An Earth Day Visit

Lt. Gov. Driscoll plans to join in Park Serve Day at Breakheart Reservation tomorrow

  Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll will participate in a tree planting ceremony tomorrow (Saturday, April 22) as Saugus officials, environmentalists and volunteers conduct an Earth Day spruce-up at Breakheart Reservation.

  “We had invited the governor [Maura Healey] and the new DCR [Department of Conservation & Recreation] commissioner [Brian Arrigo, former Revere mayor] to attend,” Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Peter Rossetti, Jr. said.

  “But the lieutenant governor will be coming instead,” said Rossetti, who is a member of the Friends of Breakheart. Local officials expect Driscoll, the former Salem mayor, will arrive at around noon to join the volunteers in the annual DCR Park Serve Day at Breakheart Reservation.

  During Earth Week, DCR invites volunteers to Massachusetts state parks to take part in various activities to prepare for the busy spring and summer recreation season. The activities involve clean up, painting or other restorative projects for one day. Parks across the Commonwealth decide on projects and invite volunteers for a day of work and fun. What began in 2006 as a day of Stewardship in Massachusetts has grown into an annual event with thousands of participants at state parks managed by the DCR.

  The public is welcome to the event and there will be refreshments, according to Rossetti. Pizza will be served to volunteers at 1 p.m., according to Rossetti. Volunteers who want to participate should meet in the Breakheart Parking Lot at 177 Forest St. between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The activities, which include invasive species removal, are suitable for adults and children of ages 13 and over.

  Water is available at this site, but volunteers are encouraged to bring a water bottle to fill. DCR officials also request that volunteers bring their own gloves if they have them. A limited supply will be available to those who don’t.

  Those who want to participate should sign and bring a Volunteer Release form (for adults or for minors). There will be a limited supply of forms available at the event.

  In another local event planned for the Earth Day weekend, the Saugus River Watershed Council will conduct a cleanup at Marshview Park in Lynn on Sunday, April 23, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are welcome to celebrate Earth Day by joining the Saugus River Watershed Council and the DCR for a cleanup project at the park and the adjoining area along the Saugus River in Lynn near the Saugus town line. All are welcome – no RSVP is needed.

  Directions: Marshview Park is located adjacent to the Saugus River on Boston Street in Lynn, directly across the street from (formerly) O’Briens in Lynn and across the river from K Pub Restaurant on Lincoln Avenue in Saugus.