Littleton Conservation Commission closes Long Lake hearing, orders dredging peer review

LITTLETON -- March 24, 2026, Littleton's Conservation Commission closed a public hearing on Long Lake shoreline access and ordered a third-party peer review of unpermitted dredging at two Blood Road properties. At the March 24 Zoom meeting, co-chairs Chase Gerbig and Sarah Seaward presided over a 7-0 straw poll showing commissioners favor town-owned docks and a licensed rack system for non-motorized boat storage on Parcel U12-14-0, with a formal vote deferred until the Select Board weighs in on costs. Select Board Chair Karen Morrison cautioned that the town is "in a maintenance of service mode" and direct dock spending is unlikely without CPC funding. Conservation Agent Tim Pearson told the commission that MassDEP recommended a peer review combining sonar bathymetry and sediment push cores to determine whether excavation at 8 Blood Road and 2 and 6 Blood Road by John Scott and Irv and Gayle Matheson surpassed the state's 99-cubic-yard dredging threshold; both matters were continued to April 7, with the affected lake area ordered undisturbed in the interim. The commission also unanimously approved a 3-to-1 native-species replanting plan for 359 King Street, where 43 red maples had been removed without authorization inside the commission's jurisdiction.