Stewardship Plan - the Town of Dennis

II.
Introduction
Prior to purchase by the Town of Dennis, Crowes Pasture Conservation Area (CPCA) was
comprised of several separately owned parcels of property. Management plans were
developed for each parcel as they were acquired, with specific attention paid to the critical
habitats present. With the consolidation of these multiple parcels, management plans and
public use facilities can now be developed which extend throughout the conservation area and
showcase all the characteristics which make this area an important coastal resource.
The use of state and federal funding for the purchase of these properties requires that access
be provided to everyone, not just residents from the Town of Dennis. However, this
requirement does not prevent the management entity from enacting limitations of the type,
volume and timing of access and use. Crowe’s Pasture Conservation Area (CPCA) is
designated for passive recreational use, and the public utilizes the area for a variety of uses,
including but not limited to, hiking, dog walking, ORV and pedestrian beach use, hunting and
birdwatching. While generally compatible, the continuation of these multiple uses requires the
implementation of a variety of management practices in order to effectively sustain these uses
for the future.
Several separate studies have been conducted at CPCA for the purposes of identifying
sensitive resources within the multiple parcels. Information from these studies has been
utilized and consolidated within this document.
The goal of the land stewardship plan is to identify the CPCA resources and to develop ways
to protect and restore those resources while insuring this Conservation Area will be developed
in accordance with the conservation restrictions. A Crowe’s Pasture Users Group was created
to assist the Town of Dennis Natural Resources Department, the Dennis Conservation Trust
and the Dennis Conservation Commission achieve this goal.
Information received from the users group was utilized to develop management priorities for
the CPCA. Technical information was gathered from state and federal regulatory agencies to
support the management plans and priorities. Permitting information was obtained from
Conservation Commission’s technical consultant and conservation restriction information came
from the Dennis Conservation Trust and The Compact staff.
This Stewardship Plan should be viewed as a living document which will require updates every
five (5) years at a minimum. Implementation timeframes are estimates and will depend on the
level of available staffing and financial support.