Whitman Conservation Commission Advances Wetland Complaint Review, Bylaw Draft

WHITMAN -- September 16, 2025, Whitman Conservation Commission moves to resolve a DEP wetland complaint and begins drafting a local conservation bylaw. The commission reviewed a 2018 negative Category 3 determination of applicability, approved 3 to 0, that had allowed a Jacob Blaine Road property owner to clear invasive vegetation and plant a garden within the 100-foot wetland buffer zone; a neighbor subsequently filed a complaint with the state Department of Environmental Protection, attaching a photograph of a tractor that commission members said did not constitute heavy construction equipment. Members are assembling maps and meeting minutes to send to their DEP contact, identified only as Peter, and plan to offer the property owners the option of a DEP site walk to close the case. On the bylaw front, commission member Leanne outlined a review process using a Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions sample template, with members able to annotate a shared Google Doc; the target is a draft ready for the bylaw study committee and a May 2026 Annual Town Meeting vote. The commission also identified the Whitman Enterprise as the likely replacement for the closing Whitman-Hanson Express for legal advertising, with applicants continuing to bear the cost.