Conservation Commission

Members Contact: concommembers@wayland.ma.us

Staff Contact: Linda Hansen


VIEW MEETING SCHEDULE JANUARY-JUNE 2024

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News

  • Please follow our Instagram @waylandconservation for updates on Conservation Commission activities and appreciating our properties!

Nominations for the Ken Moon Award are open! 
  • Ken Moon was a Wayland resident, volunteer, and Conservation agent who was known to practically "live in Town Hall", as he dedicated many years of his life to Conservation and the protection of the natural world. Due to his fervent commitment and outstanding contributions to conservation efforts in Wayland, the Ken Moon award was born. The Commission receives nominations for this award on a periodic basis, and more than one candidate may be awarded each year.

    If you have a resident, local activist, or dedicated volunteer in mind for this award, please submit a brief narrative with your nomination to the Conservation Commission via email: concommembers@wayland.ma.us, or drop off a letter at the Conservation Office located in Town Hall. The nomination window will close on March 1st, 2024. 


About Us:

The citizens of Wayland have been strong advocates of conservation for many years, and the Conservation Commission was established at the relatively early date of 1961. The Commission devotes much of its time to administering the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and the Wayland Wetlands and Water Resources Bylaw, which are intended to protect the quality and quantity of surface and ground water, prevent flooding and flood damage, and protect wetland-dependent wildlife and their habitat.

The Wetlands Protection Act prohibit construction, earth-moving, or the alteration of soils or vegetation within 100 feet of the wetlands and/or 200 feet of a perennial stream without the authorization of the Commission.  In Wayland, wetlands include ponds, streams, vernal pools, banks, bordering vegetative wetlands, flood plains, and forested wetlands. The Conservation Commission is the only board that determines whether an area is or is not under their jurisdiction, no other board or department has the authority to do so. To determine whether your property, or a portion of your property, is under the Commission's jurisdiction, call (508) 358-3669.

About 20 percent of the town's area has been secured as open space, including the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, town-owned conservation land, land of the Sudbury Valley Trustees, and miscellaneous private land.  The Commission manages 19 major town owned conservation areas totaling 1,023 acres, and co-manages several other parcels with Sudbury Valley Trustees.  The Commission maintains trails, leads educational activities, and sponsors maintenance "work parties".  

For more information, please visit the Conservation Department Page.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Linda Hansen Conservation Administrator (508)-358-3669
Brian Harris Land Manager (508)-358-3045
Monica Rivas Conservation Department Assistant (508)-358-3045