The Conservation Commission is an appointed Town board responsible for the implementation of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (WPA), a state law that is administered primarily by municipalities throughout the Commonwealth. While the regulation of activities within the jurisdiction of the Wetlands Protection Act is the primary function of the Commission, the Conservation Commission is also the responsible agent for Conservation lands in Belmont, and spends a great deal of time and energy in promoting and sponsoring the stewardship of Rock Meadow. With the
considerable assistance of an active group of volunteers, the Commission also runs the Victory/Community Gardens at the southern end of Rock Meadow, and provides low cost plots for the growing of produce or flowers.
The Commission realizes the importance of providing assistance to property owners and potential property owners who must appear before us if they want to conduct activities in wetland resource areas or buffer zones. We are dedicated to providing a clear understanding of the requirements under the WPA. There are two areas where we feel that the Commission has improved in this regard. They are our excellent Conservation Agent and our commitment to public education. A major goal of the Commission is to prepare materials that can be given to homeowners who live in or adjacent to wetlands or rivers so that they know what the State mandated restrictions on activities are in those areas.
The Commission's ability to reach out to people in order to improve compliance has been greatly improved by the hiring of an Agent whose entire job is to interact with applicants and to be the interface between the Town and residents. Our Agent is the public face of the Commission. She meets with applicants and assists them in preparing the documents they need to file. She is very knowledgeable and guides them through the process with skill and patience. On the other hand, she is also the agent of the Commission who issues enforcement actions on activities that do not comply with the WPA.
The Commission consists of seven (7) regular members, as well as several dedicated associate members. The members of the Commission, as well as the associates, commit to attending regular, monthly meeting of the Commission, as well as site visits to inspect each property subject to a wetlands permit. The Commission meetings are well attended and the Commission notes that they continue to benefit from the participation of many well informed and interested Townspeople. Notices of meetings, agendas and meeting minutes are posted by the Town Clerk, and on the Town web site, and the Commission notes that all are welcome and participation encouraged.
Current Commission members are Nancy Davis, David Webster, Carolyn Bishop, Margaret Velie, Joe Curro, Martha Moore and Miriam Weil. Miriam Weil is chairperson and Martha Moore is vice-chairperson. We have four associate members, Monica King, Tino Lichauco, Darryl King, and David Cowell. In January, Joe Curro announced that he will resign his post on the Commission. He has served on the Commission for twelve years and has been a very valuable member. We have been honored by and are grateful for his years of service and will miss his expertise. We have asked Tino Lichauco to take his place.
We are grateful for our Conservation Agent, who has been working with us now for just over a year. Mary Trudeau, an experienced wetlands administrator, keeps regular office hours in the Homer Municipal Building and is available by appointment on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Grants and Land Management Activities
The Conservation Commission has been pursuing state and federal funding to help carry out much needed maintenance and restoration activities of Belmont resources. We applied for three funding programs and were successful in obtaining two of them.
NRCS Cost Share Program
As in recent years, much of the Commission's efforts have been towards the management of Rock Meadow, with the long term goal of restoring the traditional grassland character of the area. Last year, the Commission contracted with the Ecological Extension Service of the Mass Audubon Society to prepare a detailed ecological analysis of the meadow. This analysis was partially funded through a Partners for Fish and Wildlife Service Program grant. This analysis was a critical step in preparation of a future grant application to fund meadow restoration. The report identified several issues, including the need to better manage the ecosystem to restore the early successional cover that historically characterized the Rock Meadow grasslands, as well as the need to effectively control non native and invasive plant species within the meadow. Based on the report, the Commission developed a formal maintenance and management plan for the Meadow. With this management plan in hand, the
Commission applied to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for a Wildlife Habitat Improvement Plan (WHIP) contract to fund a ten- year improvement program. WHIP is a voluntary program that encourages the creation of high quality wildlife habitats to support wildlife populations of local significance. The NRCS worked with the Commission to develop a wildlife habitat development plan, and this plan is the basis of the cost-share agreement between NRCS and the Town. The estimated cost of the ten year management plan was approximately $79,000 dollars. The Commission received approximately $50,000 dollars over the next ten years in NRCS funding for this project, leaving the Commission with a commitment of approximately $30,000 dollars. The Commission sponsored a bill at Town Meeting setting up a revolving account with seed money (the $30,000 dollars) for grant-sponsored activities. The bill was passed unanimously, and the account
established.
The management/restoration project was begun this spring. Polatin Environmental Services was contracted to carry out the majority of the activities prescribed in the plan. The activities began with mowing and cutting back of invasive species such as buckthorn, Black Swallowort and Japanese knotweed. Ailanthus trees were chemically treated in preparation for subsequent removal, and other woody vegetation was cut or mowed to restore more than 20 acres to a meadow condition. The restoration activities are being closely monitored by Mary Trudeau, the Conservation Commission's agent as well as representatives of NRCS.
Trails Grant
In September of 2006, the Commission cosponsored a Rails to Trails grant application with the Friends of the Western Greenway, New England Mountain Bike Association and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. This grant was awarded, and finally funded in fall of 2007. This grant will fund maintenance and improvement of over 2 miles of existing trails, the reconstruction of the bridge linking the Meadow to the Met State campus as well as the purchase of a brush cutter to aide in the maintenance of the Meadow.
Water Quality Management Planning Grant
The Conservation Commission also submitted a Water Quality Management Planning Grant application to conduct a watershed assessment of Little Pond, Blair Pond and Claypit Pond within the Town of Belmont and the City of Cambridge. The grant proposes to evaluate the various sources of nonpoint source pollution in an effort to better understand the causes of the apparent degradation within these waterbodies. This project is aimed at serving as the basis for future grant funding for the implementation of prioritized best management practices within the Mystic River Watershed. This grant was not awarded to the commission, but the quality of the watershed remains an area of concern to the Commission.
Wetland Bylaw
A dedicated subcommittee of the Commission researched and wrote a draft Belmont Wetlands By-Law, until a vote of the Commission tabled the activities indefinitely. The By-Law project envisioned offering additional protection to the quality and level of the ground water and water recharge areas for existing or potential water supplies; to protect persons and property against the hazards of flood water inundation; and to provide for the reasonable protection and conservation of certain irreplaceable natural features, resources and amenities for the benefit and welfare of the present and future inhabitants of the Town of Belmont. This project began in 2005, and while the draft had several public reviews and had been revised to incorporate many of the concerns and comments received from interested members of the public, the
Commission tabled the project because a majority of members felt that more public education is needed, as to the jurisdiction and mandate of the Commission, prior to the official submission of a bylaw to the Town Meeting. This public education effort continues to be a priority of the Commission.
Victory Gardens Activities
The Commission worked with longtime volunteer farmer/manager Bruce Westgate to manage the Victory Gardens. The Victory Gardens are located in the southeast corner of Rock Meadow, and provide plots for up to about 100 local gardeners. Although garden membership has fluctuated through the years, it was apparent that several plots had become overgrown, others were not being maintained by renters, and that there were vacant gardens in need of new gardeners. Through increased advertisement and publicity, approximately 25 new gardeners were added to the rosters last year. In addition to recruiting new users, the Commission felt strongly that the gardens needed some investment of time and money to mitigate for and decided to increase the fees for renting a plot from $12.00 to $25.00. This fee increase brought the
garden rentals in line with other programs of this type in the area. The funds are to be used to pay for the water bills, as well as to fund improvements in the garden areas. While each plot is individually managed, the Commission provides water and compost to the gardens and is interested in restoration of the path system and fencing of the plots. The Commission is also hoping to use any excess funds to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of Rock Meadow.
The Commission informally surveyed gardeners last summer, and found a common desire amongst the farmers for a kiosk/announcement board. This is in line with Conservation Commission plans for improvement of signage in the Meadow, and will be installed in the coming year. The gardeners have also expressed some interest in community building and the Commission will work with the gardeners to implement these goals.
Open Space Plan
Carolyn Bishop and Mary Trudeau have been assisting the Belmont Town Planner, Jay Sklut, to prepare a comprehensive open space plan for the Town. Completion of the plan will enable the Town to apply for State grants for enhancement of recreation and open space resources.
Public Hearings
The Commission meets monthly to review applications for work within the jurisdiction of the Commission. Any project within one hundred feet of a wetland requires the review of the Conservation Commission and the issuance of a permit under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act. The review and issuance of permits is time consuming, requiring extensive review of proposals, site visits and occasionally the use of experts to evaluate a particular project. This past year, projects included several single family homes, additions to a few existing homes, rebuilding of playing fields at the Belmont Hill School, as well as the review of a large residential housing project proposed on the "uplands" site, located between Route 2 and Little's Pond.
Respectfully submitted,
Miriam Weil, Chairman
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