2.4.4 GOALS AND POLICIES
2.4.1 Goal: To prevent loss or degradation of critical wildlife and plant habitat, to minimize the impact of new development on wildlife and plant habitat and to maintain existing populations and species diversity.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis and the Dennis Water District have protected about 30% of the town’s land mass (4,065 acres) as open space, wellfields, playgrounds and beaches. Much of this acquisition includes large undisturbed tracts of forest land. Since 2002 the town has acquired 121.89 acres of open space including large tracts of protected habitat in the Quivet Neck/Crowe’s Pasture Resource Protection District.
2.4.1.1. Applications that propose to alter undeveloped areas shall contain a natural resources inventory. Such inventory shall identify the presence and location of wildlife and plant habitat, including vernal pools, and serve as a guide for the layout of the development. Developments shall be planned to minimize impacts to wildlife and plant habitat. Natural resources inventories shall be prepared in accordance with the Plant and Wildlife Habitat Assessment Guidelines, Technical Bulletin 92-002.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has very few large open tracts of land, much of the development occurring in town includes redevelopment and infill on smaller tracts of land.
2.4.1.2. Clearing of vegetation and alteration of natural topography shall be minimized, with native vegetation planted as needed to enhance or restore wildlife habitat. Standing specimen trees shall be protected. The permitting authority may require designation of building envelopes (for structures, driveways, lawns, etc.), where appropriate, to limit removal of vegetation.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis adopted special zoning for the Quivet Neck/Crowe’s Pasture Resource Protection District, as part of this zoning there are restrictions on the amount of land alteration and clearing that can occur. The by-law also protects steep slopes to ensure the integrity of the habitat.
2.4.1.3 Fragmentation of wildlife and plant habitat shall be minimized by the establishment of greenways and wildlife corridors of sufficient width to protect not only edge species, but species that inhabit the interior forest, as well as by the protection of large unfragmented areas, and the use of open space or cluster development. Wildlife shall be provided with opportunities for passage under or across roads and through developments where such opportunities will maintain the integrity of wildlife corridors. Fencing shall not be constructed so as to interfere with identified wildlife migration corridors.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Dennis Natural Resources Department works to create and protect greenways and wildlife corridors. In addition, the Dennis Water District, Dennis Land Acquisition Committee and now Community Preservation Act Committee have worked to protect large unfragmented areas as open space.
2.4.1.4. The Natural Heritage program has agreed to review Developments of Regional Impact proposed within Critical Wildlife and Plant Habitat Areas for the Cape Cod Commission. The Town of Dennis supports this effort, and will work with the Commission and the Natural Heritage Program to implement this portion of the Regional Policy Plan. These areas consist of habitat areas of rare (threatened or endangered) plant and wildlife species and species of special concern as generally identified and mapped by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and other critical habitat areas as identified and mapped by the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod’s “Cape Cod Critical Habitats Atlas,” or local authorities. Developments of Regional Impact that would adversely affect habitat of local populations of rare wildlife and plants shall not be permitted. Development may be permitted where the proponent can demonstrate that such development will not adversely affect such habitat. A wildlife and plant habitat management plan may be required as a condition of approval when development or redevelopment is permitted in critical wildlife and plant habitat areas.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: With the limited amount of vacant land in Dennis very few projects reach the level of DRI review. That being said, the Dennis Natural Resources Department often consults with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and relevant maps in their review of projects that are well under the Cape Cod Commission DRI Thresholds.
2.4.1.5 Development shall be prohibited in vernal pools and within a minimum 200′ buffer around these areas. This buffer area may be increased to up to 350′ unless the proponent can demonstrate that this greater buffer is not required for the survival of the vernal pool species. These areas shall not be used for stormwater management.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis Natural Resources Department and Conservation Commission oversee permitting which occurs within buffer areas to vernal pools.
Other Development Review Policies:
2.4.1.6. Measures to restore altered or degraded upland habitat areas should be encouraged where ecologically appropriate (e.g. sandplain grasslands, pine barrens etc.).
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has restored dunes and replanted dune grass to protect ecologically important areas. In addition, the town has acquired vast tracts of land, about 30% of the entire town, for various open space programs, the largest being simply for passive open space and water resource protection.
2.4.5 ACTIONS & IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
1: Maintain accurate, appropriately scaled and accessible wetlands maps for use in local regulatory programs. Maps should include isolated inland wetlands and vernal pools.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis hired a full-time GIS specialist who is in charge of all Town of Dennis mapping efforts. This position has worked closely with all regulatory departments to ensure appropriately scaled and accessible maps for all resource areas are available.
2: Develop a clear and acceptable definition of the boundaries of wetlands and set a consistent standard for siting new subsurface disposal systems in proximity to these areas; Improve and retro-fit areas with failing systems.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis, through its Conservation Commission and Natural Resources Department have a consistent standard for mapping wetlands. The siting of all new subsurface disposal systems in proximity to wetland resources are reviewed jointly by the Conservation Commission and Board of Health. The town has also contracted for aerial photography and digitized mapping of the town which will identify all wetland resource boundaries as of the date of the fly-over.
3: Continue improving the mitigation plan to address existing storm water management problems involving runoff and drainage systems adversely affecting water quality in wetlands and water bodies.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has adopted appropriate EPA Phase II Storm Water Plans and By-law addressing run-off, drainage systems and the protection of water quality in wetlands, water bodies and subsurface.
4: Develop a public wetlands education program, addressing the types, locations and functions of Dennis’s wetlands and other critical habitats and the threats facing them.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis, through its Conservation Commission work to educate the public on the importance of wetlands and other critical habitats. The success of this program is highlighted by the number of acres of land protected in Dennis as compared to our neighboring towns. The Dennis DPW aggressively pursues the elimination or mitigation of direct untreated discharges into wetland resource areas.
5: Educate Town officials, landowners and other citizens on land preservation options in order to ensure the protection of critical habitat areas. Methods of preservation include regulatory measures such as mandatory cluster subdivisions, major development set-asides, minimum lot size increases and the establishment of building envelopes that leave significant portions of new lots undisturbed in resource protection areas; Non-regulatory measures include fee acquisition, access easements and conservation restrictions.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis, through many town boards and commissions, work hand in hand to educated everyone about the importance of land preservation and the tools available for such preservation.
6: Improve management of Town land holdings, paying special attention to littering, beach cleanliness, illegal waste disposal and erosion caused by dirt bike use. Dedication of specific Town holdings to conservation and clear definition of uses for other Town properties, including authority over harborfront beaches, can also help establish Town protection priorities and mitigating the impacts of degrading uses.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has adopted many programs, from “Adopt a Beach” to providing Poop Bags to improve the cleanliness of town lands. Strict enforcement of laws regarding dirt biking also takes place. Finally, AmeriCorps has provided volunteers to the town for many years. These volunteers assist in clearly delineating trails and other areas open to the public, which aids in keeping hikers and others from leaving the appropriate trails. The Town is developing a Land Steward Program utilizing public volunteers to assist with land stewardship.
7: Add a Development Impact Statement section to the Zoning Bylaw to ensure explicit protection of habitat and endangered species.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has adopted the requirement for development impact statements in the Quivet Neck/Crowe’s Pasture Resource Protection District but not in any other zoning district.
8: Identify and certify any vernal pools within the Town in collaboration with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis Natural Resources Department works with the Dennis Conservation Trust and others on the delineation of vernal pools.
9: Establish guidelines within the Zoning By-law and other wetlands regulations to include expanded wetland buffers and a prohibition of wetland replication.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis Conservation Commission prohibits wetland alterations and replication.
10: Develop a clear cutting and site disturbance by-law to protect wildlife corridors and critical plant and animal habitat.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis, as part of the Quivet Neck/Crowe’s Pasture By-law has adopted restrictions on clear cutting and site disturbance in the resource protection area.
11: Take advantage of state and federal funding for biodiversity or habitat restoration.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Town of Dennis has made use of a variety of resources for the restoration of habitat. In particular, the Engineering and Natural Resources Departments have replaced the Bridge Street Culvert to restore tidal flow in Sesuit Creek to eliminate the intrusion of non-native phragmites in the salt marsh.
