Meetings Ahead
Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join.
Monday, Aug. 5
- Conservation Commission, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 6
- Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 7
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starters
About Those Temporary Signs
The planning board will hold a remote public forum on Aug. 7 from 5:15 to 6 p.m. about temporary signs on public land in Truro.
This comes after the town’s decision in May to pause enforcement of its bylaw regulating temporary signs following the controversial removal of campaign signs. According to the bylaw, temporary signs on public land require approval from the planning board and permits are limited to holidays and special events.
According to the announcement of the forum on the town website, “Most existing signs have been planted with no review and many do not fall into the category of holiday or special events.”
The planning board is “looking for input as to how to deal with temporary signs more realistically in a way that fits with Truro,” says the announcement.
The forum invites the public to address the positives and negatives of temporary signage and to discuss how to regulate and permit them. The Zoom link is on the town website. —Aden Choate
Tracking Box Turtles
As July turns into August, more Eastern box turtles will be seen out and about. The Truro Conservation Dept. tracks these reptiles and offers an online portal for residents to submit their own sightings.
On the town’s turtle reporting webpage, those who’ve spotted box turtles are asked to approximate the location on a map of the town, which is then converted to exact coordinates. There is also an option to add a photo of the turtle.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, Eastern box turtles nest from May through July. Though the species is not endangered on the national level, it is classified as a species of special concern in Massachusetts.
The town’s June newsletter informed residents that they could safely pick up and move a turtle if it was in the road. But it warned not to put turtles in the water, as they are land animals. —Jack Styler
