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*Please note regarding the Conservation Commission's email address:
We are only able to receive mail that is addressed to ddrake@marionma.gov. Mail sent to the former Conservation Commission email addresses (conservation@townofmarion or marionconservation@townofmarion) will not be received.
Open Meetings: (note changes in the meeting schedule)
Meetings begin at 7:00 PM on the SECOND and FOURTH Wednesdays of each month effective September 23, 2009. The November 2009 meetings have been cancelled due to holidays or holiday closings on the scheduled meeting dates. Meetings are held 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.
Submittals:
The Commission requires two complete (UNBOUND) copies of each submittal (three copies if the project site abuts the shore). The Commission will place the legal advertisement in a local newspaper (The Wanderer, P.O. Box 102, Mattapoisett, MA 02739). Please include a $20.00 check made out to "The Town of Marion" with your submittal for the cost of the advertisement.
Updated FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Marion:
On July 7, 2009, FEMA began to put into effect some of their updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The Marion Building Commissioner has a set of the DRAFT updated hard copy maps for Marion, but they have not been finalized (due to appeals). The FINAL maps for Marion are expected to become effective in the summer of 2010. The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program web site has additional flood information.
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
Land under the ocean Coastal beaches Barrier beaches Rocky intertidal shores Land under salt ponds Land subject to tidal action Anadromous/catadromous fish runs Designated port areas Coastal dunes Coastal banks Salt marshes Land containing shellfish Land subject to coastal storm flowage
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Inland resource areas
Land under the ocean Land subject to flooding Land under water bodies/waterways Banks Bordering vegetated wetlands Riverfront areas
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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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Norman A. Hills, Chairman Jeffrey W. Oakes, Vice Chairman Sherman E. Briggs, Member Lawrence B. Dorman, Member Joel D. Hartley, Member Horace S. Kenney, Jr., Associate Wendy L. Carreau, Associate
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June 30, 2010 June 30, 2011 June 30, 2012 June 30, 2012 June 30, 2011 June 30, 2011 June 30, 2010
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