03/05/2026 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes (2)

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Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 Updates: (*15 minutes) (Public Comment solicited for each update—3 minutes per comment) The following updates will be discussed at the April 16, 2026, Quarterly Meeting: • Red Brook Road Culvert(Waquoit Bay Research Reserve-grant assistance) • Upper Quashnet Restoration • Johns Pond and Santuit Pond Milfoil • Chop Chaque Bog Restoration • Local Comprehensive Plan • Herring Warden • Harbor Management Committee • Mashpee River Restoration • Santuit Pond Fish Ladder—NRCS • Guided Nature Tours—March Schedule • Poppy Spit Dredge Commission members discussed potential topics for the upcoming quarterly meeting. Ms. Pitt suggested discussing a possible moratorium on new piers and requested an update from the Regulations Group on their current work and any potential regulatory changes that may require Commission review or votes. Staff explained that the Regulations Group is not currently reviewing Regulation 27 (docks, floats, and piers) since it was recently updated. Instead,the group is reviewing Regulations 1, 2, and 3 with the goal of potentially combining them into a single regulation. An update on that work is expected to be provided at the quarterly meeting. Members were asked to email additional topics so a running list can be maintained and included when preparing the agenda for the April 16, 2026, meeting. • Communication/Correspondence: (Public Comment solicited for each update): None discussed. • Additional Topics: (This space is reserved for topics that the Chairman did not reasonably anticipate would be discussed). Mr. Colombo provided a follow-up regarding the vista pruning extension policy approved at the previous meeting. The Commissioner noted that the BirdCast website (birdcast.org) became active on March 1, 2026, and tracks bird migration using Doppler radar. Data from the first four days of March indicated approximately 4,300 birds migrating through Barnstable County, with migration occurring primarily overnight. The Commissioner stated that migration activity is expected to increase as warmer temperatures arrive and reiterated that the March 14, 2026, deadline for pruning activities should be observed, with no work occurring beyond that date. The MEPA comment period for the Mashpee Wakeby Cluster System project has been extended to March 17, 2026, and noted that anyone wishing to review the project or submit comments still has time to do so. 2