The Saugus Conservation Commission is a 7-member volunteer board tasked with the protection of natural resources, especially wetlands. It is principally involved in administering the MA Wetlands Protection Act M.G.L. Ch. Under these regulations, the Commission regulates many types of activities in or near wetland areas. Marie W. Wilkie is the Conservation Commission' s clerk.
Wetlands are valuable to wildlife as a source of nesting places, protective cover, and food.
They are the only home of some species of plants that have become quite rare. Wetlands improve the quality of both surface water and groundwater, acting to filter out pollutants and to separate water bodies from disturbance. Wetlands inhibit flooding. They absorb water during storms and release it slowly, at a rate streams can better handle. During heavy rains, natural floodplains fill up, giving storm water a place to go other than our basements and roads.