Carver Conservation Commission withdraws cranberry bog zoning article, cites process gaps

CARVER — February 18, 2026 — Carver Conservation Commission pulls cranberry bog zoning article and opens barn demolition process at light February meeting. Resident Sarah Hewens told the commission Wednesday she is withdrawing a proposed annual town meeting warrant article that would have barred approval of house lots with more than 30 percent wetlands — including cranberry bog — after town counsel reminded her the measure is a zoning matter requiring Planning Board review, a process she said there is no longer time to complete before town meeting. Hewens said the Growers Association, contacted the same day, also advised holding off, citing concern that the article as drafted would inadvertently block farming families from creating lots for children who plan to continue working the bogs. The commission also directed new Conservation Agent Olivia Pryor — introduced at the meeting after joining the department from Marion this month — to contact the building inspector about condemning a snow-collapsed barn on conservation land at the northern end of Savory Avenue, with a follow-up question about whether demolition costs fall on the town or the commission's own budget. All continued public hearings were pushed to March 4.