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Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission <br /> 16 Great Neck Road North <br /> Mashpee, MA 02649 <br /> Mashpee Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes <br /> Thursday, October 9, 2025 <br /> Mashpee Town Hall - Waquoit Meeting Room <br /> 16 Great Neck Road North, Mashpee, MA 02649 <br /> Broadcast Live on Local Cable Channel(s) 8 and 1072 <br /> Streamed live on the Town of Mashpee website: salwvww.rnash acme.�ovlcharmel--8 <br /> Hybrid Remote: Zoom Meeting ID: 954 6826 5483 Passcode: 803910 <br /> Board Members Present: Absentee Members: Additional Attendees: <br /> Steven Cook, Chair Alexandra Zollo,Member Andrew McManus, Conservation Agent <br /> Sarah Thornbrugh,Vice Chair(via Zoom) Marjorie Clapprood, Member (attendance via Zoom) <br /> Sandi Godfrey, Secretary Paul Colombo,Member Daniel Kent,Asst Conservation Agent <br /> Richard Sahl,Member <br /> Seana Pitt,Associate Member <br /> Neal Larsson,Associate Member <br /> Open Public Meeting—Call to Order <br /> Chair Cook called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. <br /> Pledge of Allegiance <br /> The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT (For any issues not related to agenda items - *3 minutes per comment) <br /> No Public Comment. <br /> Discussion: (Public Comment solicited for each discussion - *3 minutes per comment) <br /> • Water Quality: Issues and initiatives (ongoing discussion item) <br /> o Not discussed—will wait until Quarterly meeting <br /> • Submittal Requirements update <br /> • WBNERR presentation-salt marsh restoration <br /> Discussion: WBNERR (Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve) —Presentation <br /> Megan Tyrell, Research Coordinator at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, on ongoing salt <br /> marsh restoration efforts. <br /> Ms. Tyrell began by providing context on the widespread historical alteration of salt marshes along the U.S. <br /> East Coast. She explained that nearly all of them have been hydrologically modified or farmed, often through <br /> berming, ditching, or other water control measures. Drawing on recent state training, she emphasized the <br /> lasting ecological impacts of these historic interventions. <br /> She described work conducted in December 2023 at Doghead Marsh, located off Sage Lot Pond on Mashpee <br /> Town land, where small drainage channels—called runnels—were dug to help restore natural hydrology. <br /> Using photos, she showed the stages of marsh recovery observed at comparable restoration sites in Buzzards <br /> Bay, where formerly open-water areas successfully revegetated over time. <br /> At the Waquoit Bay Reserve, extensive monitoring is conducted to track vegetation response and sediment <br /> surface changes in the marsh. Ms. Tyrell noted that many salt marshes are experiencing "pooling," where <br /> vegetated areas convert to unvegetated open water due to excessive flooding. She displayed imagery from <br /> Doghead Marsh showing significant conversion of vegetated zones to open water, with large red areas on the <br /> slide representing severe degradation. <br />