1. Town of Amherst
WPA Form 1- Request for Determination of
Applicability
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C. 2. a. Project Description Continued
Our goal is to protect and stabilize the resource areas in the Mill River Watershed by
planting vegetation along the UMass Campus Pond which is within 100’ of a wetland,
along about 950’ linear feet of the eastern shoreline. The severity of the shoreline erosion
varies, but is worst along the east side. Some places where the bank is undercut might
offer opportunities for fish who find shelter and food under shady crevices. The purpose
of these activities is to ensure that the values of the resource area are kept and ultimately
enhanced. We will restrict plantings to the buffer zone above the pond bank and not alter
the bank, directly, only providing an opportunity for the roots of the plantings to reach
towards the water and thus knit the bank together slowly.
These plantings will benefit the resource areas in the following ways. By reducing the
amount of mown areas, we will protect the land under the water body, the bank and allow
for the potential for wetland vegetation to establish a new resource area around the
eastern shoreline. The plants will improve water quality by slowing down any seepage
that is contributing to erosion by the water’s edge, and if the plants grow down the bank,
the root systems will stabilize the bank. By reducing access into the water, but
maintaining the views we can protect the resource areas from compaction and erosion
from people and Canada geese. By intercepting surface water from across the lawn, any
phytoremediation potential in the plants might take up pollution or sediment from runoff.
Finally, an opportunity for education/outreach exists from this planting plan to
communicate to pond visitors with signage about the benefits of wetlands and the names
of key wetland plants that are often overlooked. We are requesting permission from the
Town of Amherst to do this work over a three to five year period, during which we can
do continual, but gradual planting of native additions and pruning of opportunistic
vegetation.
The plant list we will use show native plants to Massachusetts, if not Hampshire County,
as they have evolved together in community with other microbial, plant and animal
associations of this watershed for thousands of years and offer the greatest potential
habitat and food sources for wildlife.
There will be no removal of soil, or filling or grading, minus the movement of soil
necessary to plant a 5” deep plug or raking of soil surface to accept seed.
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2. Town of Amherst
Areas Proposed for Planting
A- Willow Bend – the most southern edge of the pond. Starts at the
south end in the area above the riprap bank, following the bank north
along crabapple plantings and emerges through mature willow trees.
Underplant with less than 25 red-osier dogwood shrub tubelings
(Cornus sericea) and various grass and wildflower plugs here where
woody plants are already present.
Rip rap bank at the south east edge View north through crabapple trees
Looking west through area A Looking south under willows
Looking north again at undercut bank, slumping of buffer zone and absence of bordering
vegetation
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3. Town of Amherst
B – The Beach – Following immediately north after the end of the
willows, this area is open without woody plants, and is losing soil
through erosion reported anecdotally by Physical Plant and
Landscape Services (bank edge is closer to the gravel road than in
the past). Plant to low native grasses and wet meadow wildflowers
under 3’ to maintain views.
View west across a low spot (note gully) View south along bank
Probably, these benches were placed farther away from the water at one time. Note
compaction around the base.
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4. Town of Amherst
C- The Dam – At the north end of the pond, a dam or weir holds back
the pond. Here, we are proposing to selectively prune to the ground,
and herbicide some of the invasive species included in the list (privet,
porcelain berry, etc.)
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5. Town of Amherst
DETAILS OF METHODS REQUESTED
1. Vista pruning as described under 310 CMR 10.04- selective thinning to improve
visibility.
2. Mechanical reduction or removal of nuisance species
3. Planting with vegetation, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, rushes and
sedges, to have the least impact on the resource areas. Check for underground
utilities. Done with Physical Plant’s DIG SAFE contact, April 2007 (show map).
Start work at upstream end and work north. The MACD recommends seeding and
sodding grasses when banks are not seriously eroded and a good seedbed can be
prepared. We propose to eliminate turf grass with the use of Rodeo or Roundup in
coverage areas less than 1000 sq feet at a planting, or to do an alternative
treatment that will remove turfgrass without disturbing the soil as requested by the
Conservation Commission. This herbicide is a registered product on the MDAR
Sensitive Areas Materials List and the area is not in a Zone II water supply. After
turfgrass has died, we will lightly rake detritus, roughen the seedbed, broadcast
the seed, cover it lightly with a biodegradable jute mesh cover and mulch with
weed free straw at 2 bales per 1000 sq ft. 1
Soil will not go into the pond while
planting. Planting will be performed with sediment control devices constructed of
weed free straw bales to protect pond while planting, establishing or removing
vegetation. See Appendix I from Western Mass Streambank Protection Guide,
1998, NRCS. Locate construction access points to minimize disruption of
materials and people to work site and minimize disruption to public circulation
needs. People working around the pond will not drive to the work area but park
and congregate away from the planting zone. Begin and end all work at stable
points along the bank. These are where there is no noticeable scallop shape
cutting the bank but instead where the flow is parallel to the bank.
1
Pg 70, NRCS
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6. Town of Amherst
REFERENCES
NRCS. 1992. National Engineering Field Handbook, Chapter 13, Wetland Restoration,
Enhancement, or Creation; Chapter 16, Streambank and Shoreline Protection; Chapter
18, Soil Bioengineering for Upland Slope and Protection and Erosion Reduction.
Washington, DC: USDA Soil Conservation Service.
Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire Conservation Districts for NRCS. 1998. Western
Massachusetts Streambank Protection Guide: A Handbook for Controlling Erosion in
Western Massachusetts Streams. Northampton, MA.
Sorrie, Bruce A. and Somers, Paul. 1999. The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A
County Checklist. Westborough, MA: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS INCLUDED
Lake Warner Watershed Action Plan- Based on November 2002 Watershed Survey of the
Lake Warner Watershed and the December 2002 Action Planning Meeting Facilitated by
the Riverways Program. Identifies the UMass Campus Pond as a “Priority for Action.”
Commonwealth of Massachusetts EOEA Department of Agricultural Resources MDAR
sheet on Glyphosate, the ingredient in Rodeo.
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