Weston Conservation Commission Approves Charles River Aquatic Weed Management Plan

WESTON — May 10, 2022 — Weston Conservation Commission backs DCR's five-year plan to treat invasive plants in the Charles River. The commission voted unanimously Tuesday to close the hearing and issue an order of conditions for the Department of Conservation and Recreation's aquatic plant management program covering the Charles River Lakes District, a roughly 1,000-acre stretch running through six towns. Kara Slavosky and Vanessa Curran of the DCR Lakes and Ponds Program told commissioners that a 2021 survey found Eurasian water milfoil at 60 percent of sampling points, covering 183.5 acres across the full reach; Weston holds roughly 23 acres. The approved program uses fluridone and ProcellaCOR herbicides alongside mechanical harvesting for water chestnut, and any change in herbicide approach requires prior commission approval. The board also voted unanimously to recommend the town's deer hunting program continue for a 10th fall season, with 45 hunters having harvested 30 deer in 2021, and approved a retroactive permit for an unauthorized but well-built bog bridge discovered in Jericho Town Forest.