Statement to DCR Land Committee re. Belmont Uplands Preservation

Site description: Located off Frontage Road and Acorn Park Drive in Belmont this is a 15.6 acre site with 12.9 acres in Belmont and 2.7 acres in Cambridge. Of this 12.9 Belmont acreage, 3.4 acres are wetland and 9.5 acres upland. In Cambridge 1.2 acres are wet and 1.5 acres upland, therefore of the total 15.6 acres, 4.8 is wetland. This means the buffer zone nearly surrounds the buildable portion of land.

Currently there are no utilities on site and no direct access to the site from Route 2. The parcel abuts DCR property along the Little River and Little Pond.

Values:
Flood storage- The Alewife area of Arlington, Cambridge and Belmont has been increasingly impacted by flooding due to the increase of impervious surfaces and development downstream. The new FEMA 100 year flood plain figures show an increase of 26" in the delineation, from 8'6" to 10'8". This explains some of the flooding and verifies the importance of this site for floodwater storage and the natural filtration which occurs in the wetlands of the area.

Wetland scientist Charles J. Katuska, P.W.S. estimates that development with a building of 4.4 acres would result in the increase of stormwater runoff of 2.26 million gallons per year due to the loss of evapotranspiration naturally occurring in the forest. This also means a potential increase in pollutant loading of 3.3 lbs/year of zinc, 3.38 lbs/year of lead and .88 lbs per year of copper that is standard for urban runoff. Therefore it is not just the land itself functioning as wetland storage but the importance of the existing vegetation for flood storage as well.

Greenway: The site adjoining the Alewife Reservation, DCR properties and three towns provides a vital link to the urban greenway which connects the Little River, Alewife Brook, Aberjona River, and Mystic River to the Charles River Basin. The area is already heavily developed except for this Greenway and segmenting the green space diminishes its value to wildlife and pollution mitigation.

Wildlife Habitat- Habitat studies have been done both by the developer's scientists and those concerned with conserving the site. The site consists of an unusual upland forest of silver maples and a mixed wetland community including trees, shrubs and other wetland plants providing habitat for a wide variety of wetland and upland species. Neotropical migrant birds as well as resident avian species have been sighted here including but not limited to screech owl, red tailed hawk, robin, catbird, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, catbird, mockingbird, cedar waxwing, American goldfinch, belted kingfisher, great blue heron and various aquatic species such as American black duck, mallard, hooded and common mergansers. Some of these species also breed here. Mammals such as beaver, muskrat, skunk, raccoon, chipmunk, otter, weasel, woodchuck, gray and red squirrel, and rabbit are likely residents according to habitat surveys.

Wetlands and adjacent uplands are vital to reptiles and amphibians and spring peeper eggs have been found on site so it may be assumed that green, wood and bull frogs are also likely to be present as well as salamanders, garter snakes, painted and snapping turtles which have been sighted in the adjacent pond.

Invasive plant species are also present on the site including phragmites and loosestrife so wetland restoration would be advantageous to deal with these plants so common on disturbed waterways.

Added to website January 7, 2005