Barnstable Conservation Commission Approves Sandy Neck Vehicle Management Permits Unanimously

BARNSTABLE -- March 15, 2022, Barnstable Conservation Commission unanimously approves Sandy Neck Beach Park vehicle management plans after months-long state review. The commission, chaired by Thomas Lee and meeting remotely on March 15, incorporated five conditions from a March 14 Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program letter into two new DEP orders, SE3-5965 for recreational vehicles and SE3-5966 for essential and gas vehicles, that will govern piping plover and terrapin protections at the West Barnstable beach for the next five years. Cottage owner Patrick Brissett, calling in from Texas, credited the cooperative monitoring program with producing "incredible" increases in terrapin nesting counts on the marsh trail. The commission also approved a negative determination for a Nitro nitrogen-reducing septic upgrade on Little Island in Osterville, cleared a revised demolition-and-rebuild plan at 65 Waterman Farm Road in Centerville, and advanced a MassWildlife habitat restoration application for the Hyannis Ponds complex with conditions requiring annual monitoring reports and staff notification before prescribed burns, timber harvesting, or other major management activities.