Residents, birders urge keeping Warner's Pond intact during task force review

Residents and local naturalists used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 16 Warner's Pond Task Force meeting to urge the group to prioritize preservation of the pond and the dam.

Denise Gilbert, a Concord Green resident, described the first time she saw Warner's Pond as a “complete surprise and delight,” noting birds, reflective water and nearby small businesses. “This small body of water…is a treasure,” she said, and asked the task force to “maintain the dam and the fish ladder” and to “dredge the pond” as the group continues research.

Peter Rolledon, a longtime birdwatcher and former Mass Audubon executive officer who said Warner's Pond lies in his Christmas bird‑count area, cautioned against allowing exposed mudflats to become dominated by invasive phragmites. He described phragmites and purple loosestrife as plants that can displace native wetland vegetation and argued this outcome would reduce habitat value. Rolledon said he supported leaving “the pond as it is with its islands.”

Task force members acknowledged those concerns during the subsequent policy discussion, noting invasive species management and the risk that vegetation change could follow either dredging or dam removal. The consultants’ materials and the task force’s draft proposals include management and monitoring provisions intended to address invasive plant development, and the reconciling subgroup will consider how best to incorporate those contingencies into public‑facing language.

Ending: Public commenters emphasized local recreation, wildlife viewing and the pond’s neighborhood value; those themes informed the task force’s later request for clearer recreational access descriptions and stronger caveats about vegetation and invasive species in the draft proposals.