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Welcome
to the Hopkinton Conservation Commission website.
Your
Commissioners are bringing this site to you to answer questions about
wetlands, about why we exist, what we do, and when you need to consult
us. We hope you find the site informative and helpful. If you have
questions, comments or suggestions, please call the office or e-mail
us.
The
Conservation Commission typically meets the first, third and fourth
Monday of every month. All meetings are open to the public. Site walks
are scheduled as needed, typically on Saturday mornings beginning at
9AM. Please call the office for details.
Office
hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. The Conservation Scientist is typically in the office on
Mondays and out in the field on Thursdays.
If
a public hearing is scheduled, an official notice will appear in the Metrowest
Daily News and on the main bulletin board in Town Hall.
Explore
marked trails at College
Rock, part of our Open Space in Hopkinton.
View Conservation
Commission Services to the Town, presented December 16 2003 to the
Board of Selectmen.
What
is the Hopkinton Conservation Commission?
The Hopkinton Conservation Commission is composed of seven
volunteer members, appointed by the Board of Selectmen. It was
established to promote and protect Hopkinton's natural resources, to
protect watershed resources, to protect wetland resource areas, to
provide permitting review for proposed projects within resource areas,
and to coordinate with other town officials and boards on conservation
issues that relate to its areas of responsibility.
What
does the Commission do?
The Commission is the permitting authority specifically
charged with the promotion and development of Hopkinton's natural
resources, and the protection of wetland resource areas. The primary
activity of the Commission is the administration of the Wetlands
Protection Act (MGL 131, §40) and the Hopkinton Wetlands Protection
Bylaw. The Commission also engages in planning, helping to acquire and
manage open space, and encouraging and monitoring Conservation and
Agricultural Preservation Restrictions.
What
is the Wetlands Protection Act?
The Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act exists to
preserve and protect Massachusetts wetlands by preventing pollution;
reducing the effects of potential flooding; storm damage prevention;
protecting groundwater supplies; maintaining habitats for plants and
wildlife; and protecting public and private water supplies. A vernal
pool habitat, which includes a buffer of 125 feet around the pool, is
presumed significant to wildlife habitat when it lies within a state
wetland resource area.
The
Act gives local communities the authority to determine which Resource
Areas within its jurisdiction are protected, to regulate work in these
areas, and to enforce the regulations. The performance standards under
the Act state that there may be no destruction or impairment of
bordering vegetated wetland (BVW) areas: alteration of up to 5,000
square feet may be permitted at the Commission's discretion provided
the area is properly replicated.
Vernal
pools within a 125 ft. buffer, if they lie within a state wetland
resource area, are given special protection, and no adverse effects on
the wildlife habitat characteristics are permitted. Pools must have
been certified through the Natural Heritage program or identified by a
preponderance of the evidence presented at a public hearing to be
protected under the State Act.
What
Resource Areas are protected under these laws?
The protected resource areas include rivers, streams,
brooks, ponds, lakes, wetlands, banks, floodplains, and vernal pools.
Protection extends 100 feet from the edge of the wetlands, 125 feet
from vernal pools, and 200 feet from rivers and most brooks and
streams.
Rivers,
streams, brooks, ponds, wetlands, and the underground aquifer in
Hopkinton all are part of the system that provides water for use by
Hopkinton's inhabitants. In addition, the wetlands provide habitat and
food for aquatic life, birds, and animals and act as conduits for the
movement of water from one area to another. Wetlands serve as
temporary storage areas for water, filtering out pollution and
allowing the filtered water to be absorbed into the aquifer.
It
is illegal for anyone in Hopkinton to dredge, fill, modify or alter
any of these resource areas without first filing for and receiving a
permit. Anyone who may want to work within 100 feet of a wetland or
within 200 feet of a brook, stream or river and who plans to build,
grade, clear, apply herbicides or do any work which could alter the
resource area must contact the Conservation Commission before doing
so.
What
is protected by the Hopkinton Wetlands Bylaw?
The Hopkinton Wetlands Protection Bylaw adds to the areas
protected by the state Act any vegetated freshwater wetlands; marshes;
wet meadows; bogs; swamps; vernal pools; banks; reservoirs, lakes;
ponds of any size; rivers; streams; creeks; lands under waterbodies;
lands subject to flooding or inundation by groundwater or surface
water; and lands within 100 feet of any of these resource areas
whether or not they border water bodies. Vernal pools and their 125
foot buffers are protected, regardless of whether they have been
certified under the state program or whether the pool and buffer are
located within state protected resource areas. The bylaw protects all
of the interests identified in the state act, and adds: erosion and
sediment control, and wildlife and recreational values. A buffer zone
of 100 ft. around any resource area (125 feet for vernal pools) is
subject to protection under the bylaw. Within this buffer zone,
setbacks from the wetlands edge are defined. The Regulations
(available below) establish specific minimum setbacks related to limit
of work and limit of disturbance, and are tabulated according to
project type.
When
should you consult the Commission?
Anytime you plan to work within the 100-foot buffer zone of
a Resource Area, or within the 200-foot buffer zone of a Riverfront
Area, you'll need to obtain the necessary permits from the Commission.
When in doubt, our Wetland Scientist or Administrator will be happy to
consult with you and answer your questions. For detailed information,
please contact the office.
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