Conservation Scorecard case study - Hanson
The town of Hanson is a rural community located approximately 8 miles east of Brockton and 22 miles southeast of Boston. The town is bordered by Pembroke to the east, Halifax to the south, Whitman and East Bridgewater to the west, and Hanover and Rockland to the north. It was named after Alexander Conte Hanson, a Maryland newspaper publisher who defended his right to condemn the War of 1812, thus upholding the rights of a free press. The town today is much quieter and more peaceful than its namesake, and that's exactly how the residents like it. (Source: Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development)Click for more details about the town
The Conservation Scorecard viewer and worksheet was used in April 2006 to determine the relative conservation value of a 101-acre parcel currently set aside by the town. The Smith-Nawazelski property is held as fee-only, and there is some confusion in the town if it is Article 97 land or if it is just owned by the town in general. The undeveloped parcel contains several trails and is bordered on one side by an easement for power lines.
The site received a score of 50 points, placing it in the middle of the "moderate to good" conservation value category. This score is due in part to the confusion with the parcel's protection status, as well as for the following reasons:
Only common natural communities are known to occur there; The parcel requires stewardship and no funding is available for it;The site is not located over an aquifer;There are no vernal pools on the property;It does not contain any BioMap or Living Waters habitat. Click for a copy of the completed scorecard
Click for photos of the property
It is important to note that a score of 50 is good. However, if the town were considering purchasing properties for conservation in the future, the Conservation Scorecard should be applied to them as well to determine if other parcels with higher conservation values exist in Hanson.
The relative conservation value of this parcel could be improved if Hanson obtained funds and labor for the necessary stewardship, and if the town clarified the level of protection for this parcel. Also, additional site visits to the property to better inventory the natural communities may turn up a rare natural community, which would also result in a higher conservation value.
