Conservation Foundation permitted to treat invasives at Milestone cranberry bog under ecological restoration rules

The Nantucket Conservation Commission issued an order Sept. 4 authorizing invasive‑species management at the Milestone cranberry bog, 220 Milestone Road, under the commission's ecological restoration limited‑project procedures. Staff explained the project was filed as an ecological restoration limited project and therefore did not require a waiver; the commission added conditions for herbicide labeling and applicator licensing plus annual reporting and photo monitoring.

Commission staff said the project covers treatment within bordering vegetated wetlands, land subject to coastal storm flowage and associated buffer zones. The order permits use of labeled herbicides (the draft language included glyphosate or imazomox or equal), requires that a licensed applicator apply any product, and mandates annual reports detailing herbicide type and quantity. The commission added a condition that if the area shows less than 50% regrowth of native species within two years and six months, the applicant must file a new notice or amendment to supplement plantings or seedings.

The commission placed specific monitoring language in the order: pre‑ and post‑treatment photographs and annual submission of monitoring reports to commission staff until a certificate of compliance is issued or the order expires. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve and issue the order.