Marshfield Planning Board Reviews Draft Open Space Plan

MARSHFIELD - The Marshfield Planning Board on April 7 reviewed a draft of the town’s updated Open Space and Recreation Plan, a document that lays out strategies for protecting natural resources, expanding recreational opportunities, and building climate resilience.

The presentation was led by Susan Caron, chair of the Marshfield Open Space Committee, and Krista Moravec, a consultant from Horsley Witten. Caron opened the discussion by emphasizing the importance of aligning open space goals with other town boards.

“Our goal in presenting this to you and in writing this plan is to ensure that our goals and objectives stated in this plan, support and align with yours,” Caron said. “So we want to be sure that you understand that that's our main objective.”

Moravec, the lead consultant on the project, gave a detailed overview of the plan, highlighting its purpose, structure, and areas of focus. The plan must be approved by the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services and requires letters of support from the Planning Board, Select Board, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

“This plan helps guide decisions around protecting these resources and planning for them in the future,” Moravec said. “It also keeps the town eligible for funding.”

The plan includes an inventory of open space and recreational assets across Marshfield—both public and private—and integrates data from other existing town plans. Input for the plan came from public surveys, an open house, committee collaboration, and staff interviews.

Key needs identified in the plan fall into three categories: resource protection, community needs, and management needs. Moravec highlighted that climate resilience was a recurring theme.

“Balancing recreational uses with their protection to ensure that they are sustained and always a priority is protecting the town's aquifer and minimizing pollutants,” she said.

Other priorities included improving walking and biking connections, increasing awareness of open space, ensuring accessibility, and managing conservation land with limited resources.

“Volunteers are a big source of resources to help maintain them,” Moravec noted. “But ensuring that roles and responsibilities are clearly outlined [is essential].”

A new addition to the plan is a fifth goal focused on long-term stewardship of town-owned land. Caron described this as a major shift in the town’s approach.

“We have realized that with climate change, we can't just own land. We have to really be proactive in making sure that our forests are healthy and resilient,” she said. “We would like to start slowly building a culture of stewardship and trying to find ways to build capacity to pay for that.”

The Planning Board is expected to prepare a letter of support for the plan by its next meeting on April 14.

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