Skip navigation.

The Official Website of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

 
MassWildlife banner

Other Public Meetings

Information about upcoming public information meetings, public comment requests will be found in this area.

 

INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON BOBCATS

On Tuesday, November 17, from 6:30- 7:30 pm at the Northampton City Council Chambers on 210 Main Street, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will hold an informational meeting to discuss the proposed changes to rules and regulations pertaining to the bobcat harvest quota and the time period for sealing of harvested bobcats. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for questions and comments from the public.

Agenda

Presentation By Division Staff (20 minutes)

Public Question and Answer Session (40 Minutes)

Bobcat FAQs--Information covering the questions people have asked about bobcats and the proposed regulatory changes.

Information on the proposed changes to the regulatory language.

Directions: Take I-91 to exit 18. Left at the bottom of the exit onto Pleasant Street (Route5). Left turn at the traffic signal at the intersection with Main Street. Northampton City Hall is on the left and the Council Chambers is behind City Hall, access is through the driveway to the right of City Hall.

Parking: Public Parking lots in Northampton are marked with green "P" signs: The Northampton Parking Garage is accessed from Pleasant Street; turn left onto Armory Street before the intersection with Main Street. There is a very small parking lot behind City Hall. Additional there are public parking lots below City Hall; turn left at Crafts Avenue on the left side of City Hall and down the hill.

FOREST RECERTIFICATION: PUBLIC COMMENT INVITED 10/30/09 - 11/30/09

As part of the 2009 forest management recertification process, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is seeking public comments during a 30-day period (October 30, 2009 - November 30, 2009) regarding which state wildlife lands are being considered for recertification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) criteria for sustainable management. Public comments may be emailed to Mass.Wildlife@state.ma.us, or sent via postal mail to "Forest Certification Comments", MassWildlife Field HQ, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA, 01581.

Certification by the FSC is a professional acknowledgement that the landowner is practicing responsible forest management that is environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable. The certification process requires annual audits of forest management practices, and must be renewed every five years. Certification also requires extensive public review of the forest management planning process for public lands.

MassWildlife lands were originally certified through FSC in 2004, and the five-year recertification audit occurred between April and August of 2009. The audit report determined that only lands with publicly reviewed management plans are eligible for recertification. To comply with this determination, MassWildlife has identified a subset of state wildlife lands (44,000 acres) that are presently eligible for recertification, a subset of lands that can become eligible for certification in the future, and a subset of lands that will not be submitted for certification for various reasons, including: facility development (boat launch sites, offices and hatcheries), non-forested lands (salt marshes, roadside corridors, sand dunes), and lands not completely under MassWildlife's management control.

Lands currently eligible for recertification are located in the Berkshire Highlands and Taconic Mountains Forest Management Zones (FMZ) for which there are already publicly reviewed forest management plans. Information about these FMZ Plans is posted on the Division's website.
Information on lands that can become eligible for certification in the future and lands which will not be submitted for certification are posted as well.

MassWildlife will post a summary of all comments received, and describe any action to be taken by the agency in response to comments received on its website on or about December 15, 2009.