Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for details. All meetings at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, April 13
- Conservation Commission and Open Space Committee listening session, 6 p.m., Public Library
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 19
- Planning Board, 5 p.m., Earle Mountain Reading Room
- Conservation Commission and Open Space Committee Listening Session, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starter
All Ears on Conservation Areas
Over two evenings this week, the conservation commission and the open space committee are holding “listening sessions” on the future of Wiley Park and the Nickerson Conservation Area. The first meeting is in person at the library; the second is Zoom only. Comments are also being accepted via email and snail mail until April 21.
The two boards are soliciting “experiences, concerns, and suggestions for improvement” for these two popular recreation areas on topics including but not limited to “safety issues, off-leash dogs, boat launching, trail issues, [and] signage,” according to the flyer distributed by the town.
Increased human and canine activity has caused significant damage to the Wiley Park ecosystem. In March, conservation commission chair Karen Strauss told the Independent of her plans to hold the two listening sessions in the hopes of being “more proactive” about the future of the areas.
“I think we are going to hear a range of concerns,” Strauss said this week, from dog owners and boat users in particular. Though “in one of the letters, we’ve heard from somebody who’s concerned about poison ivy,” she said.
The open space committee is scheduled to meet on April 26 to consider the information gathered from community stakeholders. On May 2, the two committees will have a joint work session to discuss possible rule changes, Strauss said. If a public hearing is in order, it will likely happen in late May or early June, she said.
“We’re excited to be able to offer this opportunity to our residents to share their thoughts with us — and hopefully suggestions, not just complaints or issues, but ideas for how we might do better with some of these things,” Strauss said. —Amelia Roth-Dishy
