Governor Names Director of Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation

08:00AM / Saturday, September 23, 2023Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper announced the appointment of Paul Jahnige as the first Director of the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation (MOOR).

The EEA established the Office in December 2022 to elevate and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Massachusetts and the associated benefits to the economy, health, environment, and quality of life. Jahnige will work alongside state agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership (MMP), and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT). He starts on Sept. 25.

"Massachusetts has exceptional beaches, trails, and parks, and it's critical they're accessible and available to all residents. Paul Jahnige will be instrumental in advancing transformative outdoor recreational opportunities across the state, with a focus on equity," said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "His experience demonstrates his commitment to merging recreation with stewardship and conservation, which will shape our environmental landscape for generations."

"I'm honored and excited to step into this new role as the Healey-Driscoll Administration continues to take meaningful action in preserving and protecting our natural resources for all residents to enjoy all year long," added Jahnige. "Outdoor recreation is not only critical for our physical, mental, and social health but also for Massachusetts' economic health. I look forward to working alongside other state agencies, private and non-profit partners to get people outside to play in Massachusetts."

Paul Jahnige comes from the DCR, where he recently served as the Greenways and Trails Program Director. He has twenty-five years of experience working in environmental restoration and community development. Following a Masters in Environmental Studies from Yale and overseas work in Ecuador and Kenya, Paul founded Community Resources, an urban environmental non-profit that develops programs in minority, low-income communities across cities in the Mid-Atlantic. He is an outdoorsman and youth coach who lives in Williamsburg with his wife and three children.

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Wahconah Park Skating Rink Under Construction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
01:44PM / Sunday, February 01, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The outdoor ice skating rink in front of Wahconah Park is taking shape, and the city plans to open it early next week.

If you pass by the historic park this weekend, you will notice a pop-up ice skating rink under construction on the property between Hudpucker's Pub and Grill and Thrive Diner. City officials hope for a soft launch early next week and have secured state funds for programmatic expenses and skate rentals.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath on Friday said it will take several days to build the ice. The community will be notified through a social media post and a press release.

Community members are asked to stay off the ice until given the OK from the city.

Earlier this week, the City Council accepted $10,000 from the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation for programming opportunities at the 50-by-100-foot refrigerated rink. This will be used for staffing, youth assistants, adaptive skate aids, equipment rentals, bus vouchers, and other associated costs for public events.

McGrath pointed out that Pittsfield owns the system and will know how to assemble, operate, and then disassemble it for the next year.

"We're sort of at an interesting time here because it's kind of late in the winter, admittedly, but we're going to get some ice time out of the rink, and then we're going to pack it up, put it away, and we're going to bring it back out in subsequent years," he said.

"And we own this system, so looking at the horizon, we'll be able to have this portable system in place at that site on Wahconah Street for many, many years to come, and certainly, the whole idea is that this rink is intimately coordinated with the site planning for the new Wahconah Park and all the civil work that we're doing down there."

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