2006-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Commission continues to be actively first step to gaining some control and cleaning up the involved with the Town (Conservation Commission) sandpits by purchasing a new access gate. Funds for ownedcranberry bogs, both in terms of management the purchase were secured through a Barnstable able i and n dealing with a myriad of issues relative to the County Resource Grant Proposal written and FS-1 treatment facility/activities. The FS-1 plume requested by Assistant Agent Drew McManus. The (Ethylene Dibromide) emanating from the Mass gate has been installed and the Conservation Military Reservation is upwelling into the Quashnet Department is actively setting up clean-up initiatives River and its associated cranberry bogs. While effec- for these lands. Reputable recreation user groups like tive in"cleaning up"the pollution, the treatment facil- the Cape Cod Jeep Club, among others, have been in ities and related activities can have ecological effects contact with us in trying to work out a plan to make that must be constantly monitored and evaluated. these areas open to wise use management and safe for Additionally, we are still addressing the after-effects pedestrian traffic.Furthermore,there is a tentative plan of a failed berm which impacted the flow of the developed by Drew McManus to set up"passive recre- Quashnet River as well as the quality of existing ational" activities in the lands surrounding Moody wildlife/fishery habitats. We are currently exploring Pond with the intent of attracting more responsible various mitigation scenarios for this complex situa- user groups to the areas most heavily impacted. It is tion.The Commission is fortunate to have the able ser- our hope that by implementing low-impact, passive vices of engineer/technical consultant Bill Fisher, (of recreation, we will attract more "eyes and ears" out Haley & Aldrich of Portland, Maine) and Ms. Peggy there to report and monitor illegal activities while Fantozzi, our liaison to the Air Force Center for enjoying and enhancing the natural scenic beauty of Environmental Excellence (AFCEE). The public the area. should be aware that no taxpayer money is used for these services.In recognizing the extra burden of deal- In 2006, we saw few changes to our regulations, ing with these multifaceted circumstances, AFCEE which meant the Regulation Sub-Committee was rela- compensates the Town of Mashpee. The Commission tively quiet. Ultimately,this translates into regulations has developed an effective working relationship with that have been streamlined to the point where tinker- AFCEE/MMR. ing here and there where needed will alleviate any problems that arise or any loop-holes that can be We look forward to making continued progress exploited. On that note, the Regulation Sub- in addressing the multiple issues inherent to the Committee is always looking for new science and uashnet River/bogs Q and the impacts/treatment acts/treatment of the e studies in the P Conservation Science world that can be FS-1 plume. Improvements have become evident as worked into our regulations. the upwelling is doing its job for the most part and cleaning up the EDB plume rather effectively. In the As we mentioned last year, we have been work- last few months, only surface water hits in a couple ing with MEP (Massachusetts Estuaries Project), locales are being detected,which translates to effective SEMAST, Mashpee Citizens, Town Officials from plume treatment. In 2006, a comprehensive feasibility Barnstable and Sandwich, as well as Mass DEP study was fully funded by AFCEE. Representatives (Department of Environmental Protection), to solve from the Town of Mashpee as well as all other stake- the problem that is nitrogen loading within our valu- holders involved are trying to come to a middle ground able watershed. This year, more than last, we have as to what is the best case scenario going forward. received a number of complaints concerning water quality around town. Several factors could be at play Last year, the Commission noted problems with here including a very wet spring season, as well as Conservation Lands, specifically ATV use, illegal above average summer temperatures in combination dumping and vandalism. Due to the fact that permit- with the nitrogen loading all over the watershed. We ting has slowed back to manageable rates, we have urge citizens to call the Conservation Department with turned our focus to the town's Conservation Lands questions about what they can do to improve and especially in the areas of John's Pond and Moody maintain the health of the estuaries that are so essen- Pond. Of particular concern is the area known as the tial to the protection and beauty of the Town of sandpits off Grafton Pocknett Rd where ATV/4WD Mashpee. usages as well as illegal dumping activities are heavily concentrated. An older gate at the entrance to the As usual, our constantly evolving website sandpits had been heavily vandalized over the years to (www.ci.mashpee.ma.us) will provide visitors with the point where it was no longer effective in restricting information on Mashpee's Wetland Protection Bylaws vehicle access. On December 27th, 2006, we took our and Regulations (Ch. 172 of the Mashpee Code) as 103