More Than 100 Organizations Are Now Endorsing the “YES on 6” Ballot Campaign to Protect Water and Nature
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2026
Contact: Andrew Farnitano, 925-917-1354, andrew@acfstrategies.com
More Than 100 Organizations Are Now Endorsing the “YES on 6” Ballot Campaign to Protect Water and Nature
Statewide Conservation Groups, Local Land Trusts, Community Organizations and Businesses All Backing Ballot Question 6 to Create Dedicated Nature for All Fund for Water and Land Conservation in Massachusetts — Without Raising Taxes
BOSTON — With less than two months until Election Day, more than 100 organizations across Massachusetts are now endorsing the “YES on 6” ballot campaign. Question 6, the Protect Water and Nature ballot initiative on the November statewide ballot, would create a new Nature for All Fund and dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods to protecting and conserving water and nature — without raising taxes.
“An incredible and diverse coalition of local and statewide conservation organizations, parks groups, local land trusts, watershed protection associations, and businesses from across Massachusetts have come together to support Question 6 this fall,” said Sam Anderson, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Mass Audubon and Chair of the Vote Yes for Water and Nature ballot committee. “Question 6 is our chance to protect the water we drink from pollution, permanently conserve the forests, family farms, and natural wildlife habitats that make Massachusetts an incredible place to live; and create more parks, trails, and greenspaces in every corner of the state. That exciting possibility is bringing more and more organizations to the table every week, allowing us to communicate with hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents about how Question 6 will generate as much as $100 million each year to protect our clean drinking water, parks, and nature for all — without raising taxes.”
Question 6 is now supported by a diverse coalition of more than 100 environmental, conservation, and community organizations and businesses throughout Massachusetts, including the state’s leading nonprofit land and water conservation groups such as Mass Audubon, The Trustees, Appalachian Mountain Club, the Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land, as well as dozens of local and regional groups from every corner of the state.
“If you scratch a Cape Codder, born or moved here, who is true to the Cape in spirit, you will find that person is most at home outdoors,” said Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc., a nonprofit network of 29 land trusts and watershed groups in Southeastern Massachusetts, which recently endorsed Question 6 . “Our special places did not stay special by accident. Communities throughout the Cape have invested millions of dollars in local taxpayer funding to preserve the open space that protects our groundwater wellfields, preserve our forests, and ensure access to our bays and ponds. The state has been helpful around the margins when local communities approach the enormous lift of buying very expensive coastal lands, but state funding is limited, and the need is urgent. Having access to a new steady stream of state funds dedicated to preserving watersheds and wildlife habitats will magnify our local efforts. That is why we support Question 6 and hope all Cape Codders will vote to approve it.”
“Local outdoor places like Wildcat Forest, Lockwood Forest and the Nason Conservation Land are the heart of our Boxford community,” said Jessica Grigg, President of the Boxford Trails Association/Boxford Open Land Trust (BTA/BOLT, Inc.), which recently endorsed Question 6. “Question 6 addresses how, with no new taxes raised, we can continue to protect open space and water sources and increase protections for more Massachusetts forests, farms, and natural habitats. Question 6 will help fund the permanent protection of Massachusetts’ wetlands and watersheds, protecting our drinking water sources and reducing pollution in rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean. Anyone who cares about the quality of the water we drink should vote YES on Question 6.”
“For more than 25 years, the Esplanade Association has partnered with our Commonwealth colleagues to steward the most-visited state park acreage: Downtown Boston's landmarked Charles River Esplanade,” said Jen Mergel, James and Audrey Foster Executive Director of the Esplanade Association, which recently endorsed Question 6. “While this waterfront is beloved, we know first-hand how state conservation budgets are cut again and again — nearly 8% this year — to care for the greenspace and bluespace that revitalizes our physical, mental and social health with every visit, especially in an urban context. Supporting Question 6 is common sense, not only to expand protections, but to ensure we can care for even the most used protected spaces, so they can take care of us as intended.”
Today’s announcement follows Governor Healey’s endorsement of Question 6 earlier this year.
The following organizations have endorsed Question 6 as of today:
American Rivers Action Fund
Appalachian Mountain Club
Arlington Land Trust
Ashby Land Trust
Association to Preserve Cape Cod
Authentic Caribbean Foundation
Barnstable Land Trust
Bemis
Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Beyond Plastics Greater Boston
Boston Harbor Now
Brewster Conservation Trust
Brewster Ponds Coalition
Brookline GreenSpace Alliance
BSLA | Boston Society of Landscape Architects
BTA/BOLT, Inc.
Charles River Conservancy
Charles River Watershed Association
Chatham Conservation Foundation
Cohasset Open Space and Recreation Committee
Concord Climate Action Network (ConcordCAN)
Concord Land Conservation Trust
Connecticut River Conservancy
Conservation Law Foundation
Dedham Greenspace Coalition
Deerfield River Watershed Association
Dudley Conservation Land Trust
Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Esplanade Association
Essex County Greenbelt Association
Farming Falmouth
First Parish UU Climate Action Team
Franklin Land Trust
Friends of Cold Spring Park
Friends of Holly Hill Farm
Friends of Pleasant Bay, Inc.
Friends of the Blue Hills
Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation
Green Cambridge
GreenRoots
Groton Conservation Trust
Grow Native Massachusetts
Hale Education, Inc
Hardwick Pond Preservation Association
Harwich Conservation Trust
Hilltown Land Trust
Ipswich River Watershed Association
Kestrel Land Trust
Land / Water Associates
Land Trust Alliance
Lenox Garden Club
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
MA Association of Conservation Commissions
Mass Audubon
Mass Parks for All
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
Massachusetts Society of Municipal Conservation Professionals
MASSPIRG Students
Merrimac Neighbors for Nature
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Mystic River Watershed Association
Native Plant Trust
New England Mountain Bike Association
Newton Conservators
Norcross Wildlife Foundation
North County Land Trust
Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA/Mass)
Northeast Trailworks, LLP
OARS 3 Rivers
Ocean River Institute
Opacum Land Trust
Orleans Conservation Trust
Orleans Pond Coalition
Pocasset Water Quality Coalition
Provincetown Conservation Trust
Quincy Climate Action Network (QCAN)
Regional Environmental Council (REC)
Rehoboth Land Trust, Inc.
SafeTrails First Aid
Somerville Democratic City Committee
Speak Up For Animals
Studio Shangri-La Multimedia
Sudbury Valley Trustees
Sustainable Marblehead
The 300 Committee Land Trust (Falmouth)
The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts
The Nature Conservancy
The Neighborhood Developers
The Swampscott Conservancy
The Trustees
The Walden Woods Project
Tree Boston
Trust for Public Land
Upstream Carbon
Waypoint Adventure
Wellfleet Conservation Trust
Wild Cohasset
Wildlands Trust
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Background
Question 6, the ‘Protect Water and Nature’ initiative, would dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods to protecting and conserving water and nature — without raising taxes. Question 6 would create a dedicated Nature for All Fund with as much as $100 million each year to support the conservation and restoration of water and natural areas in Massachusetts, protect the quality of our drinking water and natural wildlife habitats, and support the creation and improvement of parks, trails, greenspaces, and other outdoor recreation spaces.
The Nature for All Fund would be funded by the state’s existing sales tax on sporting goods like camping gear, golf clubs, and fishing equipment — not by creating a new tax. Question 6 would also establish a public oversight board that would approve all expenditures from the fund, with strict annual reporting requirements to track every dollar spent.
Question 6 is supported by a diverse coalition of more than 100 environmental, conservation, and community organizations and businesses throughout Massachusetts, including the state’s leading nonprofit land and water conservation groups such as Mass Audubon, The Trustees, Appalachian Mountain Club, the Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land, as well as dozens of local and regional groups from every corner of the state.
Over the last year, the coalition collected more than 122,000 signatures from Massachusetts voters to put nature on the ballot. Volunteers from dozens of organizations within the coalition contributed to this tremendous showing of support by collecting thousands of signatures from their neighbors at farmers’ markets, festivals, trailheads, and wildlife sanctuaries.
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The YES on 6 campaign is led by Nature for Massachusetts, a large and diverse coalition of environmental, conservation, and community organizations that seek to create a dedicated, annual revenue stream to conserve water, land, urban greenspace, outdoor recreation access, and wildlife in Massachusetts. For more information, visit natureforma.org.