Harwich Conservation Commission Approves Four Permits, Fines Tree Company $5,100

HARWICH — February 4, 2026 — Harwich Conservation Commission approved four wetland permits and levied a $5,100 fine against a tree company at its February 4 meeting. The commission unanimously approved projects at 98 North Road, 19 Walkerwoods Drive, 32 Dunes Road in Oyster Pond, 50 Main Street Extension, and 114 Clearwater Drive, while continuing 80 Hoy Road and 29-31/33 Snow and Road to February 18. For the 11 Riverbend Road dredging project on the Herring River, the board added a condition requiring harbor master approval before any in-water work between Memorial Day and Labor Day — a direct response to a July 2025 incident in which a barge arrived on the river unannounced during peak season. Champion Tree Company, absent from its scheduled show-cause hearing over unpermitted clearing behind 19 Standish Woods Circle, was fined $5,100 under both state and local law, matching the penalty already assessed to the homeowner. Conservation staff also announced plans to apply for state ECO One-Stop grants, due at the end of March, to study fish passage and flow impediments in the Herring River watershed.