A WETLAND COMMUNITY
Shutesbury is a forested hilltown in Western Massachusetts with a population of about 1,700. Its residents depend on well water and septic systems. Over 40% of its steep, winding residential roads are unpaved, with dozens of small stream crossings. It contains the headwaters of two different major watersheds that all feed the Connecticut River.
Shutesbury has an abundance of freshwater wetlands: marshes, bogs, vernal pools, wet meadows, forested swamps, ponds, and streams. Its mixed forests depend on the high groundwater and thousands of wetlands throughout the town. Vernal pools provide essential habitat for many fragile and rare species. Our biodiverse forest home is studded with wetlands. These fragile ecosystems provide habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife. They are a shared source of joy, satisfaction, and pride.
Concerned Residents
Shutesbury's residents care about the environment. We live here because Nature and open spaces matter to us. Our town was a leader in wetlands protection after the passage of the 1972 state Wetlands Protection Act. In 1987, Shutesbury was one of the first towns to adopt its own Wetlands Protection Bylaw, which provides greater protections than state law. In 2024, the voters of Shutesbury adopted an updated Wetlands Protection Bylaw, one of the few bylaws in the state to mention the role of wetlands in climate change resilience. Time and again, the voters of Shutesbury have demonstrated that they want strong environmental protections for our fragile habitat.
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State and local wetlands protections, however, are not enough if no one can speak up on behalf of wetlands. The Rights of Wetlands Bylaw would create a legal pathway for residents and Indigenous communities to defend wetlands' right to exist. Just as Shutesbury residents have stood up in the past to protect our shared ecosystem, we hope that the town will once again heed the call to enshrine the Rights of Wetlands in a new bylaw that would build on past efforts.
Shutesbury Challenges
Shutesbury has its own unique environmental challenges and threats. Deforestation and climate change stresses (drought, invasive species) endanger our forests and increase the risks of catastrophic wildfires. Groundwater supply has begun to fluctuate during extreme drought, jeopardizing residential wells. Severe weather in recent years has led to sometimes disastrous flooding and erosion issues. Incremental residential development, increased recreational use of Lake Wyola, commercial forestry, and industrial energy projects pose risks to wetlands and water resources.
In addition, the Town of Shutesbury faces multiple and significant contamination issues (PFAS, gasoline, salt) that have already contaminated wetlands, groundwater, and private wells. The full extent of this contamination and its impact on residents is not yet known.