There is no easy way to eradicate the nemesis of many coastal property owners – Phragmites. But mere mortals do try to curb this tenacious, rhizome-driven weed.
On Monday night, the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission heard a Notice of Intent filing by Elizabeth Cannell of 5 Holly Woods Road. The applicant proposed a management plan for the eradication of phragmites in a bordering vegetated wetland, salt marsh, coastal beach and land subject to coastal-storm flowage.
The plan, as described by members of LEC Engineering, included the use of a drip system to kill off the weeds preceded by cutting down the massive field, a process that would take two to five years and require the use of chemicals. After the first two years, a planting plan would be submitted to the commission for establishment of native plants and a report outlining the status of the process.
While on the one hand, environmental agent Brandon Faneuf believed in the importance of removing phragmites whenever possible, the other hand was giving the thumbs down on the success of the project. Abutting Cannell’s property is another massive sea of phragmites on someone else’s property. Faneuf cast doubt on the success of the endeavor unless the neighbors are willing to perform a similar project on their waterside property.
Commissioner David Nicolosi was concerned that shellfish beds nearby would be negatively impacted. Both he and Faneuf were in agreement that before the project begins, the contractor needs to provide details such as protocols, procedures and associated processes to the commission. The project was conditioned with that stipulation.
A Request for Determination of Applicability was filed by Michael Smith, trustee of 6 Whaler’s Way, for the construction of a shed measuring 10×12 feet in a FEMA-mapped flood zone. The project received a Negative Box 2 decision with the stipulation that the shed be tied down using helical bracing.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, September 11, at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell