introduction 2

							       introduction                                                                                                       2
                            Statement of PurPoSe
    The purpose of the Open Space and Recreation Plan is to systematically re-examine Duxbury’s         “I recognize the right
    open space and recreational needs. It serves as a guide for Town departments and committees,
                                                                                                        and duty of this
    as well as local organizations, in their decisions regarding open space and recreation. This al-
    lows departments, committees, and organizations to better prioritize their own actions and to       generation to develop
    coordinate among departments and organizations for more efficient use of resources to better        and use our natural
    protect open space. Based on the actions of the community and the studies that have been            resources, but I do not
    completed over the past five years, particularly the 2007 Duxbury Community Survey, the 2008
                                                                                                        recognize the right to
    Plan retains the same goals as the 2002 Open Space Plan with minor adjustments. This Plan is
    consistent with the Town’s mission statement, “to deliver excellent services to the community       waste them, or to rob
    in the most fiscally responsible and innovative manner while endeavoring to broaden our sense       by wasteful use, the
    of community and preserve the unique character of our town.”
                                                                                                        generations that come
                                                                                                        after us.”
                                 Planning ProceSS                                                        —Theodore Roosevelt, 1900


    The Town of Duxbury has a long history of officially planning for open space preservation, most
    recently starting with the 1959 General Plan, the 1969 Comprehensive Plan, and the 1973 Com-
    prehensive Town Plan and Protective Bylaw, which all advocated using open space as a frame-
    work for land use planning. The first Open Space and Recreation Plan was written in 1978, as
    mandated by the State. This plan was updated in 1986 by the newly-formed Open Space and
    Recreation Planning Committee (OSRPC). Subsequent plans were written by the committee,
    with the help of citizen volunteers, and adopted in 1997 and 2002. The current plan is the most
    recent update of the Open Space and Recreation Plan, now in its fifth edition.
        Three years into the 2002 Plan, the Open Space and Recreation Committee met with
    Town boards and departments to review each group’s progress toward the goals set out in the
    2002 plan. Most groups were found to be successfully carrying out their action plans on sched-
    ule. With the expiration of the 2002 plan in 2007, the OSRPC began the process of updating the
    Open Space and Recreation Plan for the next five years. Committee members again met with
    Town boards and departments to learn of their accomplishments during the last five years as
    well as their goals for the next five years. Their feedback on the plan’s goals were incorporated
    into the Goals and Objectives section and the Five-Year Action Plan. Another major source of
    input was a survey sent to all Town residents in 2007. The 2007 Duxbury Community Survey
    sought feedback from residents on the town’s approach to open space and recreation planning
    and implementation of the Community Preservation Act. Survey results affirmed community
    support for strong open space protection and community character preservation, and the tone of
    the 2008 Duxbury Open Space and Recreation Plan follows from that conclusion.




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