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Settlement includes roughly $6 million for recreation improvements, DCR says
Summary
The Recreation Settlement Agreement accompanying the relicensing would fund an estimated $6 million in boating, access and trail improvements and permanent conservation of FirstLight lands, according to the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation; some public commenters supported the agreement but raised concerns about effects on sensitive species and access timing.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s recreation representative described the Recreation Settlement Agreement’s package of public‑use investments, land conservation and management provisions.
Paul Janagy, director of the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation (speaking on behalf of DCR), said the recreation agreement includes an estimated $6,000,000 in improvements that would fund new paddler put‑ins and take‑outs, relocated and additional docks, ADA improvements, a new pocket park and campsite, permanent conservation restrictions on selected FirstLight lands and up to five miles of new mountain‑bike trails at Northfield Mountain. The agreement also establishes a recreational advisory committee and 10‑year reviews of the Recreation Management Plan.
Panelists acknowledged trade‑offs between recreation and conservation: public comments requested real‑time impoundment level data, cautioned that increased boating could affect shortnose sturgeon spawning, and asked whether boat‑wake restrictions or motorboat limits were part of the settlement. Janagy said the settlement funds improvements and conservation and that motorboat restrictions were not included as blanket bans in the agreement; the settlement does include coordination and monitoring provisions related to recreation and flow timing.
What to watch: how MassDEP and FERC integrate recreation terms with water‑quality conditions and whether real‑time data and boat‑wake controls are included in enforceable implementation steps.
