Medford Conservation Commission approves order of conditions for Fells meadow project

Conservation Commission · Meeting of August 5, 2026

Medford Conservation Commission clears Fells meadow restoration, weighs new land deal. Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve an order of conditions letting the Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation continue invasive-plant removal near Whitmore Brook Path, part of a $98,000, fully funded restoration of the 90 Millimeter Meadow. Presenter Kyle McGrath said a Smithsonian butterfly curator once called the site "the best butterfly habitat inside of Route 128," with 67 species documented there in the 1980s before decades of invasive overgrowth.

Conditions require wetland-registered herbicides, state-licensed applicators, no spraying ahead of rain, and 48 hours' notice before any trail closure. Commissioner Heather Craig called the project "wonderful, especially from a historic point of view." Separately, the commission heard a preliminary request from the Friends of Fulton Heights to become primary holder of a future conservation restriction near the former Malden Hospital site, with a Community Preservation Act funding application due around September 10.

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• Who Was There
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Source: the Conservation Commission meeting of August 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.