Conservation director seeks $90,000 for townwide land management plans to guide stewardship

Jennifer Miller, Conservation Director, told the committee that Westborough has about 50 miles of trail across town‑owned parcels and that the town has acquired many conservation properties without a consistent capital plan for long‑term stewardship.

Miller proposed a set of Land Management Plans (LMPs) covering the town's conservation areas that would include baseline surveys, community input, stewardship priorities, cost estimates for maintenance and capital needs, and an implementation schedule. She said the work would identify trail and staging area repairs, handrail and staircase replacements, invasive species management, and priorities tied to water‑supply protection and flood resilience.

"The estimated cost to do the land management plans for all of our conservation areas is $90,000," Miller said, noting that she would solicit multiple proposals and that the figure is a planning estimate. She also said the plans would enable the town to pursue alternative funding (Community Preservation Act funds, grants) and to define whether needs are operating budget items or capital expenditures requiring future committee review.

Committee members asked about trail maps, usage tracking and whether counters could be used to target investments. Miller said the planning team and IT are producing improved color‑coded maps and that sensors could be deployed to count trail users and better prioritize maintenance and capital spending. She added that some immediate work (for heavily used areas such as Bowman Conservation Area) is being pursued through a CPC request.

The committee encouraged the proposal as a way to move from reactive repairs to planned stewardship.