Commission Approves Cedar Lake Herbicide Treatment

Conservation · Meeting of August 6, 2026

STURBRIDGE — The Sturbridge Conservation Commission voted 4-0 to approve emergency herbicide treatment for an 11.2-acre fanwort outbreak in Cedar Lake. Conservation Agent Lauren Vivier and consultant Carl Nielsen of Wilcox and Barton told the board the invasive weed, which can grow up to two inches a day, formed dense mats near the public beach after the lake association could not perform its usual winter drawdown amid state permitting delays. Cedar Lake Association president Joseph Murphy said the weed "is a real hazard because people can become entangled in them." The board also approved, 4-0, a new single-family home at 66 Westwood Drive over objections from neighbor Joanna Shapiro, who said the design sits too close to a vernal pool, and endorsed a three-year, $18,000 plan to remove 52 dead and dying trees from Walker Pond Association land.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of August 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.