State Awards Grant for Cleaning Field Pond

The Department of Conservation and Recreation awarded a matching-funds grant yesterday that will help clear invasive plant species from Field Pond in Harold Parker Forest.

The administration of Governor Deval Patrick made the announcement about the grant Wednesday afternoon along with grants for 31 other projects throughout the state. The total grant amount for all projects was $1 million.

While the specific dollar amount for the Field Pond grant is currently unavailable, the state specifically awarded the grant to the Friends of Field Pond, a non-profit auxiliary group that helps raise funds for the body of water located in Andover.

Department of Conservaton and Recreation commissioner Ed Lambert said that the state looks out for groups specifically like the Friends of Field Pond when spreading funds to improve area parks.

“These projects enhance DCR’s mission of reaching out to our Friends groups and helping them do what they do best, which is to support our forests, parks, and beaches,” Lambert said.

The DCR will assign a project manager to the Field Pond project, which will center on treating and removing invasive plant species from the large pond. Invasive plant species will often have negative effects on a pond's ecosystem and sometimes require routine treatment. 

The grant will require matching funds from the Friends of Field Pond.

Other projects that were funded with the matching grant were located in Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Boston, Douglas, Dunstable, Falmouth, Framingham, Groton, Lawrence, Milton, Natick, Newton, North Adams, Pepperell, Plymouth, Revere, Rutland, Sandwich, Townsend, Waltham, Wayland, Weston