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Date: 9/8/2022
SOUTHWICK – Conservation officials recently expressed interest in bringing back the Open Space Planning Committee to supplement the work of the Conservation Commission and better manage Southwick’s conservation lands.
Conservation Coordinator Sabrina Pooler told the commission on Aug. 29 that she does not believe her department has the time or staffing to properly manage all of the town’s conservation lands. To help fill those gaps, she suggested the resurrection of the Open Space Planning Committee, which was formed by the Conservation Commission in 2003 and disbanded in 2020.
“It should be resurrected as a subcommittee to the Conservation Commission in order for us to properly manage the conservation lands,” said Pooler.
The subcommittee, when it existed, was often responsible for monitoring and managing any invasive plant species in conservation areas and maintaining the space.
Members of the Conservation Commission agreed that more help was needed maintaining some of the properties in town, and that the committee should possibly return.
“We have such a bright spot on North Pond that other properties in town aren’t being looked at,” said Commission Chair David MacWilliams, referring to the rampant littering that has plagued the North Pond Conservation Area and other areas in Southwick.
Commission member Mehmet Mizanoglo said that he found it useful to have a separate body tasked with handling general maintenance of conservation properties.
“It was useful to have a separate body of people who did just this and would come back and report to us where there are needs and where things are fine,” said Mizanoglo.
The Conservation Commission is an appointed board responsible for ensuring that state and local laws protecting wetlands and water resources are followed. Much of its workload consists of site visits, public hearings and votes on applications for construction on wetlands or within buffer zones near streams and ponds, or hearings about violations of conservation laws. The commission and its part-time coordinator also oversee town-owned conservation properties.