ARLINGTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION
REPORT TO
TOWN OF ARLINGTON
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
2002
WARRANT ARTICLE 57
&
ANNUAL TOWN REPORT
June 10, 2002
Re: 2002 Warrant Article No. 57
& Annual Report to Town Meeting
Dear Town Meeting Members:
The Conservation Commission submitted warrant article 57 to change two provisions of Arlington's Wetlands Bylaw (Title V, Article 8 of the General Bylaws) ("Bylaw”). First, the Commission wishes to clarify that the applicant, rather than the Commission, is responsible for providing mailing notice of the public hearing on the applicant's application.
Second, the Commission wishes to clarify and adjust the consultant fees it may charge an applicant, as well as require payment of such fee up front. Section 15 of the Bylaw provides a fee schedule based solely on project costs. This is adequate for only certain types of applications the Commission reviews (e.g., Notices of Intent) where the project cost is known or can be readily calculated or obtained.
There are, however, several new types of applications (created by the state) which an applicant may file with the Conservation Commission. The current fee schedule does not always work with these applications, as the project cost is more difficult to ascertain. For instance, if an applicant files an application only to determine what is the boundary of a wetland, rather than proposing a specific project near that wetland, it is difficult, if not impossible, to use project cost to determine the appropriate consulting fee.
Therefore, the Commission proposes adding a second consultant fee schedule to the Bylaw which would determine the maximum consultant fee based on the size of the project site. The Commission proposes the following maximum consultant fee schedule:
Up to 1 acre $3,000
1 to 2 acres $4,500
2 to 10 acres $10,000
10 acres and above $10,000 plus $2,000 per acre.
To avoid any conflict between the two schedules, language could be inserted which would provide for the greater of the two.
The Commission wishes to amend Section 15 of the Bylaw to give the Commission the authority to require an applicant to pay the consultant fee up front, prior to the opening of the public hearing. Also, should an applicant fail to pay the fee, the Commission is authorized to either continue the hearing or deny the permit for lack of information. The Town of Boxford has such a provision in its Bylaw, and the Administrator for the Boxford Conservation Commission recently told me that that Commission has not had any trouble utilizing it.
The Commission does not propose increasing the fees on the existing maximum consultant fee schedule.
The Commission asks for your support of Article 57.
We also attach our Annual Report to Town Meeting, which includes a copy of the Executive Summary of the most recent report on Arlington's Great Meadows.
Please contact Cori Beckwith, Conservation Administrator (781-316-3012), or me should you have questions or require additional information.
Sincerely,
Nathaniel Stevens, Chair
Arlington Conservation Commission (ACC)
Annual Report to Town Meeting Spring 2002
The Arlington Conservation Commission (ACC) is required to protect and preserve wetlands and their surrounding areas, as well as open space. At bimonthly meetings and on-site visits, commission members work to ensure that all construction and development projects, residential and commercial, that may alter any wetlands, floodplains, rivers, streams, ponds, and/or lakes are in compliance with state and local regulations. In addition, the commission manages town conservation lands.
Below is a partial list of activities and major projects that the ACC oversaw and/or worked on during the last twelve months:
Accomplishments -
· Meadowbrook Park Restoration Project. An extensive restoration project at Meadowbrook Park, conservation land located at the delta of Mill Brook and adjacent to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, was made possible by a generous $36,000 state grant as well as some funding awarded by the Town in 2001. The commission had been working on a restoration project for this site for over five years. In early summer 2001, with the volunteer assistance of many Arlington residents including a Brownie troop, the commission conducted several intensive cleanups and then planted a variety of native wetland plants (over 2,000) at Meadowbrook Park. With the
completion of this major restoration project, Arlington residents can now enjoy this wetland area for bird watching, and for its natural beauty.
· Arlington Reservoir - Removal of Water Chestnuts. The ACC was proud to coordinate and sponsor the second year of a multi-year project to remove water chestnuts from the Arlington Reservoir last August. Before this project began, the highly invasive water chestnuts blanketed nearly fifty percent of the Reservoir, choking out wildlife. The weed eradication that has been and will continue to be conducted at this site is expected to dramatically improve the health of the Reservoir as well as other waters in Arlington for an eight- to ten-year period or more.
· Arlington's Great Meadows (In Lexington). A study commissioned by the ACC to provide both Arlington and Lexington with specific guidance as to how to protect the natural resources of Arlington's Great Meadows and to promote compatible public uses was completed by Frances Clark of Carex Associates in July 2001. In the in-depth, 100-plus page report Natural Resource Inventory & Stewardship Plan for Arlington's Great Meadows in Lexington, the ecological values and stewardship needs of the 18-acre open space were identified and discussed. Further, the report inventories the ecological, cultural, recreational, and educational
assets of the property and proposes specific, practical recommendations for their protection and enhancement. The report is intended to be useful for developing management policies, volunteer projects, public programs, and restoration projects.
· Mystic River Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Network - An Ongoing Study. The ACC continued its support of the Mystic River Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Network with its long-term project to systematically monitor the water quality of streams, rivers, and lakes in an effort to better understand the nature and extent of water quality issues in Arlington. Multi-site benchmarks for surface water quality were established in 1997, and via monthly monitoring the ACC continued collecting data that will reveal the impact of pollution and eutrophication in the town's water bodies. The ACC seeks to help manage and ensure the long-term health of
the town's natural resources based on thorough analyses of composite data results from this ongoing study. By 2010, through this partnering effort, the two groups hope to permit resident swimming and fishing in the Mystic River in the towns, including Arlington, and cities through which it flows.
Goals For 2002 and Beyond -
· Oversee ongoing harvesting project to eradicate water chestnuts from the Arlington Reservoir.
· Manage bank stabilization project at Cookes Hollow.
· Oversee stewardship activity by Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows citizen group. Ensuring full potential of 183-acre green space at Great Meadows.
· Ensuring existing docks are in compliance with the state Wetlands Protection Act and the Arlington Bylaw for Wetlands Protection.
The ACC has the responsibility for approximately twenty-five Conservation lands throughout the Town of Arlington. In 2002 the ACC intends to help establish a voluntary stewardship program for those lands following the model used in Lexington. These stewards will assist the Commission by monitoring and maintaining those areas.
The ACC, in working with the Open Space Committee, hopes to acquire additional open space as protected "conservation land” when, and if, the sale of a property is made economically feasible for purchase by the Town and when it is transferred to the Town. Notably, Vision 2020 survey results from a 2001 polling showed the "acquisition of open space” as a top-ranked concern in residents' priorities for Arlington.
NATURAL RESOURCE
INVENTORY
&
STEWARDSHIP PLAN
of
ARLINGTON'S GREAT MEADOWS
in
Lexington, Massachusetts
Produced for:
Conservation Commission
Town of Arlington
Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02476
by
Frances Clark
Carex Associates
Lincoln, MA
July 2001
SECTION ONE I
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I. Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide both Arlington and Lexington with specific guidance as to how to protect the natural resources of Arlington's Great Meadows and to provide for compatible public uses. It gathers in one place the relevant information concerning the ecological values and stewardship needs of this 183-acre open space. It inventories the many ecological, cultural, recreational, and education assets of the property and proposes specific, practical recommendations for their protection and enhancement. It will be useful for developing management policies, volunteer projects, public programs and restoration projects. It is hoped that this report will stimulate and guide the Towns of Arlington and Lexington, not only to permanently protect its unique resources, but equally important to
support the ongoing stewardship of this remarkable regional asset.
II. Summary of Findings
Arlington's Great Meadows, located entirely in the town of Lexington, is a 183-acre natural area surrounded by densely populated suburbs of Boston. While not permanently protected as conservation land, Great Meadows has served as public open space since 1872, when the large wetland was purchased by the Town of Arlington as part of its water supply system. Today Arlington's Great Meadows is a significant green space surrounded by two schools, a nursing center, condominiums, and single-family homes. It is bordered by the highly popular Minuteman Commuter Bikeway. Great Meadows lies in close proximity to conservation land owned by Lexington, and serves as de facto conservation land for the immediate neighborhood and the region as a whole.
The basis of any stewardship plan is an inventory of the natural resources of a site. The varied topography, created by the glaciers, includes kame terraces, outwash plains, and the extensive kettlehole that forms the Meadows. Due in part to the unusual juxtaposition of geological features, Arlington's Great Meadows supports regionally unusual natural plant communities: marsh, vernal pool, oak woodland, and successional grassland. Eight community types in all provide habitat for an identified 56 species of breeding birds, 11 12 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 251 species of plants. Several of these species are unusual, if not rare, and many more are common "watchable” wildlife species that people enjoy seeing and learning about. In addition, over the last thirty years, several
reports highlight the Great Meadows' natural resource services, including water supply protection, flood control, and wildlife habitat. Lying within the Mystic River Watershed, Arlington's Great Meadows buffers portions of Sickle Brook and Munroe Brook and reduces flooding of the Arlington Reservoir and Mill Brook downstream.
In addition, Arlington's Great Meadows features a variety of cultural, recreational, and educational assets. Stonewalls, cart paths, open fields, and extensive vistas are reminiscent of the historic Massachusetts landscape. An undeveloped trail network extends throughout most of the property except the wetlands. Visitors enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching, dog-walking, and berry picking. Two nearby schools often use Great Meadows as an outdoor classroom. The scenic values are readily accessible for those traveling the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway.
III. Values
Great Meadows is an ecological and scenic treasure amidst suburban Boston. Not only is the extensive marsh one of the largest in the region, but also it is surrounded by open grasslands and woodlands on undulating hills that are reminiscent of naturalistic landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect of the late 19th and early 20th century. It offers a destination point for those using the Minuteman Bikeway and for birders, nature watchers, and artists. Many urbanites seek out Great Meadows because of its expansive landscape, its tranquility, and bird life. It is the only largest fully undeveloped area owned by the Town of Arlington; its other open spaces are partially developed parklands. Equally important, the combination proximity of the wetlands and
to the fast draining uplands serves to regulate flooding and protect water quality of the Arlington Reservoir and adjacent streams and lowlands.
IV. Concerns
Despite a long history of citizen interest in Arlington's Great Meadows as conservation land, it is not yet permanently protected and continues to be threatened by development proposals. Stewardship activity has been limited in part by its location in Lexington and also by the uncertainty over the future of the Great Meadows. Consequently, the full potential of this 183-acre green space has yet to be achieved.
Several threats could affect the existence of Great Meadows and its ecological, cultural, recreational, and educational resources. The overarching threat is the conversion of land-use from a natural open space to a more developed status. As long as Great Meadows is unprotected open space, development remains a possibility and will likely continue to divert citizen support from the task of managing the property.
The loss of Great Meadows to development would eliminate or seriously degrade many of its functions and values:
· Unusual natural habitats would be lost or compromised
· Flooding could increase downstream, particularly around Arlington Reservoir
· Scenic and historic landscapes would be severely compromised
· Citizens would lose access to 183 acres of open space within a densely developed suburb of Boston and along the popular Minuteman Bikeway
Stewardship of the property is essential to sustain the functions and values of the open space. Of prime concern is maintaining the unique natural communities that rely on periodic natural disturbance, such as fire, to keep them in early successional stages. Another is protecting the site from being overwhelmed by invasive exotic species, such as buckthorn, phragmites, honeysuckle, and swallowwort. Promoting increased public use while maintaining the natural qualities of the site is a third major challenge. While public access is essential for long-term public support of Arlington's Great Meadows, turning Great Meadows into another suburban park would greatly diminish its special qualities.
V. Recommendations
Part of the purpose of the report is to make practical recommendations to the Conservation Commission, understanding that the Board of Selectmen has authority over the property. The overarching recommendations are as follows:
· Determine the long-term status for Arlington Great Meadows. As long as the future use of the property remains unsettled, it is unlikely that either town will be willing to commit significant resources to its stewardship over the longterm. The property will remain at risk and under utilized.
· Protect and manage existing plant communities and wildlife values, thereby also preserving unique scenic qualities.
· Encourage compatible public use and enjoyment by developing access points and designing an environmentally sensitive trail network, along with public-use policies.
· Work with the Town of Lexington, surrounding neighborhoods, and other interests to accomplish these recommendations. It is an unusual situation to have such a significant public resource owned by one town but wholly contained within another town's borders. Cooperation and creativity by both towns is essential.
VI. Conclusion
Arlington's Great Meadows in Lexington is a major asset to the region for its ecological, scenic, recreational, and educational values. As the region continues to develop the last open spaces, these remaining parcels only increase in value. Whatever decisions are made in the near future will affect the quality of life of citizens throughout the region for years to come.
Printed copies of the report are available from the Arlington Conservation Commission Office.
Call 781-316-3012 for ordering information.
Full copies of the report are also available at the Arlington and Lexington town libraries.
In addition an electronic copy is available at the town Web site:
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