Erving Conservation Commission Clears Two Railroad Spray Plans, Eyes Poplar Mountain Parking

ERVING — June 1, 2021 — Erving Conservation Commission unanimously approved herbicide no-spray zone determinations for two railroads and took a step toward a new Poplar Mountain parking area. The board voted 4-0 on separate positive 2A determinations for Pan Am Railways and New England Central Railroad, clearing the five-year vegetation management plans under which glyphosate-based herbicides are applied along town rail corridors; consultant Keith Morris noted a multi-mile stretch of New England Central track through the Deerfield River corridor is barred from spraying entirely this year due to water-supply protection designations. On Poplar Mountain, commissioners agreed to have DPW staff formally stake a roughly 55-by-50-foot, nine-space parking layout and clear underbrush before any tree removal proceeds; funding remains unresolved, with town finance staff offering to check balances in the commission's interest-bearing trust fund — estimated near $9,000 to $10,000 — and suggesting a possible out-of-cycle appeal to the Select Board and Capital Planning Committee.