7. OPEN SPACE & NATURAL RESOURCES
A.
INTRODUCTION
Harvard maintains a small-town
feel despite its location so close to
major highways and commuter rail
service. The enduring sense of
Harvard as a small New England
town stems in part from the
concentration of non-residential
uses in just two areas and in part
from the preservation of large
amounts of land. This allows
residents and visitors to enjoy the
many natural resources within
Harvard’s boundaries. With the
Nashua River along the western
boundary and the adjacent Oxbow Summer recreation at Bare Hill Pond. (Photo by Joseph Hutchinson)
National Wildlife Refuge, Bowers
Brook flowing northward through the center of the town from Bare Hill Pond, and the Oak Hill
ridgeline along the eastern boundary, the town is blessed with irreplaceable natural
landscapes. While many of these natural amenities are protected today, Harvard still has
considerable land available for development – including scenic and ecologically significant
landscapes.
Open space, natural resources, and cultural landscapes are almost inseparable in a master plan
even though they serve different functions and have different management needs. For this
master plan as with its predecessors, Harvard places great weight on preserving and protecting
land and water resources for environmental, scenic, agricultural, historical and recreational
purposes. Harvard has been one of the state’s land conservation leaders for several decades, as
evidenced by the large tracts of protected open and forested land found throughout the town.
However, the Phase 1 master plan report underscores that conservation is more complicated
than simply acquiring land, and Harvard residents know that more needs to be done.
Stewardship, public education, and agricultural incentives will be needed to guide Harvard
through its next era of growth and change. In addition, Harvard’s decentralized small-town
government can be both an asset and a liability when it comes to planning and resource
protection. On one hand, it helps to have many volunteers with shared interests working
toward shared goals. On the other hand, coordinating multiple groups is difficult even under
the best of circumstances. Harvard’s resource protection needs may be more easily and
effectively addressed with some consolidation of existing boards and committees.
Harvard Master Plan / Working Papers Series: Open Space & Natural Resources
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B.
KEY FINDINGS
 Harvard has approximately
4,300 acres of protected open
space, or roughly one-fourth of
the Town’s total area.
AT
COREofOF
HARVARD’S
NATURAL
BEAUTY
At THE
the core
Harvard’s
natural
beauty
is, of
IS, OF COURSE, ITS LAND.
course, its land.
-Harvard Conservation Trust
-Harvard Conservation Trust
 Much of the town is built on
soils that are not very conducive
to development. As technology
continues to improve, areas that
once seemed unbuildable may be easier and less costly to develop. Harvard still has plenty
of room to grow, and not many physical impediments to new construction.
 Harvard has eight state-certified vernal pools and many more potential, undocumented
vernal pools exist throughout the town.
 Over 2,000 acres of land in Harvard have direct bearing on the quantity and quality of
public drinking water supplies in Harvard, Devens, and adjacent towns.
 Harvard has over 5,700 acres of land in environmentally sensitive locations: Areas of Critical
Environmental Concern (ACEC), and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species
Program’s (NHESP) BioMap 2 Core and Critical Habitat and Priority Habitats of Rare
Species.
 Approximately 7,000 acres in Harvard are composed of prime farmland soils or soils of
statewide or unique importance.
 Harvard has about 1,471 acres that are not currently developed and not protected from
development, do not have environmental constraints, and are potentially developable based
on size and access.
 Despite Harvard’s impressive efforts to protect land, water resources and wildlife habitats
within its borders, the town is not immune to the effects of development which are felt
throughout the north-central region of Massachusetts. Local concerns about traffic,
watershed protection, stormwater, habitat disturbance, and environmental hazards will
remain challenging to address without concerted regional action and regional cooperation.
Although many neighboring towns share Harvard’s commitment to environmental quality,
problems with growth management and the need for tax revenue make it difficult for
communities to work toward a consistent vision.
 Like other small towns, Harvard has many elected and appointed town officials. Today
(2014), there are six boards and committees working on various aspects of land and water
resource protection: the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Bare Hill Pond
Watershed Management Committee, Community Preservation Committee, Agricultural
Advisory Committee, and the Land Stewardship Committee (subcommittee of the
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Conservation Commission), as well as the non-profit Harvard Conservation Trust. At times
it has been difficult for Harvard to coordinate the roles and responsibilities of all of these
groups. Jurisdiction is not always clear, too.
C.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
Half a century of active pursuit of land preservation in Harvard has resulted in 4,244.9 acres of
land in some form of permanent protection from development1, or one quarter of the area of
Harvard. As shown in Map NR-1, these areas are widespread across the town and largely
disconnected. The preserved lands include:

2,246.72 acres owned by the Town, including the water area of Bare Hill Pond but not
including parcels with buildings on them (e.g. Town Hall, schools);

803.43 acres owned by US Fish & Wildlife Service;

368.28 acres owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

205.76 acres owned by the Harvard Conservation Trust;

236.68 acres owned by various entities with agricultural preservation restrictions; and

384.03 acres owned by various entities, with conservation restrictions.
Harvard’s natural resources provide much of the cherished scenic and rural character enjoyed
by residents and visitors alike. They also present challenges to the growth necessary for
Harvard to continue to thrive economically. This starts with the fact that Harvard depends on
on-site wastewater treatment facilities - septic systems – as well as individual water supply
wells. Given the low density and widespread area of the majority of development in Harvard,
establishing a public wastewater treatment system or a public water supply system is not a
financially feasible option outside concentrated built-up areas, such as the Town Center.. As a
guide for near-term planning and policies that affect development, the Master Plan assumes
that Harvard will not expand its public infrastructure in the near future.
1.
Water Resources
Water resources in Harvard include both ground and surface water. For potable water, the
primary areas of concern are the high and medium yield aquifers – areas with potentially
adequate capacity for a public water supply – and the areas surrounding and recharging public
water systems. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) defines
a public drinking water system this way: “a system for the provision to the public of water for
human consumption, through pipes or other constructed conveyances, if such system has at
least fifteen service connections or regularly serves an average of at least twenty-five
1
Source: GIS analysis by RKG Associates using Assessor data and 2008 Conservation Lands data from MRPC.
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individuals daily at least sixty days of the year.”2 MassDEP further regulates land around
public water supplies where activity could have an impact on drinking water quality and
quantity. These areas are known as Zone II and Interim Wellhead Protection AreasArea
(IWPA). The key difference between them is that the boundaries of a Zone II are determined
from field tests while the IWPA is based on a regulatory formula that considersconsider the
type of well and its design pumping rate.
 Zone II: "That area of an aquifer that contributes water to a well under the most severe
pumping and recharge conditions that can be realistically anticipated (180 days of pumping
at approved yield, with no recharge from precipitation). It is bounded by the groundwater
divides that result from pumping the well and by the contact of the aquifer with less
permeable materials such as till or bedrock. In some cases, streams or lakes may act as
recharge boundaries. In all cases, Zone II shall extend up gradient to its point of intersection
with prevailing hydrogeologic boundaries (a groundwater flow divide, a contact with till or
bedrock, or a recharge boundary)3."
 IWPA: When a Zone II has not been approved by MassDEP for a public water supply
system, an Interim Wellhead Protection Area (IWPA) is designated. These are circular areas
designated by MassDEP through calculations based on the pumping rate of the well and its
classification. The minimum area is a radius of 400 feet from the well, and for wells
pumping 100,000 gallons per day or more, the largest default area is a one-half mile radius
from the well.
Land uses and development within Zone IIs and IWPAs are intended to be limited to protect
the quality and quantity of water recharging the well, although it is the responsibility of each
municipality to ensure that appropriate protections are in place through zoning regulations.
Harvard’s Zoning Bylaw should be evaluated and updated to ensure consistency with state
regulations to protect important water supplies. Map NR-2 shows the aquifer, Zone II, and
IWPA areas in Harvard:
 Most of the 1,497 acres of mapped aquifers lie within Devens (959 acres), the Oxbow
National Wildlife Refuge (187 acres), and the Delaney Wildlife Management Area (196
acres).
 Two Zone II areas extend into Harvard from abutting towns. Of the 1,395 acre Littleton
Water Department Zone II, 51 acres abuts the Harvard/Boxborough town line, and 554
acres of the 987-acre Ayer Water Department Zone II extends into Harvard east of the rail
line and west of Routes 110/111.
2
310 CMR 22.02
3
Ibid.
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 All of the 503-acre Devens/Mass Development Zone II is within the Harvard portion of
Devens. .
 SeventySeventy-eight acres of the 760-acre Devens/Mass Development Zone II contributes
to a well located in Ayer. There are 39 public water supply wells with designated IWPAs
within Harvard, and the IWPA’s of 6 wells outside Harvard extend across town boundaries
into the town. In total, Harvard has 1,007 acres4 of land within IWPAs.
 Finally, there are thirty-nine public water supply wells with designated IWPAs within
Harvard, and portions of six more extend across town boundaries into Harvard.
Despite the prevalence of land contributing rainfall to public water supplies, Harvard does not
have any land use controls to help safeguard such supplies from contamination.
SURFACE WATERS
Surface waters in Harvard include rivers, streams, ponds, and wetlands. Precipitation falling on
the ground either infiltrates the ground and enters the groundwater system, sometimes
discharging to surface water or flows on the surface to a surface water. The demarcation of
which surface water resource this runoff enters is the watershed, and each bit of land is within
several watersheds from the Eastern Divide, New England Basin, and one of the three major
basin
watersheds
in
Massachusetts:
the
Nashua,
the Merrimack,
or
the
Sudbury/Assabet/Concord. There are ten sub-basins in Harvard within these three major
basins, and for any particular pond or wetland, one could identify a smaller watershed area that
only feeds that particular surface water resource. Map NR-3 shows the boundaries of the major
basins and sub-basins within Harvard, along with the rivers, streams, ponds, and major
wetlands. It should be noted that not all wetlands appear on this map, and for those that do, the
boundaries are approximate.
Bare Hill Pond is the largest and most prominent body of water in Harvard. The 103-acre main
pond in the Delaney Wildlife Management Area in Harvard and Stow was created for flood
control purposes, and is the second largest water body in Harvard. 6 Three smaller ponds lie
within Devens: Mirror Lake, Little Mirror Lake, and Robbins Pond. There are half a dozen or so
smaller ponds around town, most of which are part of larger wetland systems.
2.
ACEC
There are a total of 5,726 acres of land in Harvard that are within environmentally sensitive
areas (see Map NR-4). These include Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Core
and Critical Habitat from the BioMap2, and Priority Habitats of Rare Species. As can be seen on
the map, most of these areas overlap and amounts to 5,726 acres. Over half (3,300 acres) of these
areas are along the Nashua River and in the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, extending up into
N.B. Overlapping IWPA’s were not double counted.
Harvard Conservation Trust, Trail map of Delaney WMA, http://harvardconservationtrust.org/trails.htm (accessed
August 2014)
4
6
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Devens and incorporating the Mirror Lakes and Robbins Pond (1,126 acres lie within the
Devens boundary). A second significant environmentally sensitive area includes 1,488 acres on
the eastern side of town, extending from Black Pond to Horse Meadow Pond.
ACECs have been designated by the Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental
Affairs (EEA) as places that receive special recognition because of the quality, uniqueness, and
significance of their natural and cultural resources.7 They are identified and nominated at the
community level and reviewed by EEA staff. ACEC designation creates a framework for local
and regional stewardship of critical resource areas and ecosystems. ACEC designation also
requires stricter environmental review of certain kinds of proposed development under state
jurisdiction within the ACEC boundaries. There are 2,109 acres so designated in Harvard,
including the Nashua River, the Oxbow, and environs.
3.
Wildlife Habitat
The Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) and The Nature
Conservancy’s (TNC) Massachusetts Program developed BioMap2 inBioMap2in 2010 as a
conservation plan to protect the state’s biodiversity.8 BioMap2 is designed to guide strategic
biodiversity conservation over the next decade by focusing land protection and stewardship on
the areas that are most critical for ensuring the long-term persistence of rare and other native
species and their habitats, exemplary natural communities, and a diversity of ecosystems. Those
areas identified as Core Habitat, encompassing 4,882 acres in Harvard, are necessary to promote
the long-term survival of Species of Special? Concern (those listed under the Massachusetts
Endangered Species Act as well as additional species identified in the State Wildlife Action
Plan), exemplary natural communities, and intact ecosystems. The Critical Natural Landscape
category was created to identify and prioritize intact landscapes that are better able to support
ecological processes and disturbance regimes, and a wide range of species and habitats over
long time frames. Landscape Blocks, the primary component of Critical Natural Landscapes, are
large areas of intact predominately natural vegetation, consisting of contiguous forests,
wetlands, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Pastures and power-line rights-of-way, which are less
intensively altered than most developed areas, were also included since they provide habitat
and connectivity for many species. There are 2,843 acres of such landscapes in Harvard. In
producing BioMap2, the NHESP and TNC used specific data and sophisticated mapping and
analysis tools to spatially define each of these components, calling on the latest research and
understanding of species biology, conservation biology, and landscape ecology.
Priority Habitats of Rare Species represent the geographic extent of habitat of state-listed rare
species in Massachusetts based on observations documented within the last 25 years in the
MassGIS website, http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-ofgeographic-information-massgis/datalayers/acecs.html (downloaded 8/2014); Harvard statistics by RKG Associates
Inc. 8/24/2014
8 MassGIS website, http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-ofgeographic-information-massgis/datalayers/biomap2.html (downloaded 8/2014); Harvard statistics by RKG
Associates Inc. 8/24/2014
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NHESP database.9 They were digitized by NHESP scientists from documented observations of
state-listed rare species and are based on such factors as reported species movements and
known habitat requirements. Priority Habitat polygons are the filing trigger for determining
whether or not a proposed project or activity must be reviewed by the NHESP for compliance
with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and its implementing regulations. The 3,972
acres in Harvard delineated as Priority Habitats can include wetlands, uplands, and marine
habitats. The Priority Habitats presented here are those published in the Massachusetts Natural
Heritage Atlas, 13th ed. (October 2008). Together, the areas shown on Map NR-4 represent the
land areas that should be among the highest priority for protection, in order to maintain species
diversity and a resilient ecology.
Map NR-5 shows the same information along with the areas already protected (information
from Map NR-1). Of the 4,245 acres of protected land in Harvard, 1,852 acres fall within one or
more of the environmentally sensitive areas shown on this map. The state and federal
governments own 1,080 acres. The Town owns 427 acres, including small portions of the water
area of Bare Hill Pond. Land protected through APR’s and CR’s that are within environmentally
sensitive areas total 188 acres. Finally, the Harvard Conservation Trust owns 87 acres within
these areas.
4.
Floodplain
As one might expect, there is a high degree of correlation between the environmentally sensitive
areas and areas prone to flooding. Map -6NR-55 shows the flood zones in Harvard. These
areas are delineated by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and are the basis for
floodplain management and mitigation. There are four categories of flood prone areas: the
floodway, two categories where there is a one percent chance of flooding in any given year, and
the area adjacent to that where there is a lower chance of flooding. The floodway is the zone
where the majority of water flows during a flood event, including the river or stream channel
and the lowest lying areas along the banks. No development should occur within this area. The
two categories where there is a 1 percent annual chance of flooding (formerly known as the “100
year” floodplain) are differentiated by the presence or absence of base flood elevation data.
Those areas with such data can be delineated more precisely. The fourth category, formerly
known as the “500 year” floodplain, has a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in any given year.
As expected, the majority of the flood prone areas in Harvard lie along the Nashua River and
associated wetlands systems, Bower’s Brook including Bare Hill Pond, Cold Spring Brook,
Bennetts Brook, and Elizabeth Brook into the flood control ponds in the Delaney Wildlife
Management Area. In all, there are 2,796 acres of flood prone areas in Harvard: 784 acres within
the floodway, 1,249 acres of areas with a one percent annual chance of flooding (including 613
acres in ponds), and 763 acres of areas with a 0.2 percent annual chance of flooding. Harvard’s
MassGIS website, http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-ofgeographic-information-massgis/datalayers/prihab.html (downloaded 8/2014); Harvard statistics by RKG
Associates Inc. 8/24/2014
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Protective Bylaw includes appropriate provisions to minimize adverse impacts due to flooding.
.
5.
Soils
Thethe soils in Harvard have not changed since the first soil survey was completed in 1969.
What has changed is the amount of information available about the suitability of the soils for
various uses and the ability of people to deal with the limitations of the soils. The Natural
Resources Conservation Service10 (NRCS) has published soil ratings for a number of uses,
including for septic systems and dwellings. Rating terms indicate the extent to which the soils
are limited by all of the soil features that affect the specified use. "Not limited" indicates that the
soil has features that are very favorable for the specified use. Good performance and very low
maintenance can be expected. "Somewhat limited" indicates that the soil has features that are
moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by
special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be
expected. "Very limited" indicates that the soil has one or more features that are unfavorable for
the specified use. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation,
special design, or expensive installation procedures. Poor performance and high maintenance
can be expected.11
The entire town -- in fact, the entire region—is rated by the NRCS as unsuitable for septic
system absorption fields (leach fields). As a practical matter, this means septic systems in this
area are more costly to design and build than in areas with soils rated suitable for septic system
absorption fields. Soil scientists and other experts have designed new technologies to help
overcome some of the limitations in the soils, enabling development of this area without as
great a risk of pollution to the groundwater or surface water resources.
As Map NR-6 shows, nearly the entire town is comprised of soils which are rated “very
limited” for construction of dwellings with basements (single-family homes of three stories or
less). Not surprisingly, most of the areas rated “not limited” or “somewhat limited” have
already been developed; roughly 160 acres of such soils outside of Devens remain available for
development, although much of it does not have direct access to existing roads. These soil
suitability ratings for dwellings are based on the soil properties that affect the capacity of the
soil to support a load without movement and on the properties that affect excavation and
construction costs. The properties that affect the load-supporting capacity include depth to a
water table, ponding, flooding, subsidence, linear extensibility (shrink-swell potential), and
compressibility. The properties that affect the ease and amount of excavation include depth to a
water table, ponding, flooding, slope, depth to bedrock or a cemented pan, hardness of bedrock
or a cemented pan, and the amount and size of rock fragments.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly
known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ (accessed 8/2014)
11 USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service website,
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/ and associated pages (downloaded 8/2014).
10
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As has been stressed in previous plans for Harvard, these limitations can be overcome through
engineering and construction practices which, while more expensive than standard practices,
should not be viewed as a physical impediment to development of various types within the
town.
The preservation of farmland soils is important.. Once developed, they are no longer
available for agriculture except on a small household garden scale. These soils are shown on
Map NR-7 and encompass 7,003 acres of land in Harvard. Farmland soils are classified as
Prime, of Statewide Importance, or of Unique Importance12.
 Prime Farmland has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for
economically producing sustained high yields of food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops,
when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Harvard has 2,372
acres of prime farmland.
 Farmland of Statewide Importance is vital for the production of food, feed, fiber, forage, and
oil seed crops, as determined by the appropriate state agency or agencies. Generally, these
include lands that are nearly prime farmland and that economically produce high yields of
crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Harvard has
3,124 acres of farmlands of statewide importance.
 Farmland of Unique Importance is land that might be used for the production of specific
high value food and fiber crops. Examples of such crops are tree nuts, cranberries, fruit, and
vegetables. In Massachusetts, Unique soils are confined to mucks, peats, and coarse sands.
Cranberries are the primary commercial crop grown on these soils. The presence of other
crops on these soils is usually – possibly always – limited to small, incidental areas. There
are 1,146 acres of such soils in Harvard.
6.
Development Suitability
By combining the data layers from the previous maps, one can begin to get a sense of the
development potential in Harvard today. Map NR-8 shows areas that are not suited to
development and those that are better suited to development. Included in the areas not suited
are wetlands, interim wellhead protection areas, zone II wellhead protection areas, floodways,
one percent annual chance flood prone areas, BioMap2 core habitats, BioMap2 critical natural
landscapes, areas of critical environmental concern, prime farmland soils, and farmlands of
statewide or unique importance.
Another way to look at land availability is to examine the parcels in town that are already
developed or protected from development. Map NR-9 shows this analysis. The map also shows
parcels in the Chapter 61 , 61A and 61B tax relief programsprogram as of 2008, which may or
MassGIS website, ; http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/it-serv-and-support/application-serv/office-ofgeographic-information-massgis/datalayers/soi.html (downloaded 8/2014)
12
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may not have buildings on them – houses, barns, etc. The Chapter 61 lands are all subject to
development or additional development (through subdivision) and should not be considered
protected. It should be noted that in this analysis, any parcel with a single family home on it,
regardless of whether the parcel is one acre or a hundred, is shown as developed. Clearly, some
of these parcels could be further developed either through the subdivision process to add
housing units to the current parcel, or through redevelopment with demolition of the existing
house and new development.
The next map in this series (Map NR-10) shows the land areas in Harvard that are vulnerable
to development – they are neither developed nor protected from development. A significant
amount of this land lies within areas identified in the 2002 Master Plan13 as important to
preserve for their value as agricultural or historic landscape resources or where protection of
groundwater resources or the Bare Hill Pond watershed is important. Map NR-10 shows a total
of 1,471 acres that are not currently developed, are not protected from development, do not
have environmental constraints, and are potentially developable based on size and access. The
majority (sixty eight percent, or 1,008 acres) of these areas are in the Chapter 61 tax
programsprogram, which indicates some level of desire by the owner to keep the land in
agriculture, recreation, or forestry uses for a while. Without permanent protection, the land
remains vulnerable to development. Based on the absence of wetland and floodplain areas,
some of this land should be the focus of efforts to increase development density could occur, as
a means to increase housing diversity in town as well as to reduce pressure on other land areas
which are not as suitable for development.
Table NR-1 shows the acreage of specific areas previously discussed, their percentage of the
town, and percentage of the vulnerable lands.
Table NR-1: Vulnerable Land Statistics
Total
Percent of
Percent of
Map
Acreage
Town* Vulnerable Lands
Aquifer Areas
3
0.02%
0.16%
NR-2
Zone II Wellhead
100
0.62
5.80
NR-2
Protection Areas
Interim Wellhead
42
0.26
2.43
NR-2
Protection Areas
Environmentally Sensitive
287
1.78
19.51
NR-4
Areas**
Farmland Soils
859
5.32
58.40
NR-7
Notes:
* 16,144 acres, does not include water or rights-of-way
** Includes Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), BioMap2 Core Habitat,
BioMap2 Critical Natural Landscape, and NHESP Priority Habitats of Rare Species.
Note that the data in this table are not additive, many of these areas overlap each other.
Source: Analysis of GIS data by RKG Associates, August 2014
13
Community Opportunities Group et. al, Harvard Massachusetts Master Plan, (November 2002), Map 4-A.
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Given that it is unrealistic for the Town or conservation organizations to preserve all – or even
most of – the “vulnerable areas”10, and the fact that previous plans have recommended that
preservation efforts should continue in areas designated as scenic, Map NR-11 shows the areas
of Harvard that are vulnerable to development and the areas already protected, along with the
1982 designated scenic landscapes, which cover 41 percent of the town. Harvard is among a
small handful of municipalities across the state with such a large percentage of the community
so designated.
The vulnerable lands that are adjacent to protected lands and are within a distinctive scenic
landscape would be a reasonable “top priority” for protection, followed by those vulnerable
lands adjacent to protected lands within noteworthy scenic landscapes or those that would
bridge gaps in otherwise protected corridors. There are ninety-one land areas with a total of 868
acres that fall within one of these scenic landscape designations. Harvard should prioritize
areas for protection efforts and identify specific parcels for acquisition of the land or
conservation restrictions.
Bare Hill Pond, arguably Harvard’s most significant natural resource, has had a history typical
for ponds in Massachusetts which became prime real estate first for summer camps and later for
year-round residences. Map NR-13 shows an aerial image of the area taken in April 2013. This
image shows that much of the shoreline remains wooded although a majority of it appears to
have been developed. Map NR-14 shows the land uses for the parcels within 1,000 feet of the
shoreline, along with the IWPA zones in this area. Out of the 183 parcels, 113 are residential,
five are developed with public or institutional uses, and fifty-nine are undeveloped. Of the
undeveloped parcels, the Town of Harvard owns twenty-one parcels encompassing 280 acres,
the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts owns five parcels with 36 acres, the
Harvard Conservation Trust owns three parcels totaling 22 acres, the Harvard Conservation
Trust owns one parcel of 15.5 acres, and the state owns one 1.5 acre parcel.
The development of the area around Bare Hill Pond began in 1887 with the construction of a
camp on Sheep’s Island, followed a few years later by four more. Turner’s Lane was built in the
1910’s, Wilroy Avenue and Clinton Shores were developed in the 1930’s, Willard Shores was
developed in the 1950’s, as were Peninsula Road and a number of homes along Warren Avenue.
15 More recent development has primarily been along the eastern and southern shores of the
pond. The rate of development accelerated from 1.1 units per year prior to 1931 to 1.7 units per
year between 1931 and 1960. From 1961 to 1990, growth slowed to 1.3 units per year, and since
1991 the rate of development has further slowed, to 0.8 units per year.
15
Development based on Assessor data, analyzed by RKG Associates, September 2014.
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As the shoreline developed, problems started to show up in the pond. Numerous studies have
been conducted on the water quality of the pond16. The first dam was constructed in the early
1800’s and rebuilt to increase the level of the pond in 183717. With the construction of nearly 100
camps or homes by the mid 1950’s, it’s not surprising that weed problems had become acute by
that time. The first of three committees was formed to address the problems in 195918. Through
the early 1960’s, spot treatments were done on the pond using herbicides and a weed cutter. In
1965 the Bare Hill Pond Committee ceased to exist, and no weed removal activities took place
until 1972 when the Bare Hill Pond Study Committee was formed as a subcommittee of the
Conservation Commission. Chemical treatment for weed control was conducted sporadically
until 1983 when the Annual Town Meeting voted to approve a moratorium on the use of
herbicides.
After that, weed control has been done mainly through weed harvesting and drawdowns. In
1987 the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee was formed. This committee
reports directly to the Board of Selectmen, and as the name suggests, has a broader focus than
previous committees – it considers consider activities within the watershed, not just the pond
itself. Until a new pumping system was installed in 2006, drawdowns (by lowering of the water
through removal of dam boards) were limited to 3.5 feet19, which proved insufficient to limit the
weeds adequately. Since the deep drawdown system began with( the capacity to achieve up to 8
feet of drawdown20) became operational, this method of weed control has been much more
successful.
In 2010, after extensive study and design, a stormwater management system was constructed to
better handle the stormwater runoff entering the pond from the Town Center, the school and
library parking lots, and Pond Road. As a result of this and the annual deep drawdowns that
have taken place, the phosphorus levels which had landed the pond on the states endangered
lakes list in the 1990’s have fallen dramatically21. Today the pond has a more natural balance,
but watershed management should continue..
As can be seen in Map NR-14, there are numerous undeveloped parcels within one thousand
feet of the shoreline of Bare Hill Pond. Of these, twenty could be developed. The Town owns
the most significant portion of the undeveloped land, with twenty one parcels. If the Town’s
intention is to preserve these lands in perpetuity, and it has not already been done, then the
Town Meeting should vote such restrictions into place either through conservation restrictions
or other deed restrictions. In addition to continuing with drawdowns and the maintenance of
BHPWMC, http://www.harvard.ma.us/Pages/HarvardMA_BComm/BareHill/index, August 2014.
H.G. Marsh, Bare Hill Pond Chronology of Activities, September 15, 2002.
18 Ibid.
19 BHPWMC, Deep Drawdown Pumping Project FAQ, 2004,
http://www.harvard.ma.us/Pages/HarvardMA_BComm/BareHill/Deep %20Drawdown%20Project
16
17
20
Ibid.
BHPWMC annual report, Harvard Annual Report for the Year 2013,
http://www.harvard.ma.us/Pages/HarvardMA_BComm/ BOS/town, downloaded August 2014.
21
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the stormwater system at the Pond Road area, public education directed at the property owners
within the pond’s watershed should maintain the phosphorus levels and other pollutants close
to today’s levels, even with a potential of additional housing development in the area. The
owners of developments on the western shore of the pond should be encouraged to examine the
stormwater runoff on their properties, with an eye toward constructing systems similar to the
Pond Road system in the event that existing conditions continually contribute to problems
within the pond.
D.
ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES
OPEN SPACE AT DEVENS
The portion of Harvard that lies within the boundaries of Devens totals 2,515 acres. Of that, 863
acres are either protected as open space or currently used for recreational purposes. Another
242 acres are proposed to be protected open space, which would bring the total amount of open
space within Harvard’s portion of Devens to 1,105 acres. Map NR-15 shows the land uses of the
open space parcels within Devens. An aerial view of the portions of Devens that lie within
Harvard can be seen in Map NR-16. Map NR-17 shows protected lands and groundwater
resources. Not surprisingly, the majority of the protected lands coincide with the Zone II and
the aquifer areas in the Mirror Lake region. The mostly unprotected Zone II extending into Ayer
around Grove Pond feeds the Ayer public water supply.
Map NR-18 shows the protected lands in Devens along with the environmentally sensitive
areas. Again, there is a high degree of correlation between these areas. There is one parcel that is
planned for future development that lies mostly within the Devens Zone II, the medium yield
aquifer, NHESP Priority Habitats of Rare Species, and BioMap2 Core Habitat: the former
Salerno Circle residential neighborhood. Much of the housing in this neighborhood has been
demolished, but much still remains today, boarded up and abandoned due to high
concentrations of pesticides in the soil underlying the neighborhood. According to the Devens
Reuse Plan, Salerno Circle is one of two designated “Special Use” areas. Future plans for this 87acre parcel include office, conference, and health care uses. Site design for any development will
have to comply with existing viewshed restrictions for Fruitlands Museum and Prospect Hill.
Given the presence of the groundwater feeding the water supply and the habitat areas, it may
be prudent for this area to be cleaned up and developed in a manner consistent with protection
of these resources.
A smaller parcel just north of the Red Tail golf course has similar circumstances. The 18-acre
former Davao neighborhood was completely demolished in 2005 and the pesticides in the soil
remediated. The site is now ready for reuse. The 2006 Devens Reuse Plan called for a mixed
residential neighborhood on this site, which would have been more compatible with the
environmental constraints that exist than a more intense use would be. However, the three
towns did not approve the 2006 Plan.
Other protected lands within Harvard’s town boundary and within Devens include portions of
the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge north of Route 2 and extending along the Nashua River
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between Shirley and Harvard. The remaining land areas within Devens are mostly either
developed or were previously developed. Remediation of contaminated sites across Devens
have largely been done by now, although some areas still need work prior to redevelopment.
This working paper is written badly, overall. In addition, there is no discussion of trails,
recreation, and connections between open spaces – either existing or desired. There needs to be
more about wildlife habitat, water quality and topography. What about some relevant geology,
such as the fact that the Oak Hill ridge is an earthquake fault? What is the history of seismic
activity there? There also needs to be something about vegetation and plants in Harvard.
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