Page 189 - Microsoft Word - Annual Report 2016

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

The Boxford Conservation Commission is composed of seven volunteer members appointed by
the Board of Selectmen for renewable three-year terms, and is supported by a full-time Director
and a Minutes Secretary.

The Commission holds public meetings on the first and third Thursdays of each month, or as
otherwise announced. Meetings normally begin at 7:30 p.m. The Commission’s office is
located at Town Hall, 7A Spofford Road, Boxford, MA 01921, and the telephone number is
(978) 887-6000, extension 181.

The Conservation Commission administers several types of permit review processes under the
Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Boxford Wetlands Protection Bylaw.

Activities in 2016

2016 saw work continue on the Boxford Common community recreational project located off
Middleton Road in the East Village. The Commission is very much involved in the monitoring of
this complex project. The Commission is assisted in this task by a professional Environmental
Monitor, who monitors general construction performance, and a Wildlife Specialist who oversaw
the creation of turtle nesting habitat and who will monitor the habitat area in accordance with
permit requirements.

The Conservation Commission is directly responsible for the management of 852 acres of Town-
owned conservation land in Boxford, as well as an additional 70 acres of privately owned land
upon which the Town holds conservation restrictions. The Commission manages these open
spaces and conservation properties with significant volunteer assistance from BTA/BOLT, Inc.,
for which the Conservation Commission is tremendously grateful. In 2016 volunteers working
with BTA/BOLT, Inc. placed numerous trial signs at trailheads around town, as part of a project
funded by the Community Preservation Commission. The Commission also reviews proposed
Conservation Restrictions in Boxford held by other 501(c) 3 entities such as the Boxford Trails
Association/Boxford Open Land Trust (BTA/BOLT, Inc.), Essex County Greenbelt Association
(ECGA) and the Farm Bureau Land Preservation Foundation, Inc.

The management of selected conservation areas as agricultural land continued on parcels known
as Haynes Field, Peabody Field, Mill Brook Farm Field, Hovey’s Pond Meadow, Cargill Fields
and Witch Hollow Farm Field. Licenses were issued in 2016 to selected individuals for
agricultural use of these fields. All the licenses will expire on December 31, 2025.

The Conservation Commission continued to provide staff support to the Lakes, Ponds and
Streams Committee (see separate report from this committee elsewhere in this Annual Report).
The Commission approved Determinations of Negligible Impact allowing two separate Boy
Scout projects to proceed within Wetland Resource Buffer area. These consisted of a new trail
signs at Wildcat Conservation Area, and a new hiking trail at Boy Scout Park.