Coastal Services Center

What Are Resource Conservation Areas?

Resource conservation areas include sections of Green Pond where significant quantities of marine life (specifically clams, oysters, and crabs) and habitat (such as eel grass) are present and could be negatively impacted by dock growth.

Scenarios A and B provide options to reduce the number of potential docks in these areas. The goal of the resource conservation areas is to both sustain and protect the habitat for future generations and maintain a healthy shellfish population for harvesting.

How Were the Resource Conservation Areas Identified?

The hypothetical resource conservation areas were defined using a combination of historic use patterns, historic shellfish habitat maps, and estimations by the Town of Falmouth's shellfish constable. If this scenario were more than hypothetical, several additional factors would be used to identify the resource conservation areas. Factors could include shellfish density, shellfish type, eel grass density, presence of endangered species and more.

Additional Information:

What are some Potential Impacts of Docks on Natural Resources?