HomeMy Public PortalAboutNatural Resources -- 2022-01-13 MinutesTown of Brewster
Natural Resources Advisory Commission OFF i;' .: I ON CLER :::
1657 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631
(508) 896-4546
MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Agenda Item
1. CaII to Order: 7:00:00 PM
2. Declaration of a Quorum:
Commissioners:
Pearson Present
Hughes Present
Select Board Liaison:
Henderson Present
Poole Absent
Natural Resources Department:
Chaffee Present
Miller Present 1 Burch Absent
Aguiar Absent { Sideris Absent
3. Meeting Participation Statement Read: Pearson
4. Public Comment: Miller None
5. Notes fromathe Chair: Pearson
Ferguson (Present
Williams 'Present
Johnson (Absent
Taylor 'Present
a. Volunteers for CCSC Committees
The Selectboard is seeking residents interested in serving on two Sea Camps Planning Committees; the Bay
Parcel and the Pond Parcel.
• Chris Williams has volunteered to be on the Pond parcel committee
• Pat Hughes has volunteered to be on the Bay parcel committee
b. Conservationist Pesticide Advisory Council
Pearson notes on December 14, 2021 this Commission submitted testimony at the meeting of the Joint
Committee on Environment Natural Resources and Agriculture In support of the bills involving pesticide and
herbicide application in the state of Massachusetts. The Commission has taken judicial and legislative action
in regards to their charge to address the herbicide issue. The Commission has an administrative opportunity
in response to the many citizen concerns that Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, MDAR,
have recieved. MDAR has established a Conservationist Pesticide Advisory Council. With support from the
Town of Brewster and the Brewster Conservation Trust, Pearson has applied for a chair on the council.
Pearson will be joining a meeting in the next month as part of her application process. Hughes thanks
Pearson for her willingness to serve on the Conservationist Pesticide Advisory Council.
Miller states a resident visited the office interested in finding land for a bee farm. He had a hive near Baker's
Pond last year and lost every bee In it. He reported it was likely due to pesticide use at a private residence
where the bees visited the flowers that were contaminated with pesticide. Miller has approached Town
Administration to find out what the Town Policy is for this situation.
• Taylor states she would be happy to have anyone set up hives on her property.
• Henderson states BCT's Land Stewardship Committee voted against the placement of Honeybee hives on
any BCT property. BCT is trying to introduce native species, a non-native pollinator would compete with the
native pollinators. BCT has a policy In place which does not allow placement of hives on their properties.
c. Public comment meetings for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Draft Management Plan
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is in the process of updating its' mangement plan. The
management plan is updated every 10 years. The draft is in a public comment period through January 31st.
Stellwagen is a regional resource and it is challenging to find the best solution for all involved parties.
Pearson states for full disclosure, she sits on the Sanctuary Advisory Committee as a Conservation
representative.
Miller states for full disclosure, he sits on the board for the Orendah Wildlife Land Trust. A letter was written
by their president based on his experience. The Gulf of Maine abuts Brewster; climate issues, fishing issues,
low levels of oxygen at the bottom levels of Cape Cod Bay are all relevant issues to the Gulf of Maine. Since
Brewster abuts the Gulf of Maine, it is something that the Commission can comment on. Pearson notes the
land management decisions made by the Commission can effect the waters within the Gulf of Maine.
Pearson suggests for the Commission to have a collaborative relationship with Stellwagon. Pearson would
like to take a vote to support the points made by the Orendah Wildlife Trust in the letter they sent out.
Hughes states the suggestion of working collaboratively should be brought from the end of the letter to the
beginning, as it may make a more powerful statement.
Motion: Brewster Natural Resources Advisory Commission to send an email to Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary in support of the position of the Orendah Wildlife Trust, emphasizing for Land Trusts and
Stellwagen to develop a more collaborative relationship.
Commissioner Pearson Moved
Commissioner Hughes Seconded
Pearson Obstains Henderson Yea
Hughes Yea ( Williams Yea
Ferguson !Yea
Taylor 'Yea
6. APCC State of the Waters Report: Quivett Creek Coastal Embayment
In APCC's State of the Waters Report, Quivett Creek has been given a grade as 'Unacceptable; immediate restoration
required.' According to a news article, this is the first time Quivett Creek has been graded as such. The grade that they give
is based on data that Is collected by the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. There is an index applied to the
numbers that they get - If you get a grade of less than 65 then you are considered Unacceptable. Pearson raises the
question to the Commission: is this a matter of concern for residents of Brewster? The Coastal Resources Management
Plan contains a line Item about Quivett Creek and its' manangement. Pearson also questions whether the Commission
should continue the current management approach, or is there a need to adjust management practices in order to address
this statement made by APCC?
Hughes states for full disclosure, she sits on the board for APCC. Hughes states there Is only one monitoring station in
Quivett which is located in the marsh. Hughes states to base a finding which requires immediate restoration in Quivett using
only one monitoring station with only a few years of data is problematic. One of the issues that arose during the
Massachusetts Estuaries Project was a situation where whether marsh stations should be looked at differently than open
water stations, due to several differential factors. It wouldn't be abnormal for a marsh to have high turbitity, which is one of
the factors that determines whether the area Is considered clean or not. Hughes raises two major points: is it appropriate to
make a designation of impaired and in need of restoration based off of one station - second, should we be looking at a
marsh station differently in terms of degredation than we do open water.
Miller explains hydrologic features surrounding Quivett Creek. When the Massachusetts Estuary Project reviewed which
estuaries they were going to go after, Quivett was taken off of the list because the creek fully flushes based on the tides and
they did not ,see any evidence of degredation at that point. Miller states he has not noticed any drastic changes to Quivett
Creek between then and now.
Pearson states the Cape Cod Commission put out a 2017 report in which Quivett Creek was designated as 'Water threat
level low,' determined by the Massachusetts Estuaries Study. The designation was based on the concentration of nitrogen,
description of land use activities, and hydrologic characteristics. Pearson states management practices in which the town
has recently1updated, i.e. Stormwater Management Plan, and Nitrogen Loading Updates.
Hughes seeks Chaffee's opinion for whether or not the Selectboard should write a letter to APCC regarding this discussion.
Chaffee suggests putting together a brief email to summarize this discussion so she could approach the Selectboard and
Town Administrator with this matter. Chaffee states the Town Administrator is planning a meeting with several key
organizations involved in advocating for water quality, including the Brewster Ponds Coalition, to take a look at where the
Town of Brewster stands and what are the priorities going forward.
Pearson states she would be happy to represent the Natural Resources Advisory Commission at a Selectboard Meeting, if
7. Coastal Resource Management Plan: Coastal Resiliency
Pearson states there is a window of opportunity to start public outreach regarding coastal resiliency. She suggests different
ways to accomplish this; i.e. Public Forums, guest speakers and monitoring.
Miller states the department has done some outreach with the Coastal Committee in the past. There is an opportunity to get
drone footage along the Brewster coastline - that could be a way to engage people in learning more about coastal resiliency.
Miller mentions some projects that the town has involvement in.
Hughes supports the idea of having workshops to involve the community. She states the coast is a public resource and
working towards sustaining it is a constant concern.
8. Additional Reports or Updates
Miller states,the department is reviewing the Brewster Shellfish Regulations. Miller requests for the Chair to form a sub-
committee to gather information on shellfish regulations of other Cape towns and help update Brewster's Shellfish
Regulations?
• Pearson, Williams and Ferguson agree to help update the Shellfish Regulations.
9. Approval of Meeting Minutes:
Pearson states approval of meeting minutes will be continued to the next meeting, due to time constraints.
10. Topics not reasonably anticipated by the Chair:
Pearson states the Selectboard sent a letter to Holtec regarding their plan to release radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay.
Chaffee states the Selectboard voted to send a letter in clear opposition of releasing radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay.
Chaffee states many Selectboards and Commissions have sent letters. Chaffee suggests for this Commission to write a
letter.
11. Topics for Next Agenda:
a. Letter regarding the Commission's opposition to release radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay
b. Aquaculture and Commercial Shellfish Regulations Sub -Committee
12. Next Meeting Dates:
February 10, 2022
March 10, 2022
Adjourn: 7:56 PM
Motion: Adjourn
Commissioner Taylor Moved
Commissioner Pearson Seconded
Pearson, Yea 1 Henderson Yea Ferguson
Hughes , Yea ( Williams Yea 1 Taylor
Yea
Yea