05/21/2026 CONSERVATION COMMISSION Minutes

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Town of Mashpee Conservation Commission 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, MA 02649 Updates: Not discussed: • 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—May Schedule Communication/Correspondence: (public comment solicited for each update) None discussed. Additional Topics: (Any topics not on the approved agenda must be voted on and placed on the next hearing or quarterly agenda). o Administrative Approval Request—Eel grass restoration plantings in Hamblin Pond—The Nature Conservancy(DEP File#43-3323) Dan Goulart, Coastal Project Manager with The Nature Conservancy,presented a request for administrative approval to conduct a small-scale pilot eelgrass restoration project within the footprint of the organization's existing permitted oyster restoration site in Hamblin Pond. He explained that the proposal was developed in coordination with NOAA Fisheries and Conservation staff as a passive restoration effort complementary to the existing oyster restoration work. Mr. Goulart explained that reproductive eelgrass shoots would be sustainably harvested from existing eelgrass beds in Jehu Pond and Seconsett Pond, then transported to the Hamblin Pond project site, where they would be placed in suspended mesh bags to allow natural seed dispersal over an approximately 30-day period. Following seed release, the equipment would be removed and the site monitored to evaluate germination success and long-term viability. He reported that prior monitoring of the Hamblin Pond site indicated favorable conditions for eelgrass restoration, including strong water clarity, healthy dissolved oxygen levels, and suitable bottom substrate. He noted that the existing oyster restoration project may also provide complementary ecological benefits, including sediment stabilization and improved habitat conditions. Commission members asked questions regarding site conditions, project timing, donor site impacts, and the potential for disease transfer between water bodies. Mr. Goulart stated that the work would likely occur in late June through early August, depending on environmental conditions, and indicated that disease transmission risk between local eelgrass populations was not considered a concern. Commission members expressed support for the project and requested that ongoing monitoring updates, including photographic documentation if feasible,be included in future reporting. Conservation staff confirmed that the proposal could be approved administratively as an amendment to the existing permit, with the additional monitoring incorporated into the current reporting requirements. 2