Section V

Biodiversity Sites by Town

Twenty-three municipalities have Biodiversity Sites within their borders.  Some, such as the towns of Stow, Boylston, Bolton, and Sudbury, have a greater responsibility than others.  These towns are pivotal to the future of biodiversity in the SuAsCo Watershed and should be the focus of organizational efforts.  However, every town shares in the task of protecting biodiversity.  Local conservation land contributes to the protection of biodiversity throughout the town and watershed.  Also, town-wide practices, such as management of culverts, playing fields, and salting of roads to water withdrawals, zoning regulations, and Wetland Protection Act enforcement all influence the quality of biodiversity. 

Arranged alphabetically by town, the following maps indicate which Biodiversity Sites are found within a town’s borders.  The maps indicate the amount of protected land in each site (see key at base of each map) based on currently available MassGIS data. In many instances, much of the land has already been “permanently protected” by the town, non-profit conservation organizations, or state and federal agencies.  Some sites have only “temporary protection,” such as those properties under Chapter 61 or with short-term conservation restrictions.  The other two categories: “unknown level of protection” and “limited protection” are less well defined.  All but the permanently protected properties should be considered at risk of development.  Currently the Wetlands Protection Act and town wetland by-laws provide de facto protection to wetland areas, such as the extensive red maple swamps in Stow and Acton. 

To find out more about the individual Biodiversity Sites, refer to Table 2: SuAsCo Biodiversity Sites in Section III.  This arrangement of information is deliberate so as to encourage readers to look across their town borders and to focus on a regional perspective.

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