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*Important notice regarding the Conservation Commission's NEW office email address: ddrake@marionma.gov
Open Meetings:
Begin at 7:00 PM on the first and third Wednesdays of each month in the conference room in the rear of the Marion Town House. Please park in the back of the building and enter from the Main Street entrance.
Conservation Commission Function:
The Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. Chapter 131, Section 40) gives the Conservation Commission jurisdiction over all wetland resource areas in Marion. There are two major wetland resources - coastal and inland. Marion is rich with these resource areas. Locations that may contain or border these resources can be found throughout the Town.
Coastal resource areas are: |
Land under the ocean |
Designated port areas |
Coastal beaches |
Coastal dunes |
Barrier beaches |
Coastal banks |
Rocky intertidal shores |
Salt marshes |
Land under salt ponds |
Land containing shellfish |
Land subject to tidal action |
Land subject to coastal storm flowage |
Anadromous/catadromous fish runs |
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Inland resource areas are: |
Land under the ocean |
Banks |
Land subject to flooding |
Bordering vegetated wetlands |
Land under water bodies/waterways |
Riverfront areas |
The Wetlands Protection Act states: “No person shall remove, fill, dredge or alter any bank, riverfront area, fresh water wetland, coastal wetland, beach, dune, flat, marsh, meadow or swamp bordering on the ocean or any estuary, creek, river, stream, pond, or lake, or any land under said waters or any land subject to tidal action, coastal storm flowage, or flooding….without filing written notice of his intention.”
In simple terms, any work within one of the resource areas, any work within 100 feet of a freshwater wetland, any work within 200 feet of a river or stream, or any work within land subject to coastal storm flowage (elevation 15' mean sea level or lower) must file for a permit with the Conservation Commission. We strive to work proactively with all Marion residents and businesses to comply with the Wetlands Protection Act. If you have any questions about proposed land uses in the vicinity of wetlands, or whether land falls within our jurisdiction, please contact our office. There is an answering machine to accept messages at those times that there is no one in the office.
Two key documents that you may be required to submit are:
(1) Request for Determination of Applicability – This form is used to determine whether the Commission has jurisdiction and, if so, will the resource areas be affected? The Commission may find any of the following:
A. The Commission has jurisdiction and will require a Notice of Intent.
B. The Commission will not require a Notice of Intent, but may impose conditions.
C. The Commission does not have jurisdiction.
(2) Notice of Intent – This form is required if there is intent to work within resource areas or their buffer zones. A public hearing is required and all abutters within 100 feet of the subject parcel must be notified. It usually requires preparation of plans by a registered professional engineer. As a result of the public hearing, the Commission will either:
A. Issue an Order of Conditions with conditions for accomplishing the proposed work, or
B. Deny the project for its inability to adequately protect the resource areas.
Commission Members |
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Name |
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Term Expires |
Norman A. Hills, Chairman |
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June 30, 2010 |
Jeffrey W. Oakes, Vice Chairman |
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June 30, 2011 |
Sherman E. Briggs, Jr. |
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June 30, 2009 |
Lawrence B. Dorman |
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June 30, 2009 |
Bruce C. Hebbel |
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June 30, 2011 |
Joel D. Hartley, Associate |
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June 30, 2010 |
Horace S. Kenney, Jr., Associate |
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June 30, 2011 |
Residents desiring to join the Commission are invited to contact any Commission Member or the Commission Secretary.
(Last update January 5, 2009)
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