The Central Massachusetts region is home to abundant natural beauty. Regional open spaces and conservation land offer exciting recreational opportunities such as nature observation, hiking, kayaking, and biking. That said, in many communities public and private stakeholders do not have the time, resources, or reach to effectively promote these assets.  

The result, as the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation (MOOR) describes, is as follows: 

“In Massachusetts today, finding out information on where, what and how to play outside in Massachusetts can be a real challenge. Currently, one has to spend hours sifting through dozens of web sites (that may not even be helpful), pour over out-of-date guidebooks, or rely on the whims of word of mouth. 

This lack of information also significantly hampers any efforts to do outdoor recreational planning, promotion, or marketing.”   

To address this need, MOOR set out to build a state-wide outdoor recreational asset inventory. The project was inspired by a model, “Berkshires Outside.” “Berkshires Outside” is a website where users can search for recreational sites throughout Berkshire County, MA. Sites can be searched for based on activity type, location, accessibility level, and more. The site was developed by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and 1Berkshire, the county’s regional tourism council. 

Since its launch in January 2024, the website has enjoyed great success. Between January and early November 2024, the site saw around 68,000 active users and 890,000 sessions. On a weekly basis, there continues to be 2,000-3,000 users. 

To replicate the work behind “Berkshires Outside” in other parts of the state, MOOR launched a Regional Outdoor Recreational Asset Inventory grant program. CMRPC and Central Massachusetts’ tourism council, Discover Central Mass, partnered on an application for the region and were awarded $56,250 to implement it. 

The project involves numerous steps: 

• Compiling potential open space and recreational sites 

• Identifying sites with the most “recreational value” 

• Collecting specific information on sites (i.e., location, activity / facility types, access levels, photos, etc.) – includes office work and field visits 

• Customizing SEO descriptions for each site 

• Submitting information to the State for incorporation into the state-wide inventory 

Beginning in May 2025, CMRPC hired several interns to help carry out these tasks. Over the summer, the interns identified sites of recreational value in each Central Massachusetts community using a variety of sources, such as assessors’ data and local open space and recreation plans. Interns also began collecting site-specific information. As of October 2025, that work continues with field visits to recreation sites. Subsequent stages will follow later this year and into next year, with the project anticipated to be completed by June 2026.  

Up to this point in the project, CMRPC has observed the following lessons / takeaways: 

• Prior Planning: Asset data collection is easier when towns and other ownership entities (e.g., land trusts) have already compiled site and/or asset information on their websites or in prior plans. 

• Staff Capacity: Asset data collection and field visits can be time-consuming. Additional staff capacity may need to be added to take on a project of this scale. 

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission was also kind enough to share the following lessons / takeaways with CMRPC based on their experience:  

• Positive Feedback: There is a lot of enthusiasm about Berkshires Outside, both at BRPC and 1Berkshire and by local asset owners and visitors. Berkshires Outside’s usage has far exceeded BRPC’s hopes and continues to grow. 

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is built into the design and layout of Berkshires Outside and integrated into site descriptions. BRPC and 1Berkshire have spent very little on marketing; most visitation has been due to SEO work. 

• Accessibility: Initially, Berkshires Outside did not include information on the accessibility level of properties. This information was subsequently added after the website was launched.  

• Relationships with Asset Owners: It is important to work with asset owners / develop a relationship whenever possible. Being responsive to requests to change site descriptions and other content is critical to get asset owners to participate and not be turned off by the project.