From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin
"It concluded that the major problem is invasive plant life," he said. "Until that is addressed, all other life will be choked out."
The study, conducted to evaluate obstacles to the ponds' recreational use, stated that non-native aquatic plants (milfoil and water chestnut) and invasive carp are threats to the native life at DelCarte.
"Those fish (carp) will eventually take over the whole water body," Russell said. "A single-species ecosystem is unhealthy."
Russell said the town's three-year plan - based on the study's recommendations - would call for the application of herbicides in years one and two and bolstering the ponds' spawning habitat in year three.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160228/franklin-looking-to-curb-invasive-species
The ESS Study referred to in the article can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/02/ecological-and-management-study-of.html
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DelCarte in autumn color |
Ashland Town Clerk Tara Ward remembers the spring town election of 2014.
All day and into the evening, Ward and her staff manned voting stations.
When the polls closed, it didn't take long to tally the results: Only 211 people voted.
"I was telling my election workers to vote," said Ward. "I was floored."
Ward's experience isn't unique in MetroWest, where residents come out in droves for presidential and state elections, but skip local races.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160228/towns-see-consistently-low-turnouts-for-local-elections
While not one of the communities listed in this article, Franklin's voting record aligns with the other communities. The numbers for elections from 2003 through 2014 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/franklin-voter-turnout-2003-2014.html