Madison Conservation Commission Seeks Board of Selectmen Slot on Natural Resource Inventory Funding

Conservation · Meeting of February 25, 2026

CT MADISON — Madison's Conservation Commission will send a formal letter demanding a Board of Selectmen agenda slot to seek natural resource inventory funding before the town budget closes. Chair Heather told members Wednesday that a January in-person request to be placed on the February agenda was apparently never entered, prompting the commission to agree that all future requests must be made in writing, with all members copied. Members said they plan to attend the next available selectmen's meeting as a group.

Separately, commission member Terry announced a March 6 meeting with Eversource arborist Dan McLeod and Tree Advisory Committee members to press the utility for an itemized list of streets targeted for tree work and to clarify what oversight exists over its contractors — a gap Terry said leaves Madison relying on resident pushback rather than municipal authority to protect healthy trees. The commission also reviewed a preliminary application for a Garnet Park bridge replacement, noting strong environmental documentation but flagging questions about flood-zone design standards and diamondback terrapin oversight.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,010 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of February 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

MADISON — February 25, 2026 — The Madison Conservation Commission agreed Wednesday to send a formal letter to the Board of Selectmen requesting a place on its agenda to seek funding for a natural resource inventory, after a previous in-person request apparently went unrecorded by the selectmen's office.

Commission Chair Heather said she had asked staff at the selectmen's office in January to be placed on the February agenda but was not added. She said the office later contacted her to ask whether any grant funding existed for the inventory — a question she said underscored why the commission needs to make a direct presentation. "I will write a formal email tomorrow to Jean Stevens and CC Aaron," she told the commission, adding that all members would be copied. The commission also agreed that members should attend the Board of Selectmen meeting together, either on the agenda or as a group during public comment, once a date is confirmed. The town budget process is currently active, members noted, giving the request added urgency.

The Full Story

The commission's most pressing business Wednesday was its stalled effort to get funding for a natural resource inventory before the annual budget closes. Chair Heather recounted that she had physically gone to the selectmen's office, watched a staffer enter the request into a computer, and still was not placed on the February agenda. The commission agreed that any future requests must be made in writing. One member called the situation "thoroughly frustrating," saying: "It is an obligation. We're trying to get work done. We're working hard. And they keep putting this off." [No timestamp index provided] — unidentified commission member

On zoning regulations, Chair Heather reported that town staff — she referred to the contact only as "Aaron" — said the Planning and Zoning Commission's first draft of revised regulations hit a setback when it was discovered that a large number of existing zoning provisions had never been assigned code numbers. Staff are working to reconcile those gaps before substantive revisions begin. Chair Heather said she would follow up to learn the internal deadline for a first draft of revisions.

The commission devoted extended discussion to educational outreach planned for April, centered on Earth Day, Arbor Day, and the town's Madison 200 anniversary. Members said a member named Fran had expressed enthusiasm for tying those events together in a joint public program. A member identified as Sam, described as a dark sky advocate in town, has been working with Chair Heather on a proposal to distribute amber or red light bulbs to residents to reduce light pollution. The commission discussed coordinating with the high school Eco Club, represented Wednesday by a student member identified as Aubrey, on Dark Sky Week programming, including a possible school-wide scavenger hunt and poster activity.

"Education about preserving our town starts young," [No timestamp index provided] — Aubrey, Eco Club representative, on proposed outreach to the elementary school.

On a separate matter, commission member Terry gave a detailed account of a meeting she and another member attended regarding the Metro-North rail infrastructure project in Madison. She said the project would involve excavating a historic raised road bed installed through a wetland south of the Grove School, restoring that area to wetland, and constructing a replacement wetland at a grassy area near Horse Pond Road. Terry said habitat restoration is planned to occur before infrastructure construction begins, which she called the preferable sequence.

Terry also reported on a meeting she arranged for March 6 with Eversource's contracted arborist for Madison, identified as Dan McLeod, along with Tree Advisory Committee members and Town Tree Warden Austin. The purpose is to understand Eversource's process for identifying and tagging trees for removal and to obtain an itemized list of streets planned for tree work in 2026. Terry said the current arrangement gives Eversource effectively blanket approval to remove trees unless residents or the town push back, a situation she described as inadequate given that Madison lacks a full-time tree warden.

"Madison doesn't have a tree ordinance. It's just kind of thrown to the wind — whatever you want, Eversource." [No timestamp index provided] — Terry, commission member

On the Garnet Park bridge replacement project, Chair Heather said she had reviewed the preliminary application, which has not yet been submitted to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She said the applicants had completed national biodiversity database and shellfish inquiries and had a wildlife relocation plan for diamondback terrapin turtles. She noted one question about whether the project was designed to a 50-year or 100-year flood standard and said she would write to the project contact asking for clarification on flood-zone design standard, the turtle relocation plan, and oversight mechanisms.

A member of the public, identified only as Sarah, attended via video and asked at the close of the meeting whether the commission ever discusses adjusting lot coverage requirements for commercial and other properties as development continues in town. Chair Heather said the issue falls primarily within the Planning and Zoning Commission's ongoing rewrite of town zoning regulations and encouraged Sarah to attend those meetings, which take place on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Why It Matters

The natural resource inventory has been a standing commission priority, and the failure to secure a Board of Selectmen agenda slot means the commission must now navigate the budget process on a tight timeline. If the commission cannot present before the budget closes, funding for the inventory could be deferred another year. The Eversource tree-management meeting scheduled for March 6 could shape how Madison asserts oversight over utility-driven tree removal — a concern that has already generated public controversy on River Road. The Garnet Park culvert replacement, once submitted to the state, will trigger a formal regulatory review that the commission expects to weigh in on.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approval of minutes from the January 28, 2026 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Madison's community access TV: Conservation Commission meeting, February 25, 2026