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Mission Statement
The Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (the Act) requires that no person shall remove, dredge, or alter any bank, freshwater or coastal wetlands, beach, dunes, flat, marsh, meadow or swamp bordering on any resource area as defined in the Act without filing written notice of the intention to perform such work with the Conservation Commission of the Town in which the land is located and receiving a permit from the Commission to perform the work. This mandated authority was reinforced by the 1963 Annual Town Meeting which authorized the establishment of a Conservation Commission for the Town.
In February 1988, the Commission passed local regulations which provide for more strict controls in and around both inland and coastal wetlands than are provided by the State's enabling legislation and ensuing regulations. The Commission's protected interests of public and private groundwater protection, prevention of pollution, erosion control and storm damage prevention provide great benefit to the Town's seasonal and year-round economy. The additional interests of protection of land containing shellfish and fisheries play an important part to the summer recreational fisherman and the local commercial scalloper.
The Commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The Commission function is to review, condition and permit activities within I 00 feet of inland and coastal wetlands. The Town has a separate Wetlands By-law, Chapter 136, that increases protection over the State Wetlands Protection Act. The State Wetlands Protection Act and the Nantucket By-law requires that files presented to the Commission must be opened within twenty-one days.
In addition, Orders of Conditions (the permit) for work requested under a Notice of Intent must be issued within twenty-one days after the public hearings are closed. During the fiscal year ending July 1995, the Commission received 67 Notices of Intent requests and 72 Requests for Determination. The Commission was able to open all the files and issue the permits within the required time.
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