicit feedback from outside stakeholders and reassess the plan before the start of the 2010 boating season. The Interim Zebra Mussel Action Plan can be downloaded below.As called for in the interim plan, OFBA is also proposing a long term management measure that gives DFG/OFBA personnel and their agents as well as the municipal or local manager of a state boat ramp the authority to require boaters seeking to use state boat ramps located on water bodies in the Hoosic and Housatonic watersheds to first complete a Clean Boat Certification. This self certification requires a boater to state whether their boat has been on Laurel Lake or on another specified out-of-state water body likely affected by zebra or quagga mussels within the last 30 days. If so, boaters must certify that their boat has been decontaminated in accordance with the procedures specified in the self certification form. The proposed long term management measure would supersede and expand on the use restrictions contained in the earlier OFBA emergency management measures dated July 10th and 23rd 2009.
OFBA is accepting public comment on the proposed management measure through the close of business (5pm) on August 28, 2009. Public comments can emailed to Bob.Greco@state.ma.us or sent by regular mail to the Commissioner’s Office at DFG, 251 Causeway St., Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114. OFBA’s long term management measure, the related Clean Boat Certification, and the notice informing the public of the proposed management measure and the opportunity to file public comments with OFBA, can be downloaded below.
Finally, a reminder that OFBA is accepting public comment until August 19, 2009 on its proposed extension of the closure of the state boat ramp on Laurel Lake through October 15, 2009, the practical end of the 2009 boating season. This proposed OFBA management measure and the related public notice, first issued by OFBA on August 12, 2009, can be downloaded below as well.
August 12, 2009
Proposed Extension of Closure of the State Boat Ramp at Laurel Lake in Lee and Lenox, MA
The Director of OFBA is proposing to extend the closure of the state boat ramp at Laurel Lake through October 15, 2009, the practical end of the 2009 boating season, to provide sufficient time for the state to fully implement the range of actions called for in a new interim zebra mussel action plan.July 13, 2009
Spotlight: Information about Zebra Mussels and Management Measures in Berkshire County
The Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access closed the boat access facility at Laurel Lake in Lee on July 8, 2009 on an emergency, temporary basis due to the presence of zebra mussels. Zebra mussels are an aquatic invasive species that can damage lake and river ecology, boat motors, and infrastructure. They have been present in the United States since 1988 and are known to inhabit water bodies in about half of all states, including the neighboring states of New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. DFG and the Department of Conservation and Recreation are working on a public information campaign to educate boaters and other recreational users about what they can do to help contain the spread of this harmful invasive species to other lakes and rivers. In addition, DFG also issued an emergency management measure on July 10th that empowers local ramp managers of state boat ramps at certain Berkshire County lakes to deny access to boaters who have used Laurel Lake in the past month. (See links for more information).April 7, 2009
State Officials Stock Boston's Jamaica Pond with 925 Fish
State wildlife officials and Boston school children ushered in the spring fishing season today, releasing 925 state hatchery-raised trout and salmon into Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain. Environment Undersecretary Philip Griffiths and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Commissioner Mary Griffin participated in the event, which is part of an annual effort to stock 500 Massachusetts lakes, rivers, reservoirs, streams, and rivers with fish raised at hatcheries operated by MassWildlife.April 3, 2009
Land Conservation Agreement Will Protect Thousands of Acres, Support ‘Smart Growth’ and Wind Energy Projects
An initial agreement to preserve thousands of acres of critical habitat and open space – and clear the way for an innovative eco-friendly smart growth development project – in southeastern Massachusetts has been reached between the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game and A.D. Makepeace Company, the world’s largest cranberry grower and the largest private landowner in eastern Massachusetts, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles announced today.February 27, 2009
State Biologists Conduct Annual Black Bear Survey
A team of biologists from MassWildlife, joined by Governor Patrick, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Commissioner Mary Griffin, traveled today to a Whately black bear den to study a female bear and her three newborn cubs. The group recorded each cub’s weight and gender and examined the mother bear.February 18, 2009
Town of Newbury Awarded $62,000 Federal Grant to fund joint project by the Town and the Riverways Program
A $62,000 federal grant awarded to the town of Newbury by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Gulf of Maine Council for the Marine Environment will help fund a joint project by the town and the Massachusetts Riverways Program to restore aquatic habitat in the Parker River, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles announced today.
February 6, 2009
Department of Fish and Game Officials Present 2008 Sport Fishing Awards
At ceremonies in Worcester this weekend, State fisheries officials will honor anglers – including three new state record holders – who reeled in the biggest fish of 2008 from Massachusetts lakes, ponds, streams, and coastal waters.February 5, 2009
The Riverways Program Announces Completion of Stream Restoration Project in Minute Man National Historical Park
For close to a century, the stream – a tributary of Elm Brook – flowed through underground pipes. Work by DFG’s Riverways Program, Minute Man National Historical Park, and the town returned the stream to flowing above-ground, a process known as daylighting. The team also worked to remove invasive species and improve stream habitat.January 12, 2009
Wildlife Officials and Volunteers Spot 80 Bald Eagles During Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey
An annual one-day survey of wintering bald eagles conducted throughout the Commonwealth today yielded record sightings of 80 individual birds, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles announced.October 24, 2008
Governor Patrick, State Environmental Officials and Land Conservation Community Celebrate Public-Private Partnership to Protect 800 Acres in the Berkshires
Governor Deval Patrick today joined state environmental officials and the Berkshire land conservation community in marking the completion of the Hudson Conservation Project – a two-phase public-private partnership that protects over 800 acres of forest and meadow in Tyringham and Monterey.
Newsletters
Calendars of Events
Publications
- MassWildlife Publications page
- The MassWildlife magazine
- Riverways Publications page
- Public Access to the Waters of Massachusetts
Maps
Note, all of these maps are in pdf format and require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map
The new Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map, updated for the first time since 2005, shows conservation land managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It also identifies all boat access, sport fishing piers, and shore fishing areas managed by DFG’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access, and lists hundreds of state properties and facilities and the types of recreational opportunities they offer. There is additional information about outdoor safety, outdoor ethics, licensing requirements for fishing and hunting, and web links to further information regarding recreational opportunities on state properties. - MassWildlife Wildlife Management Area Maps
These documents include both maps and text describing vegetation, water, wildlife and special regulations if any apply. - FBA Maps of Fishing and Boating Access Sites.
The Office of Fishing and Boating Access posts a table listing all of its facilities. Included in this table is descriptive information about the facility, a list of fish species typically fished for from the site, a link to maps of the site, and a link to a MassWildlife pond map if one is available. - MassWildlife Pond Maps
These maps, in heavy demand by the public, have been scanned from the originals traditionally distributed by MassWildlife in hard copy format. Their singular feature is that they show depth contours for each pond, a feature in great demand by persons planning to fish in those ponds. They were recently updated with written descriptions describing the ponds themselves, fish populations and fishing opportunities.
Public Information Contacts
If you are seeking information about one of our agencies, you may save yourself time by going directly to the agency's web site and looking for information there. In that case, click below on the agency name. If you truly need to contact the agency via email, then click on the email contact given. They try to answer their email in as timely a fashion as possible, but it may take a few days before you hear back from them.
- Commissioner's Office, contact Bob Greco at bob.greco@state.ma.us
- Division of Fisheries and Wildlife subjects, contact Mass.Wildlife@state.ma.us
- Division of Marine Fisheries, contact Dan McKiernan at dan.mckiernan@state.ma.us
- Riverways Program, contact Russ Cohen at russ.cohen@state.ma.us
- Office of Fishing and Boating Access, contact Terry Smith at Terrance.Smith@state.ma.us