HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 115        FILED ON: 1/7/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 757

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

William J. Driscoll, Jr.

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to study the health of the Blue Hills Forest and ecology to inform long-term reservation management.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

William J. Driscoll, Jr.

7th Norfolk

1/7/2019

Carlos González

10th Hampden

1/24/2019

Dylan A. Fernandes

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

1/25/2019

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

1/30/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

2/1/2019

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

2/3/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/25/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

2/1/2019

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

2/1/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

1/30/2019

Daniel J. Hunt

13th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

1/31/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/31/2019

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

2/1/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

1/29/2019

Angelo M. Scaccia

14th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

2/1/2019

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

1/31/2019

Paul F. Tucker

7th Essex

2/1/2019

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/30/2019

John F. Keenan

Norfolk and Plymouth

1/31/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

2/1/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 115        FILED ON: 1/7/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 757

By Mr. Driscoll of Milton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 757) of William J. Driscoll, Jr., and others for legislation to authorize an independent scientific organization to study and survey the forest, wildlife and environmental health of the Blue Hills Reservation.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3562 OF 2017-2018.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act to study the health of the Blue Hills Forest and ecology to inform long-term reservation management.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

There shall be conducted an independent, scientific study and survey of the forest, wildlife and environmental health of the Blue Hills Reservation, which shall focus on: (i) potential reasons for the declining forest health, (ii) the deer population and the effectiveness of hunting as a means of culling large deer populations, (iii) the health of plant and insect life on the reservation and potential factors contributing to any decline in plant or insect  health, (iv) the effect of ecological changes and climate change on the health of the forest and the plant and animal species, and (v) proposed solutions to ensure improvements in the forest, wildlife and environmental health of the reservation. 

The study and survey shall be conducted by an independent scientific organization to be selected by the department of conservation and recreation and the department of fisheries and wildlife.  The departments shall choose such organization to conduct the study and survey within 6 months after the effective date of this act, and the independent scientific organization shall report its findings and data in the form of a report and survey, which shall include proposed solutions and the costs associated with such solutions, to the department of conservation and recreation and the department of fisheries and wildlife within 1 year following the start of the study.

There shall be a moratorium on the continuation and further implementation of the blue hills reservation deer management program and any controlled deer hunting in the reservation until the findings of such study and survey have been reported to the department of conservation and recreation and the department of fisheries and wildlife, and such departments have reviewed the findings and proposed updated solutions based on such findings.