Amendment #1347 to H3800

Independent Study to Inform Long-Term Management of State Property

Mr. Driscoll of Milton moves to amend the bill by adding the following section: “SECTION XX.  There shall be conducted an independent, scientific study and survey of the forest, wildlife and environmental health of the Blue Hills Reservation, which shall focus on: (i) potential reasons for the declining forest health, (ii) the deer population and the effectiveness of controlled public hunting as a means of culling the deer population since 2015 (iii) the health of plant and insect life on the reservation and potential factors contributing to any decline in plant or insect health, (iv) the effect of ecological changes and climate change on the health of the forest and the plant and animal species, and (v) proposed solutions to ensure improvements in the forest, wildlife and environmental health of the reservation. The study will consist of the physical tagging of the population of deer for purposes of tracking relative to this and potential further studies. Deer population surveying methods shall include but are not limited to utilizing (i) fixed-wing aircraft or UAVs using aerial photography and downward-looking thermal imaging (ii) Distance sampling using driving transects and spotlights.

The study and survey shall be conducted by an independent scientific organization to be selected by the University of Massachusetts. The University shall choose such an organization to conduct the study and survey within 6 months after the effective date of this act, and the independent scientific organization shall report its findings and data in the form of a report and survey, which shall include proposed solutions and the costs associated with such solutions, to the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife within 4 years following the start of the study.

There shall be a moratorium on the continuation and further implementation of the Blue Hills Reservation deer management program and any controlled deer hunting in the reservation until the findings of such study and survey have been reported to the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and such departments have reviewed the findings and proposed updated solutions based on such findings.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1347 to H3800

Independent Study to Inform Long-Term Management of State Property