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and Wildlife Service, MA State Division of Fisheries to recruit more! As a volunteer land steward, and Wildlife, MA Dept of Conservation and individuals commit to walking a conservation parcel of Recreation, Waquoit Bay Research Reserve, Orenda your choice at least four times per year and then filling Wildlife Trust, the Falmouth Rod and Gun Club and out/submitting our online parcel observation form. the Mashpee Wompanoag Tribe) has been working to Volunteers can also choose to participate in parcel improve refuge lands in terms of wildlife habitat workdays (clean-ups, trail maintenance, etc.) or other enhancement and wildfire control. Many areas within volunteer initiatives such as our annual Herring Count the refuge have been identified as key habitat for the Program. Mashpee has three herring runs in Town endangered New England Cottontail. Habitat (Santuit, Mashpee and Quashnet Rivers). 2014 will improvement projects that involve selective pruning of mark the 4th year in a row that we have conducted over-story trees and prescribed burning of understory herring counts. Volunteer training and supplies are brush have allowed for vigorous regrowth of early provided by the Association for the Preservation of successional habitat, which is critical not only for the Cape Cod(APCC). APCC collects the data from each New England Cottontail, but a variety of other rare town's count program, and uses it to assess the species(animals and plants)that depend on this habitat conditions of the runs as well as for estimating herring type. For more information on the Mashpee National populations. If you're interested in becoming a Wildlife Refuge and to find out how you can get Mashpee Land Steward,please visit the following link involved, please visit the Friends of the Mashpee for more information: National Wildlife Refuge website at: http://www.mashceema.gov[Paees/MashpeeMA Cons http://friendsofmashpeenationalwildliferefuge.com ervation/stewards 2014 Permitting and Enforcement The Mashpee Conservation Commission would The Conservation Department continues to be like to thank the Building Department,Board of Health, diligent with enforcement of the state(310 CMR 10.00) Zoning Board, Harbor Master, and Shellfish Warden and local (Chapter 172) Wetland Protection Acts for their continued cooperation in maintaining cross- through the facilitation of wetland permitting. With departmental permitting compliance. The Commission over 1400 acres of conservation and open space lands would also like to thank Cynthia Bartos, our new to manage,the Conservation Department continues to Administrative Secretary. Cynthia has been a perfect rely on the assistance of the Mashpee Police,the MA fit for the Conservation Department with her Environmental Police, Mashpee Fire, Mashpee unmatched enthusiasm and positive energy. We would Department of Public Works, the Refuge Partnership also like to welcome Judy Daigneault,our new Board and volunteer residents, to effectively monitor and Secretary. Additional thanks to Tom Fudala,our Town observe these areas, many of which are remotely Planner, Catherine Laurent, our DPW Director, and situated and difficult to access. Clayson Nicholson, our GIS Coordinator, for their 2014 Land Steward sh(p Program/Americorp continued assistance with various conservation 2014 was another successful volunteer year. The projects, maintenance issues, mapping needs, local Boy Scout group helped to clean-up the Mashpee administrative duties,and grant opportunities for land River Woodlands parcel and perform some much acquisitions and other funding opportunities. needed trail work. Americorp Cape Cod has also assisted in cleaning up man-made debris in and around Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Agent and Santuit Pond,including the complete removal of a large the Commission, amount of material left over from a vandalized pump John Fitzsimmons,Chairman house in the Santuit Pond Preserve. Most recently, Ralph Shaw, Vice Chairman Americorp volunteers helped to create a new trail in the Mark Gurnee preserve that winds around the old abandoned bogs Brad Sweet along the southwestern side of the parcel. Volunteers John Rogers constructed four new trail benches at specific wildlife Mark Anderson viewing areas along the trail system. Dale McKay Lou DiMeo At last count, the Mashpee Land Stewardship Steve Cook Program has 58 volunteers and we are constantly trying Andrew McManus,Agent i I. 87