reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 131 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 5 - Open Seasons; Rules and Regulations

Section 5. The director shall declare an open season on fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians or mammals in any county where such open season seems advisable, and may make rules and regulations relating to the time and length of such open season, bag limits, possession limits, methods of taking, time and methods of reporting and all other matters pertaining to such open season as he may deem necessary and expedient, and may suspend or modify the open season whenever in his opinion such action becomes necessary.  The director shall establish rules and regulations providing for an annual two-day deer hunt for paraplegics and no fee shall be charged for a special hunting license issued to a paraplegic under the provisions of this section. The director shall determine the dates and area for said hunt; provided, however, that no paraplegic deer hunt shall be authorized in any area where hunting is prohibited by any special or general law.  Rules and regulations made under authority of this section shall be subject to the approval of the fisheries and wildlife board as defined in section seven of chapter twenty-one, not less than three members of which, together with the director, shall hold a public hearing with regards thereto, and such rules and regulations shall be subject to the provisions of section thirty-seven of chapter thirty.  The director, without hearing, but with the approval of the fisheries and wildlife board, may adopt regulations declared by him to be emergency regulations necessary for the immediate management or control. Such emergency regulations may be limited in time but shall not remain in effect for a period longer than ninety days.  Except as provided in rules and regulations made under authority of this section, and except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person shall not fish, hunt or trap or have in his possession any fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, mammal or carcass or part thereof, but this section shall not be construed to prohibit the hunting, taking or possession of any English sparrow, crow, jay, starling, chipmunk, fox, flying squirrel, red squirrel, porcupine, skunk, weasel, wildcat or woodchuck whenever such hunting, taking or possession is otherwise lawful.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 5b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 5b - Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program; Administration; Advisory Committee

Section 5B. The director shall administer the natural heritage and endangered species program in accordance with clauses (3) and (13A) of section four, and shall promulgate rules and regulations, subject to the procedures established in chapter thirty A, for said program, including criteria for the purchase of lands critical to nongame wildlife and endangered species, and for the use of said land for the protection and enhancement of nongame wildlife and for the encouragement of compatible wildlife uses. The commissioner shall appoint, subject to the approval of the fisheries and wildlife board, a natural heritage and endangered species advisory committee of seven members to advise the director on matters pertaining to nongame wildlife and wild plants. One of the members shall be a board member interested in endangered species appointed pursuant to section seven of chapter twenty-one. Of the remaining six members, three shall have technical training and experience and be drawn in the commissioner's discretion from the fields of ornithology, mammalogy, herpetology, icthyology, and botany, and three shall be persons knowledgeable in the field of natural history. The committee shall select a chairperson annually by majority vote of the members of said committee at a meeting scheduled for such purpose. The members shall serve terms of three years, except for the initial term, three members shall be appointed to serve for one year, two for two years, and two for three years. The committee shall meet at least quarterly and shall also meet at the request of the director or committee chairperson. Committee members shall not receive compensation for their services but shall receive reimbursement from the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund for reasonable expenses necessary to the performance of their duties.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 5c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 5c - Obstruction or Interference With Lawful Taking of Fish or Wildlife; Remedies

Section 5C. No person shall obstruct, interfere with or otherwise prevent the lawful taking of fish or wildlife by another at the locale where such activity is taking place. It shall be a violation of this section for a person to intentionally (1) drive or disturb wildlife or fish for the purpose of interrupting a lawful taking; (2) block, follow, impede or otherwise harass another who is engaged in the lawful taking of fish or wildlife; (3) use natural or artificial visual, aural, olfactory or physical stimulus to effect wildlife in order to hinder or prevent such taking; (4) erect barriers with the intent to deny ingress or egress to areas where the lawful taking of wildlife may occur; (5) interject himself into the line of fire; (6) effect the condition or placement of personal or public property intended for use in the taking of wildlife; or (7) enter or remain upon public lands, or upon private lands without the permission of the owner or his agent, with intent to violate this section. The superior court shall have jurisdiction to issue an injunction to enjoin any such conduct or conspiracy in violation of the provisions of this section. A person who sustains damage as a result of any act which is in violation of this section may bring a civil action for punitive damages. Environmental protection officers and other law enforcement officers with arrest powers shall be authorized to enforce the provisions of this section.  This section shall not apply to the owners of the lands or waters or tenants or other persons acting under the authority of such owners of the lands or waters.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 6 - Acquisition of Rights, Privileges, Lands and Properties

Section 6. The director, with the approval of the fisheries and wildlife board, may:—  (1) for the purpose of providing public fishing grounds, acquire by gift, lease, easement, purchase, exchange or license or accept by transfer, fishing rights and privileges or lands or interests therein necessary for such purpose, together with rights of ingress and egress;  (2) for the purpose of fish and wildlife management and propagation, acquire by gift, lease, easement, purchase, exchange or license or accept by transfer, properties or interests therein at such places in the commonwealth as he may select.  (3) for the purpose of providing public shooting grounds, acquire by gift, purchase, lease or easement, or without consideration therefor obtain by license or permit the use of lands or waters within the commonwealth, of shooting rights thereon or therein, together with necessary and proper rights of ingress and egress.  The director may, subject to the provisions of section thirty-seven of chapter thirty, make rules and regulations relative to the public rights, privileges and use of lands, waters and properties acquired hereunder.  Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to prohibit the director from disposing, through sale or exchange, of mammals, birds, birds' eggs, fish, fish eggs or the vegetable products of such lands in connection with propagation or management.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 7 - Wildlife Sanctuaries; Trusts

Section 7. For the purpose of protecting any species of useful fish, birds or mammals and for aiding the propagation thereof, the director may acquire in fee by purchase, gift or devise, or may lease, or with the consent of the owners, may control, any land, water or shore or the right to use the same, including the right of the public on such land or on or in such water or shore, as a wildlife sanctuary. The director, with the approval of the governor, may receive in trust for the commonwealth any grant or devise of land or any gift or bequest of personal property for the purpose of aiding in the propagation and protection of any useful fish, birds or mammals; provided, that, unless approved by the general court, no obligation shall be imposed on the commonwealth to expend in the carrying out of any trust more than the income of the trust property, or more than the income and principal thereof if by the terms of the trust the principal may be expended. Any such gift or bequest of money or securities shall be transferred forthwith to the state treasurer, who shall administer it as provided in section sixteen of chapter ten.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 8 - Use of Wildlife Sanctuaries and Preserves; Rules and Regulations

Section 8. In respect to any territory mentioned in section seven or fifty-nine, the director, with the consent of the appropriate authorities may make use of the land, water or shore within the territory as he deems best for the purpose of improving the feeding and nesting environment of birds or mammals, and may from time to time make such rules and regulations relating to such use as he deems proper, and such rules and regulations, when approved by the governor, shall have the force of law. The director with like consent may liberate birds within the limits of said territories, and, when in his opinion such action is advisable, cooperate with land owners within such territory in experiments in the propagation of birds and mammals.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 9 - Publication of Order Establishing Wildlife Sanctuary; Posting

Section 9. If an order is made by the director establishing a wildlife sanctuary, as provided in section seven, he shall cause a copy of the order to be published once a week for two successive weeks in one or more newspapers published in the counties embracing the territory, and shall cause copies of the order to be posted in conspicuous places within the cities and towns where the territory is situated, and also within the limits of the territory itself. If a great pond or any part thereof, or any seashore, is included within the territory, a copy of the order shall be filed in the office of the clerk of each city and town bordering upon the pond or seashore, and also in the office of the state secretary. An order made by the director in accordance herewith shall take effect when posted as above provided, and shall contain a full description of the territory so established and the period for which it is closed.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 10 - Hunting or Trapping Within Wildlife Sanctuary

Section 10. Whenever such wildlife sanctuary has been established by an order as provided in section nine, no person, except as authorized by the director under clause (2) of section four, shall hunt, trap or take any bird or mammal within said sanctuary, nor shall any person enter such sanctuary with a firearm, trap, snare, or other device of any kind or description adapted to the killing, taking or injuring of birds and mammals, nor shall any person take, molest, disturb or destroy any nest, eggs or young of such birds or mammals or remove the eggs or young from the nest.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 10a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 10a - Nature Preserves; Designation

Section 10A. The executive office of environmental affairs, the department or any other division of the department within said executive office may designate as qualifying as a nature preserve any real property owned by the commonwealth and under the care and control of said department, executive office or any of its divisions or departments. Such a parcel of real property shall be deemed to be a nature preserve upon the following:  The division shall after a determination that said parcel qualifies as a nature preserve hold a public hearing thereon in accordance with the provisions of chapter thirty A.  The division shall file with the secretary of the executive office of environmental affairs a statement dedicating said parcel as a nature preserve. Such statement shall include the reasons said parcel qualifies as a nature preserve and a plan for the preservation and protection of said parcel as a nature preserve.  A nature preserve established in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be monitored and maintained as nearly as possible in its natural condition, and shall be used in a manner and under limitations consistent with its status as a nature preserve, without impairment or artificial development for the public purposes of present or future scientific research and education, and of providing a habitat for plant and animal species, communities and other natural objects and for preservation of areas representative of the significant habitats and ecosystems of the commonwealth.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 10b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 10b - Nature Preserve Council

Section 10B. A nature preserve council, hereinafter referred to as the council, shall be established and shall consist of seven members who shall be appointed by the secretary of the executive office of environmental affairs, four of whom shall be members of the natural heritage and endangered species advisory committee, appointed pursuant to section five B, two of whom shall be trained in plant ecology and shall represent colleges, universities, outdoor education programs, primary and secondary schools, science museums, and arboreta, and one of whom shall be knowledgeable in natural history and shall represent the general public. The members of the council shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Each member shall be appointed for a term of three years, except that for the initial term, three members shall be appointed for one year, two members shall be appointed for two years and two members shall be appointed for three years. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term. Any member shall be eligible for reappointment.  The council shall annually select from among its members a chairman. The council shall hold meetings at least quarterly. Special meetings may be called by the chairman and shall be called by him upon written request of at least two members of the council. A written notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be sent to each member.  The council's duties shall include advising the division on policies and rules and regulations concerning nature preserves, consulting with the division regarding the nomination of potential nature preserves, assisting in the preparation of a plan for each nature preserve, and advising the division on budgetary matters related to such nature preserves. The council shall submit a biennial report to the governor on or before May first of such year, describing the condition of each nature preserve, outlining any actions taken by the council since the last report, and making any recommendations related to the nature preserve program which the council deems necessary.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 10c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 10c - Release of Nature Preserves

Section 10C. A nature preserve established pursuant to section ten A shall be released in a manner consistent with the provisions of the constitution of the commonwealth. The division shall, in consultation with any other department or division within the executive office of environmental affairs which has control of said parcel, consider the public interest in the conservation and preservation of such nature preserve and any federal, state or local program in furtherance thereof, any state, regional or local comprehensive land use or development plan affecting said parcel, and any proposal by a governmental body for the use of said parcel.  The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to affect in any manner any power pursuant to any general or special law to acquire by purchase, eminent domain or otherwise any real property for public purposes.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 10d (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 10d - Consultation; Rules and Regulations

Section 10D. The division shall consult with the nature preserve council in implementing and effectuating the nature preserve program established pursuant to sections ten A to ten C, inclusive. The division shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate said nature preserve program.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 12 - Licenses; Issuance; Form; Display

Section 12. Upon the application of any person entitled to receive a sporting, hunting, fishing or trapping license and upon payment of the fee specified therefor in this chapter, and the furnishing of an affidavit by any non-resident desiring to be classified under the first paragraph of section eleven, the director, the clerk of any city or town, persons employed in the department of fisheries, wildlife and environmental law enforcement, the Massachusetts office of business development and the division of fisheries and wildlife and persons authorized by the director to issue such licenses at their place of business located within or without the commonwealth provided such persons are duly bonded, shall issue to such person a sporting, hunting, fishing or trapping license, as the case may be, in such form as the director shall prescribe and furnish. Subject to existing laws, a sporting license shall authorize the licensee to hunt birds and mammals and to fish, a fishing license shall authorize the licensee to fish only, a hunting license shall authorize the licensee to hunt only, and a trapping license shall authorize the licensee to trap mammals only. Each license issued hereunder shall bear a written declaration, signed by the licensee, under penalty of perjury, that data and statements contained in the license are true, and such other data as the director requires. The holder of a hunting, fishing, sporting or trapping license shall, while hunting, fishing or trapping, carry on his person and wear in a visible manner on his outer clothing his license authorizing him to do so in accordance with such rules and regulations as the director may from time to time prescribe.  At such time as the division of fisheries and wildlife has instituted an automated licensing system, the holder of a hunting, fishing, sporting or trapping license shall carry said license on his person and shall not be required to wear it in a visible manner.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 13a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 13a - Wildlands Conservation Stamps

Section 13A. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall fish, trap, or hunt in the commonwealth without first having obtained a wildlands conservation stamp, which shall be issued by the director or his duly authorized agent upon the payment of five dollars; provided, however, that persons who are exempted from licensing requirements need not purchase such a stamp; provided, further, that persons issued fishing, sporting, trapping, or hunting licenses without charge shall be issued said stamp without charge; and provided, further, that no person who has purchased a stamp with any current resident license to fish, trap, or hunt shall be required to pay the fee for a wildlands conservation stamp for any additional current license or any duplicate license. The director is hereby authorized to issue stamps in such form as he may prescribe and may issue rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section. The stamp may be imprinted directly on fishing, sporting, trapping, or hunting licenses or issued separately at the discretion of the director.
MA Gen L ch 131 § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XIX - Agriculture and Conservation|Chapter 131 - Inland Fisheries and Game and Other Natural Resources|Section 15 - Issuance of Special Complimentary Certificate to Officials of Other States

Section 15. An executive or administrative public official of any state granting similar privileges to such an officer of this commonwealth may hunt any bird or mammal or may fish in any of the inland waters of the commonwealth if he holds a special complimentary certificate entitling him so to do, which certificate the director, with the approval of the governor, is hereby authorized to issue, and the holder of such certificate shall have the same rights and privileges and be subject to the same duties and penalties as if he held a sporting license.