Conservation Commission

link to materials and recording of MassTC presentation on October 23, 2025

About the Conservation Commission

Conservation Commissioners are appointed for 3-year terms. The Conservation Commission is tasked with the administration of the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the local Chilmark Wetlands Bylaws. These regulations protect and regulate activity within resource areas such as wetlands, coastal banks, beaches and tidal flats, land under water bodies, salt marshes and streams, to name a few.

The Conservation Commission:

• Ensures that the Wetlands Protection Act and local bylaws are adhered to.
• Works with federal (USDA and Army Corps of Engineers) and state (NHESP, MESA, etc) entities to ensure compliance with their regulations.
• Provides oversight of properties on which there is a conservation restriction.
• Advises on planning of municipal open spaces for conservation and recreation.
• Acquires land for protection of water recharge areas, regulation of flood plains, and the regulation of wetlands.
• Protects agriculture, forestry and fishing that affect the economic health of the town.
• Coordinates with town departments whose activities have an effect on the environment or resource areas.
• The Conservation Commission may accept land or money to acquire land with the approval of the Select Board.

• The Conservation Commission is the town's agent for Fulling Mill Brook Preserve as well as other parcels around town. 

*The Conservation Commission would like to remind anyone who has an open Order of Conditions that they need to file for a Certificate of Compliance once the project has been completed. Failure to receive a Certificate of Compliance and to properly file it at the Dukes County Registry of Deeds could lead to delays in real estate transactions regarding the property in question.*
Please contact the Conservation office at 508 560 4632 if you have any questions