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Pollinator committee approves letter urging preservation of Peter Spring Field
Summary
The Concord Pollinator Health Advisory Committee unanimously approved a letter asking the Land Use Working Group and Select Board to preserve Peter Spring Field for pollinator habitat, organic agriculture and wildlife; members asked staff to receive the letter before the working group's next meeting.
The Concord Pollinator Health Advisory Committee voted to approve and send a letter urging the Land Use Working Group and the Select Board to preserve Peter Spring Field as a resource for pollinators, organic farming and wildlife.
The committee's draft, read during the meeting, states that "the committee supports the Peter Spring field remaining as a resource for organic farming, turtle preservation, history, and ecological preservation" and encourages preservation of the site to support wildlife and pollinator habitat. Members emphasized adding a short explanatory paragraph about why pollinators matter locally, citing recent declines in pollinator habitat and the value of pesticide-free agricultural land.
Committee members discussed wording to highlight the field's role in supporting native pollinators' reproductive cycles and the synergy between pesticide-free agricultural plots and adjacent undisturbed nesting habitat. Participants proposed language noting that the site "provides important habitat to support native pollinators year round," and suggested brief points for readers about how pollinators underpin local ecosystems and agriculture.
The group agreed on distribution steps: send the final PDF to Shannon McAndrew (staff contact for the Land Use Working Group) and Kristen Reichman (staff contact for the Select Board) so the letter would be received before the working group's meeting the following day. Members also discussed seeking publication in the local paper (the Bridge) and confirmed that the Bridge typically requires a named individual to submit and verify a letter on behalf of a committee.
A committee member moved to accept the revised letter and send it to the named recipients; the motion was seconded and the chair called the vote. The motion was recorded as approved in the meeting transcript; no roll-call tally appears in the record. Members asked for the letter to be circulated to staff first thing the next morning so the working group could review it before its meeting.
The committee also discussed potential participation in Climate Action Week (Sept. 20-27) and agreed to schedule follow-up planning. The advisory committee adjourned and scheduled its next regular meeting for the second Tuesday in July.
