Town Government &
  Services:

Departments Home Page

Conservation Commission

Bylaws, Regulations & Procedures

Documents and Links

Conservation Property

Meeting Schedule

Meeting Minutes

Departments: Conservation Commission

Conservation Commission

The Hingham Conservation Commission is a seven member board appointed to 3 year overlapping terms by the Board of Selectmen under Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws. The Commission is entrusted with the stewardship of over 1000 acres of conservation land and addresses natural resource issues of the town and region.

Empowered to administer the State Wetland Protection Act (M.G.L. Chapter 131, section 40), the Rivers Protection Law, and the Town of Hingham's Wetlands Protection Bylaw, the Commissioners review numerous projects that fall within their jurisdiction. After review, Orders of conditions are issued to applicants which are intended to protect the natural resource interests of the community.

A Conservation Officer, Assistant Conservation Officer, and a full time secretary staff the Conservation Office. Hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8:30AM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday 8:30 A.M. to 7:00PM , and Friday 8:30AM to 1:00PM

The Commission generally conducts a public meeting the first and third Monday of each month at the Town Hall beginning at 7 P.M.  However, please contact the Conservation Office to confirm meeting dates and locations and deadlines for submission of applications/filings.

2010 Annual Report

In 2010 Eugene Babin resigned from the Hingham Conservation Commission after serving as a commissioner from 2000 until 2010. The Commission welcomed Alan McKenna, who was appointed to the Conservation Commission to fill the vacancy.

The Hingham Conservation Commission held 20 public meetings under the MA Wetlands Protection Act and acted on 64 Notices of Intent applications, 19 Requests for Determination of Applicability, 10 Requests for Extensions and 6 Enforcement Orders were issued to violators to stop un-permitted work in or near wetlands. The Conservation Commission drafted and accepted new Hingham Wetland By-law regulations. The new regulations replace the outdated 1987 Hingham Wetlands By-law regulations and brought the Hingham By-law into compliance with the current MA Wetlands Protection Act regulations.

The South Shore Baptist Church conveyed a gift of land through a conservation easement to the Hingham Conservation Commission. The land contains 4.93 acres and is adjacent to the church. The Commission also accepted gifts of land from Barbara Shea at 257 South Street, and John Jorritsma at 82 Fort Hill Street.

In 2010 the Hingham Conservation Commission installed Conservation land signs at Amonte Meadows Conservation Area, Accord Brook Conservation Area, Broad Cove Conservation Area, and Old Swamp River Conservation Area. These signs will assist the public to locate and enjoy Hingham's Conservation Properties.

Path widening projects on Hingham conservation properties moved forward with the help of two very hard working senior volunteers, Edy Cox and Kathy Lincoln. The Mildred Cushing Woods conservation land on Cushing St. received path widening and woodchips spread, Moore Brewer Park received vistas openings around the pond, trash removal, invasive plants removed, and path widening, Brewer Reservation on Hobart St. received path widening, trash removal and invasive plant removal.

The Conservation Commission has worked in collaboration with the Hingham Harbormasters Office in the review of the Hingham Harbor boat basin dredging project and dock and pier reviews. The Hingham Conservation Office has aided and attended Boston Harbor Geographic Response Plan Project. During these meetings Hingham provided critical migratory and spawning habitat areas to be protected in the case of a hazardous spill in or adjacent to Hingham Harbor. This included identifying areas where emergency booms should be placed to protect critical marine habitats.

In the spring of 2010 the Conservation Office set up a fish trap at the Foundry Pond fish ladder to compare herring counts obtained in 2009 herring run. Due to high stream velocities the trap was removed to protect the migrating fish and no count was taken.

The Town of Hingham Conservation Department is working with the MA Division of Marine Fisheries and MA Coastal Zone Management to restore smelt spawning habitat in the Weir River below the Foundry Pond Dam. In 1998 a new dam was built at Foundry Pond. During construction the builders graded the river bottom and destroyed the rippling channels where the smelt lay their eggs. This restoration project involves rebuilding a small island at the base of Foundry Pond Dam. Two deeper channels will be cut around the base of the island creating more consistence flows of rippling water in the channel. This will attract the Rainbow Smelt to the channel and allow their eggs to remain submerged until they hatch.

The Hingham Conservation Department working in conjunction with Derby Academy and Coastal Zone Management was selected for funding with a grant award of $45,000 for hydrodynamic modeling of Broad Cove from the Gulf of Maine Council. This money will be used to evaluate restoring the original flushing capacity to Broad Cove. Broad Cove is adjacent to Hingham Harbor and has lost an estimated 50 acres of saltmarsh habitat to the invasive phragmites weed. This restoration grant award will be used for evaluating engineering options and detailing the impacts of restoring flows into the cove.