TToowwnn ooff WWaarreehhaamm Open Space And Recreation Plan 2010 – 2017 FEARING HILL CONSERVATION AREA Watercolor by Wareham Artist Robert Scott Town of Wareham 54 Marion Road Wareham, Massachusetts Wareham Open Space and Recreation Plan 2010 – 2017 Prepared For: The Town of Wareham, Massachusetts Prepared By: The Wareham Open Space Committee Wareham’s Open Space Committee thanks the Board of Selectmen, the dedicated employees in the Town offices, departments, and committees who provided data and invaluable input, Elizabeth Pezzoli for her help with the ADA Accessibility Self-Evaluation, and the residents of Wareham for their contributions to this plan. Town of Wareham 54 Marion Road Wareham, Massachusetts 02571 This page is blank. Table of Contents SECTION 1 PLAN SUMMARY ................................................................................... 1 SECTION 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 2 A. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE .......................................................................................... 2 B. PLANNING PROCESS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ........................................................... 2 C. ENHANCED OUTREACH AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ....................................................... 4 2010 – 2017 Open Space and Recreation Plan Questionnaire .......................... 5 SECTION 3 COMMUNITY SETTING .......................................................................... 9 A. REGIONAL CONTEXT ................................................................................................ 9 B. HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY .................................................................................... 9 C. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................... 12 D. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS .................................................................... 14 Patterns and Trends ..................................................................................... 14 Infrastructure .............................................................................................. 15 Long-term Development Patterns .................................................................. 17 SECTION 4 ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS ................................... 26 A. GEOLOGY, SOILS, AND TOPOGRAPHY ........................................................................ 26 B. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER......................................................................................... 27 C. WATER RESOURCES .............................................................................................. 27 D. VEGETATION ........................................................................................................ 30 E. FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE ....................................................................................... 31 F. SCENIC RESOURCES AND UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS ...................................................... 37 G. ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES ................................................................................ 40 SECTION 5 INVENTORY OF LANDS OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION INTEREST .. 58 LAND OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION INTEREST INVENTORY ........................................... 60 A. PRIVATE PARCELS ................................................................................................. 62 B. PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT PARCELS ............................................................................ 74 SECTION 6 COMMUNITY VISION ........................................................................... 88 A. DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS ...................................................................................... 88 B. STATEMENT OF OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION GOALS ................................................. 89 SECTION 7 ANALYSIS OF NEEDS .......................................................................... 90 A. SUMMARY OF RESOURCE PROTECTION NEEDS ............................................................ 90 B. SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY’S NEEDS .......................................................................... 91 C. MANAGEMENT NEEDS, POTENTIAL CHANGE OF USE .................................................... 92 SECTION 8 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................... 93 SECTION 9 SEVEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN ................................................................ 94 SECTION 10 PUBLIC COMMENTS ............................................................................ 99 SECTION 11 REFERENCES ................................................................................... 106 APPENDIX A ADA ACCESSIBILITY SELF-EVALUATION .......................................... 108 Map Index MAP 1-—REGIONAL CONTEXT ............................................................................................. 19 MAP 2-—ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POPULATIONS ................................................................... 20 MAP 3-—ROAD NETWORK................................................................................................... 21 MAP 4-—DEP ZONE II WATER SUPPLY PROTECTION AREAS ...................................................... 22 MAP 5-—WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE ...................................................................... 23 MAP 6-—LAND USE - 2005 ................................................................................................ 24 MAP 7-—ZONING .............................................................................................................. 25 MAP 8-—HYDRIC SOILS ..................................................................................................... 42 MAP 9-—TOPOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 43 MAP 10—SURFICIAL GEOLOGY ............................................................................................ 44 MAP 11—WATER RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 45 MAP 12—OUTSTANDING RESOURCE WATERS ......................................................................... 46 MAP 13—NHESP NATURAL COMMUNITIES ............................................................................ 47 MAP 14—SALT MARSHES AND BARRIER BEACHES .................................................................. 48 MAP 15—FLOOD HAZARD AREAS ......................................................................................... 49 MAP 16—PLYMOUTH-CARVER SOLE SOURCE AQUIFER ............................................................ 50 MAP 17—ANADROMOUS FISH .............................................................................................. 51 MAP 18—NHESP ESTIMATED HABITATS OF RARE WILDLIFE .................................................... 52 MAP 19—NHESP PRIORITY HABITATS FOR RARE SPECIES ....................................................... 53 MAP 20—NHESP BIOMAP ................................................................................................. 54 MAP 21—UNIQUE FEATURES .............................................................................................. 55 MAP 22—CRANBERRY PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT AREAS ........................................................ 56 MAP 23—HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES .................................................................................... 57 MAP 24—INVENTORY OF OPEN SPACE................................................................................... 87 MAP 25—ACTION PLAN ...................................................................................................... 98 The maps in this document are for illustrative purposes only. They are not adequate for regulatory interpretation or parcel level analysis. Table Index TABLE 1: LAND USE ........................................................................................................... 17 TABLE 2: ESTIMATED SHELLFISH CATCH ............................................................................... 33 TABLE 3: MESA AND FEDERAL STATUS FOR RARE SPECIES IN WAREHAM .................................... 36 TABLE 4: PRIVATE PARCELS INVENTORY ................................................................................. 62 TABLE 5: PUBLIC PARCELS INVENTORY .................................................................................. 74 TABLE 6: NONPROFIT PARCELS INVENTORY............................................................................. 85 Open Space and Recreation Plan 2010 – 2017 Wareham, Massachusetts Section 1 Plan Summary This 2010 update to Wareham’s Open Space and Recreation Plan provides a foundation to guide future land use policies and actions by examining the Town’s need for new or improved conservation areas, recreational facilities, and permanently protected open land. The need to protect open space, upgrade playing fields and playground facilities, safeguard watershed areas, and protect river corridors, ponds, and coastlines is widely recognized by Wareham’s residents. The Town faces serious financial challenges in addressing the diverse needs for land preservation, maintaining recreational facilities, and improving access to the Town’s vast array of rivers, ponds, and coastal areas. Unfortunately, since the 2004 Open Space and Recreation Plan, Wareham’s Recreation Department incurred severe budget cuts resulting in the loss of staff and severe reduction of recreational programs. The unfortunate loss of