Tolland Conservation Commission approves restoration plan for Otter Pond property

The Tolland Conservation Commission on April 28 approved a landscape restoration plan for a property at 0 Otter Pond Trail after recording that trees had been cleared there without prior approval. The commission, meeting by Zoom, voted 2–0 to accept the proposal and reserved the right to revisit the restoration in spring 2027.

The action stemmed from an Order of Enforcement dated Jan. 29, 2026 tied to the Lot 17 property. Amanda Cernitz, identified on the record as the owner of 0 Otter Pond Trail, was the subject of the enforcement item. Mike Kulig of Berkshire Engineering presented the commission with a detailed planting and erosion-control scheme designed to stabilize soils and reestablish vegetation along the pond edge.

Kulig described using a New England seed mix near the shore and a seed/loam/mulch mix higher on the property, with straw blankets or a tackifier applied where the seed/loam mix is used to reduce erosion. A seeding hay with tackifier will accompany the New England seed mix; straw waddles will be placed across the slope and adjusted as Otter Pond’s water level changes. The proposal notes that final plantings will depend on the availability of listed plant material.

The commission approved the restoration plan unanimously (2–0). The record states the commission “reserves the right to revisit this proposal in the spring of 2027 to review and make suggestions, as needed, to insure the full and complete restoration of the property.” The transcript lists two commission members present for the vote: Les Cohn and Nichol Magni.

During the same meeting the commission approved the March 26, 2026 meeting minutes and set the next meeting for May 28, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom. The meeting adjourned at 5:57 p.m.