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Conservation commission awards contract for updated open‑space plan; funding tied to current‑use penalties
Summary
The Conservation Commission awarded Moosewood Ecological LLC a contract to complete an open‑space plan and map updates by 2026; commissioners said the work will be paid from the town’s conservation fund, which receives a portion of current‑use penalty revenues (estimated at about $8,000–$10,000 annually).
The Conservation Commission has awarded Moosewood Ecological LLC a contract to complete an updated open‑space plan for Swansea, with deliverables including updated maps, a story map and integration of findings into the town GIS by 2026.
Why it matters: the open‑space plan will identify priority farmland, wetlands, wildlife habitat and recreation lands, producing an updated conservation plan to guide future land protection and outreach. The commission said the project brings the town back into compliance with a decadal planning expectation; the last full plan was completed in 2004.
Commission representatives told the Selectboard that the conservation fund — supported in part by penalties when landowners remove property from current use — will cover the work. One commission speaker said the annual inflow to the conservation fund varies and estimated it at “probably $8 or $10,000” in typical years, while acknowledging the amount depends on how many landowners exit current use each year. The Selectboard asked who oversees that funding stream; the commission replied it comes to the conservation fund automatically and that staff (Alex, Adam) are working to integrate the open‑space outputs into town GIS layers.
The project follows prior conservation work including a 2018 natural resources inventory and more recent wetlands evaluations; commissioners said the new contract will produce the final mapping and conservation plan outputs for public use.
What comes next: Moosewood Ecological LLC is to complete the plan by 2026 and the commission will coordinate with town staff on GIS integration and public outreach.
