The Trump administration plans to expand hunting in 97 national wildlife refuges, including the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, which runs through Lancaster, Harvard, Ayer, Shirley, and Devens. The proposed rules would allow hunting of bear, fox, and coyote in the Oxbow, in addition to the birds and animals that can already be hunted there, such as deer, turkey, rabbit, grouse, and waterfowl. The new regulations also allow hunting in 128 acres of the Oxbow where it was previously banned.
The local changes are part of a nationwide expansion of hunting and fishing that would open 2.3 million acres in more than 100 national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries, according to a press release by the Department of the Interior dated April 8. “America’s hunters and anglers now have something significant to look forward to in the fall,” said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, noting that the acreage being opened is bigger than the state of Delaware and that hundreds of regulations have been eliminated.
Besides the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, the nearby Assabet River refuge in Sudbury and the Great Meadows refuge in Concord would also have more areas open to hunting—123 acres at Assabet and 778 acres at Great Meadows.
For the Oxbow, the new regulations would make all but 26 of the refuge’s 1,697 acres open to one form of hunting or another. The plan divides the Oxbow refuge into eight “hunt units,” with different rules applying to each. (For a map of the various areas and details of the new rules, see https://www.fws.gov/refuge/oxbow/.)
The Route 2 South Area, which is the section of the Oxbow used most heavily by Harvard residents, has long allowed hunting for deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, and woodchuck. Under the new regulations, people would also be able to hunt bear, coyote, fox, and waterfowl there. Under state law, hunters in that area can use bows, shotguns, or muzzle-loaders.
The Still River Depot Area, which visitors drive through to reach the parking area, allows archery hunting only. That restriction would remain under the new plan, but again bear, fox, and coyote could be hunted. (This section is the former Watt land, which became part of the Oxbow in 2010.)
The newly opened acreage in the Oxbow is the area called Hospital Road North, which lies along the border between Devens and Shirley, north of the Bill Ashe Visitor Center. The plan would allow only archery hunting in this area because of the nearby sports fields.
Neither the Nashoba River Watershed Association nor Mass Audubon is taking a position on these changes. Jack Clarke, director of public policy for Mass Audubon, wrote in an email, “At this time, we have chosen not to become involved in this matter as we are working with a reduced staff, are focusing on other priorities, specifically our COVID-19 response, climate change policy, and the rollback of major environmental protection standards across the nation.”
Anyone who wishes to offer feedback on the proposed changes can submit written comments to the refuge by mail (Attn: Hunt Plan, Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge, 73 Weir Hill Road, Sudbury, MA 01776) or by email to this account (fw5rw_emnwr@fws.gov). The deadline for comments has been extended to May 22 to allow for a 70 day comment period. All letters must be postmarked by this deadline.
