HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1617        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 787

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

William J. Driscoll, Jr.

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the management of the Blue Hills Reservation.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1617        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 787

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to the management of the Blue Hills Reservation.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

(a) Notwithstanding section 43 of chapter 286 of the acts of 2014 or any other general or special law to the contrary, for purposes of managing the deer population within the Blue Hills Reservation, the department of conservation and recreation shall divide the Blue Hills Reservation into individual deer population management zones of one square mile in area. Neither the department of conservation and recreation nor the division of fisheries and wildlife shall allow the hunting of deer within any individual deer population management zone where population of deer within that individual deer population management zone is less than 18; provided, however, that the commissioner of the department of conservation recreation and the commissioner of the division of fisheries may allow the hunting of deer in any individual deer population management zone if the population of deer within that individual deer population management zone exceeds 18. Prior to authorizing the hunting of deer in any individual deer population management zone the commissioner of the department of conservation recreation and the commissioner of the division of fisheries shall certify in writing, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that deer population within the individual deer population management zone for which they have authorized hunting exceeds 18.

(b) Notwithstanding section 43 of chapter 286 of the acts of 2014 or any other general or special law to the contrary, if after dividing the Blue Hills Reservation into individual deer population management zones of one square mile, any land area of less than 1 square mile remains undivided said undivided land area shall be classified as a special deer population management zone. The commissioner of the department of conservation recreation and the commissioner of the division of fisheries may allow the hunting of deer in said special deer population management zone only as follows:

(1) if the land area of the special deer population management zone is up to one quarter square mile and the population of deer in said special deer population management zone exceeds 5;

(2) if the land area of the special deer population management zone is between one quarter square mile and one half square mile and the population of deer in said special deer population management zone exceeds 9;

(3) if the land area of the special deer population management zone is between one half square mile and three quarters of a square mile and the population of deer in said special deer population management zone exceeds 14;

(4) if the land area of the special deer population management zone is between three quarters of a square mile and a square mile and the population of deer in said special deer population management zone exceeds 16;

Prior to authorizing the hunting of deer in said special deer population management zone, the commissioner of the department of conservation recreation and the commissioner of the division of fisheries shall certify in writing, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that deer population within said special deer population management zone exceeds the required minimum."