10/09/2025 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes

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Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 Coordination of Development, Restoration, and Performance Bond The commission sought clarification about how the two projects would remain linked, given that the housing and restoration areas exist on separate parcels. The applicant explained that conditions could be written into the Order of Conditions to ensure the residential development cannot proceed without the bog restoration. To guarantee accountability, Willowbend has agreed to post a performance bond equal to the construction cost of the bog restoration. This bond would be part of the first Order of Conditions, ensuring that if the residential development were delayed or canceled, funds would still be available to complete the ecological restoration. The commission expressed approval of this mechanism, viewing it as a safeguard that prioritizes environmental outcomes even if the development does not advance. Ms. Pitt and Mr. Kent also asked whether they could impose a time limit on the restoration, noting that bog restoration projects can be complex and lengthy. Mr. Woody confirmed that such a condition could absolutely be included, ensuring that the work does not drift indefinitely. The bond, coupled with a time-bound condition, would ensure that the restoration moves forward on a set schedule. The projects proposed housing units are located on a different parcel from the bog restoration area, and under DEP regulations, the restoration cannot simply be attached to a separate parcel as part of the same filing. However, the Commission can condition the NOI to ensure that if the bog restoration does not proceed as planned, Willow Bend would lose its approval to construct the twelve (12)housing units. He further elaborated that a performance bond is the Commission's primary enforcement mechanism to guarantee completion of the ecological restoration. The applicant would be required to provide this bond as financial assurance that the mitigation work will be carried out. Mr. McManus added that long-term success and compliance could also be ensured through specific conditions written into the Order of Conditions for the ecological restoration. These might include requirements for success criteria, ongoing monitoring, and maintenance protocols, all designed to confirm that the mitigation is completed effectively and achieves its intended environmental goals. Introduction of Wetland Scientist and Overview of Cranberry Bog Restoration Michael Soares, a wetland and soil scientist with Fuss & O'Neill, was introduced to discuss the restoration's technical and ecological aspects. He explained that the firm operates throughout New England, with his work focusing heavily on cranberry bog restorations, including a recently completed project on Nantucket and several others across Cape Cod and the Islands. Mr. Soares described the project as relatively straightforward compared to more complex restorations, though still requiring careful hydrologic and ecological planning. He began by explaining why cranberry bogs are restored and how the process works. Cranberry bogs, though technically wetlands under the Wetlands Protection Act, are fundamentally agricultural systems. Over decades, they have been engineered for efficient cranberry production, featuring berms, culverts, ditches, and layers of sand—typically one to two feet thick that improve drainage but severely degrade natural wetland function. This high level of modification results in a simplified, low-diversity habitat dominated by a single plant species. The restoration process, he explained, involves removing those hydrologic controls, reshaping soils to expose native seed banks, and reconnecting the wetland's natural groundwater and surface flow. By reestablishing these water-soil interactions, the system can once again support diverse wetland plant and animal communities. Mr. Soares noted that the goal is to transform a degraded, highly managed wetland into a self-sustaining natural one. The restoration would reintroduce physical and hydrologic diversity—creating shallow and deeper zones, reestablishing floodplain connectivity, and encouraging habitat complexity. The Army Corps of Engineers' "functions and values" framework will be used to assess success by comparing the degraded baseline to the post-restoration condition, which should show substantially improved wetland functions. The site currently consists of five bog cells with sanded surfaces and networked ditches and berms. Quaker Run, a perennial stream running through the site, has been straightened and incised, cutting it off from its