HARWICH – Selectmen in Harwich were provided an overview of the work done by the Pleasant Bay Alliance over the last two decades last month.
It has been about 20 years since the area was designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
The Pleasant Bay Alliance is a municipal organization made up of the towns or Orleans, Chatham, Harwich and Brewster
Pleasant Bay Alliance Executive Director Carole Ridley discussed the organizations history, accomplishments and future plans to protect the Pleasant Bay watershed at a Harwich Selectmen’s meeting in July.
“Our study area is the entire 21,000 acre watershed,” Ridley said. “The theory being is that it’s all well and good to focus on the bay but what really effects the health of the bay is everything we do in the watershed.”
Ridley said the watershed is a large part of the organization’s resource management plan, which is required every 5 years.
“A tremendous amount of thought, preparation and community input goes into the document,” Ridley said. “It’s approved by each of the four towns and the state and this is really our guidebook for action on a five year basis.”
The management plan covers protecting biodiversity, protecting coastal processes and wetlands, watershed planning, navigation safety, fisheries management and public access.
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