Siblings And Special Places

The back seat of the family pre-war car had a decorative strip of fabric sewn down the middle of the seat. This thin line became a China wall from seat to roof whenever my brother and I rode back there. Of course this wasn't too often, with "A" stamps there wasn't much travel in those days. As we rode, his hands didn't cross the line or my toys penetrate that formidable barrier. Then came a sister who wanted both our territories.

That upholstered line must have been my first experience with a buffer. Webster suggests a buffer is "anything that serves to lessen shock or sharp impact, as between antagonistic forces". I'm afraid that definition fits my memory. That line became a buffer by parental edict. Today we talk about buffers which nature can equip but which are set aside and protected through the edicts of our zoning ordinance and the understanding of our citizens, especially those abutting important wetland.

The definition of the buffer I'm talking about now is "A naturally vegetated upland area adjacent to a wetland or surface water". In 1999 Antioch New England Graduate School trained and directed the efforts of a dozen Amherst residents in the science of wetland evaluation. Out of this study, sponsored by the Planning Board and the ACC, came the recommendation that 44 significant wetland areas be given a higher level of protection by law. You are being asked to support this recommendation when you vote in March.

What does a buffer around a wetland or water body accomplish? Why are buffers important? Aside from the water (which is reason enough) what or whom else benefits?

As Amherst proceeds to build out its open space there will be increasing pressure on wetlands, many of which overlie important subsurface acquifers. The impacts caused by road and paved area runoff, recreation facility fertilizing, and spills need to be anticipated. Also, the less obvious pressures of home construction, occupancy and landscaping can severely reduce a wetland's ecological value and the quality of the water flowing from it outward or downward into an acquifer.

Looking at five pollutants that may flow from a residential lot, here is the effect naturally vegetated buffers of different widths can have on pollutant removal:

Pollutant	25 Foot	100 foot
Sediment and suspended solids	20%	75%
Nitrogen	45%	90%
Phosphorous	40%	40%
Nitrates	30%	99%

Where water quality is important (and that includes all of Amherst) the larger the buffer that can be provided the higher will be the water quality and the quality of life for those dependent upon it.

A 100-foot buffer benefits critters from the small salamander upwards to turtles, mink, hawks and forest birds. One hundred feet seems to be a reasonable trade off between the demands for people space and the desire to lessen environmental degradation of important wetlands. If we could bow strictly to nature's preferences we would look at buffer widths much greater as shown below for wetlands and around commercial and residential developments. Clustered development and intermixed uses can be part of a solution, but that's an issue for a later day. For example here are a few buffer widths wildlife species are found to prefer:

Small mammals in stream bank woods		20'
To lower small stream temperatures		30'-70'
Amphibians		100-330'
Fur bearers		330'
Forest birds		250'
Wildlife travel corridors		660'

In closing, the law is one thing and essential for good community planning. But the heart of wetland protection lies in the hearts of all of us who abut wetlands or streams feeding them. What we do with our own backyard space goes far in preserving the integrity and quality of wetland life.

Last Update:

Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #96, February, 2001
Siblings And Special Places

Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #96, February, 2001 Siblings And Special Places

Issue #96, February, 2001
Siblings And Special Places