WHERE WE MEET: Pelham Town Office,
Rhodes Building, 351 Amherst Road, Pelham, MA
COMMISSION MEMBERS:
Dana MacDonald, Chair
Mary Booth
Steve Funderburk
Cynthia Weigel
PELHAM CONSERVATION COMMISSION
your property. They may include marshes, ponds,
rivers, bogs, wet meadows, intermittent or
subsurface streams that dry up during part of the
year, flood plains, vernal pools, and buffers to these
areas. Some wetlands are not covered by the WPA
but are covered by the Town Wetland Bylaw.
WETLANDS AND YOU:
The PCC is responsible for administering
the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (WPA)
(re: www.mass.gov/dep/water/laws/ch131s40.pdf) and the
Town
Bylaws
protecting
wetlands
(re:
/www.townofpelham.org/legal_wetlands_protection.html).
The intent of the WPA is to protect public interests
provided by wetlands:
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The Pelham Conservation Commission (PCC),
formed in 1970 under Massachusett’s Conservation
Commission Act of 1957, serves as the principal
conservation authority for the Town. It is important
for you to know when to contact the PCC. Please
contact us to help with stewardship or other
conservation activities. You also must contact us for
a permit for any activity that will, or may, impact
wetlands.
Public & Private Water Supply
Flood Control
Groundwater Recharge
Storm Damage Protection
Pollution Prevention
Wildlife Habitat Protection
Shellfish Habitat Protection
Fish Habitat Protection
The Town Wetland Bylaw protects the interests
above in addition to sediment and erosion control,
surface water protection, storm drainage, agriculture,
aquaculture, and recreation.
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OUR DUTIES:
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Open Space Protection
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Wetlands Protection
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Managing Public Lands
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Wildlife Habitat Protection
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Review of Forest Cutting Plans
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Environmental Education
WHEN WE MEET: 2nd and last Thursday of
the month at 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted
by public posting at the Pelham Town Office or
Town website: http://www.townofpelham.org/.
Any alteration of a wetland or its protective 100’
buffer zone is restricted. Activities prohibited in
wetland resource areas or buffers require a permit
from the PCC include, for example:
Before doing ANY work or activity in a wetland
area, within 100 ft of a wetland buffer zone, or
within 200 ft of a river or perennial stream, you
MUST contact the PCC. There are a number of
different types of wetland resource areas and the
PCC can help determine which may be present on
Land excavation and terracing
Digging for a Septic Percolation Test
Dumping dirt, other fill or yard waste into
a wetland
Draining or pumping water from a
wetland, pond, or stream
Building dams or removing beaver dams
Modifying your current septic system
Building a structure or animal paddock
WETLAND PERMITS:
Avoid site work until you know whether any
wetlands occur at or near the site. The PCC will help
determine if regulated wetlands occur on or near
your work site and advise you on the specific steps
necessary for you to fulfill any appropriate WPA
and/or
Town
Wetland
Bylaw
permits
(re:
http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/approvals/wwforms.htm#n
oi)
OPEN SPACE & RECREATION:
The 2008 Open Space
and Recreation Plan
(Plan) for the Town of
Pelham, available at the
Pelham Library and
Town Office at the
Rhodes
Building,
reflects both the wish to
preserve the best parts
of
Pelham’s
rural
legacy and to increase
community awareness
of the Town’s natural
resources. The purpose
of the Plan is to fulfill
an obligation implied in
the PCC’s enabling
legislation and ensures
the eligibility of the
Town for state and federal assistance for projects
consistent with the plan. Additionally, it informs
Townspeople to the changes as well as the continuity
of various characteristics of the Town’s resources
and capacity.
Major goals of the Plan include stewardship of
existing conservation areas, protection of water and
natural resources in Town, greater environmental
awareness in the community, and increased regional
environmental cooperation. Better awareness will
lead to more community involvement in protecting
those resources. Although the Town has changed
very little over the past five years, this plan will
enable the Town to better meet the challenges of the
years to come. The plan is revised periodically.
CONSERVATION AREAS:
The PCC manages Town conservation
Prominent areas include:
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land.
Harkness Conservation Area
Buffam Falls Conservation Area
Butter Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Moose Conservation Area
The PCC has established a Stewardship Project
through a Friends group that is working to mark,
maintain, and map select trails. Contact the PCC if
you would like to join in this effort.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
The Massachusetts Forest Cutting Practices Act
(FCPA) ensures the long-term public benefits
provided by forests, while also enabling responsible
timber harvesting through a permitting process. For
both public and private forestland, the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
administers FCPA and regulates any commercial
timber cutting of wood products greater than 25,000
board feet or 50 cords on any parcel of land at any
one time; some exemptions apply. Harvesting must
be in accord with a DCR approved Forest Cutting
Plan. The PCC does not approve these plans but
helps to monitor the effectiveness of the program (re:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/forestry).
IF YOU WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP:
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Revise the Open Space Plan
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Inventory Habitat
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Mark, Map, or Maintain Trails
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Certify Vernal Pools
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Lead Educational Walks or Workshops
CONTACT THE PELHAM CONSERVATION
COMMISSION: Attend a meeting or call Dana
MacDonald at 413-253-9362. We look forward to
meeting you.
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The PCC hosts environmental education for the
Pelham community. Typically, workshops are
conducted to educate Town residents and others
about vernal pools, invasive plants and animals,
threatenened and endangered species habitat, and
general wetland ecology. Workshops are announced
in the Pelham Slate.
FOREST CUTTING PLANS:
The Massachusetts
Association
of
Conservation Commissions has lots of useful
information on and for Conservation
Commissions. It provides guidance on WPA
wetland permits. For further information please
visit
the
MACC
website:
http://www.maccweb.org/