Welcome to the Town of Sturbridge Conservation Department!
*Note to all open space visitors: If while visiting any Conservation Lands you observe suspicious behavior or illegal activity please contact the Sturbridge Police Department immediatly at 508-347-2525.
*****This web site is currently Under Construction*****
We appoloze if you have any trouble finding the information you need. Please notify the Conservation Agent if you need assistance.
Information you need to know about:
FEMA Preliminary Map Changes:
Sturbridge Conservation Commission News & Information:
Click here for a map of Conservation Land. Please be patient, the file will take a few minutes to open due to its size.
*NOTE TO APPLICANTS: The Department of Environmental Protection released a NEW Notice of Intent Form 3 on March 1, 2008 concurrently with the newly released Stormwater Regulations. Applicants are responsible for submitting up-to-date Notice of Intent forms with applications submitted after March 1, 2008. New forms are available on the MA DEP Web site at http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/approvals/wpaform3.doc
*Please combine the new form 3 with application materials located in the 'Forms and Applications', 'NOI Application Forms' section of this web site.
Click for a Brochure of the Heins Conservation Land
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:
The Sturbridge Conservation Commission is always seeking volunteers for ongoing trails projects on Open Space. If you are interested in volunteering please contact the Conservation Commission Commission office at 508-347-2506 or email Erin Jacque, Conservation Agent at ejacque@town.sturbridge.ma.us
At left, Chris Spinney Conservation Department Intern with the Sturbridge Board of Selectman Tree, middle Chris Spinney and Curtis Markham, Conservation Department Interns with the Building Department Tree, at right the Conservation "Charlie Brown" tree.
At left Curtis Markham, Conservation Department Intern inspecting the Joshua Hyde Library Tree, center Chris Spinney and Curtis Markham, Conservation Department Interns with Recreation Department Tree, and at right with Fire Department Tree
At left, Curtis and Chris checking out the Police Department Tree, center Joe Kowalski, Associate Con Com member decorating a tree, at right, Planning Board and Planning Department Tree
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THANK YOU TO ALL VOLUNTEERS PAST & PRESENT!
Thank you to the Trails Volunteers who have worked hard to complete new and replacement footbridges at the Leadmine Mountain Conservation Land
Thank you to all volunteers who participated in the Trails Committee Family Fun Day on June 5, 2010
at the Hein's Conservation Area
Thank you to all volunteers who participated in the Conservation Departments May 16, 2010
ADOPT-A-TRAIL PROGRAM OPENING DAY TRAIL CLEAN UP
Thank you to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints youth group volunteers for participating in our Annual Earth Day Trash Clean Up
Thank you to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints youth group volunteers for the valuable trail work completed on June 27, 2009
(See the newspaper article above)
Thank you to Darcy Foley and the Environmental Science students at Tantasqua for their great work on the Erosion Control Project at Hamant Brook.
Thank you to the Carpentry students and teachers at Tantasqua High School for their great work on the bridges!!
Sturbridge Conservation Commission Information:
Conservation Commission meetings and hearings are held first and third Thursdays in Veterans Hall-2nd Floor of the Town Hall. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm, public hearings begin at 7:30 pm and the public is welcome to attend all meetings and hearings. Meetings which fall on holidays are automatically cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Applications for public hearings are due three weeks in advance of the meeting you wish to attend. Agendas or changes to the regular meeting schedule will be posted on the Town Clerks Bulletin Board, the Commission Bulletin Board and on the Town Web Site Bulletin Board at least 48 hours in advance of a scheduled meeting.
The Conservation Commission administers the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (MG.L. Chapter 131, Section 40), The Rivers Protection Act and related regulations as well as the Town of Sturbridge Wetland Bylaws, Regulations and Policies. The purpose of these regulations, policies and bylaws is to protect the wetlands, related water resources and adjoining land areas (buffer zones) in Sturbridge. This is done by monitoring and reviewing activities jurisdictional to the Sturbridge Conservation Commission through the permit application process. The Conservation Commission reviews projects that will likely have a significant or cumulative effect upon resource area values.
Wetland resource areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission are not always apparent. Any proposed activity that may remove, fill, dredge or alter a wetlands resource area is subject to Conservation Commission approval. Wetlands that are subject to protection under the bylaw and regulations include banks, beaches, isolated wetlands, marshes, wet meadows, bogs swamps, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, intermittent streams, seasonal wetlands, land under any of the above water bodies, land subject to flooding and land within 200 feet of any of the above areas.
The purpose of Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act is to protect the following eight interests: public and private water supplies, protect ground water, provide flood control, storm damage prevention, prevention of pollution, protection of land containing shellfish, protection of fisheries and protection of wildlife habitat. The Sturbridge Wetlands Bylaw is intended to provide more stringent wetlands and natural resource protection which also serves to protect/provide erosion and sedimentation control, protection of water quality, protection of rare species habitat, protection of recreational values, and protection of agriculture and aquatic activities.
The Commission has sponsors an annual Lakes Monitoring Program, and administers an annual Earth Day trash clean up.
This page is a work in progress. If you can not find information or would like to see something posted that is not here, please email or give us a call. Contact information is posted at the top of this page. Thank you
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