Conservation Commission

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**Please See Guidance Below from MassDEP on Submissions During Office Closures due to COVID-19**

Guidance to Conservation Commissions and Applicants for Submissions During MassDEP Office Closures

Conservation Commission News:

In January and February of 2021, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife banded ducks in the Colton Road Conservation Area as part of a statewide effort to band mallards and black ducks this past winter. Mallards have been declining in numbers over recent years, resulting in the State reducing the bag limit for mallards. The banding was an effort to learn more about the recruitment and survival rates of eastern mallards. 

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife staff used a walk-in bait trap to capture the mallards, using kernel corn as the bait. They were able to capture and band 17 ducks - 10 drake mallards, 6 hens, and 1 Black Plumaged duck/mallard hybrid hen. The ducks banded in Millbury were the only ducks banded in Worcester County this winter. They were among 585 ducks banded at 31 sites from the Berkshires to Cape Cod.The Conservation Commission is grateful for the important work the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife is doing to protect and learn more about native species in our conservation areas.