EASTHAM CONSERVATION COMMISSION
25 May 2010
MINUTES
PRESENT: Glenn Collins, Sandra Larsen, Lorraine Giovinazzo, Steve LaBranche, Dennis Murley, David Hoerle.
STAFF PRESENT: Deputy Natural Resource Officer Amy Usowski.
NOT PRESENT: Steve Smith.
ALSO PRESENT: Bill Allen
Chairman Murley opened the hearing at 7:00 P.M. and introduced Bill Allen Audubon’s “Super Volunteer” who is working to document and encourage the Diamondback Terrapin population in Eastham, starting very modestly, and the success in the last couple of years is staggering. He said Mr. Allen was present to give a progress report, much of which will be on the “Turtle Gardens” that the Conservation Commission approved on Blue Bill Lane and the old turnip farm on Widgeon Drive.
Mr. Allen thanked Mr. Murley for his introduction. He said this is a work in progress and they still have a long way to go before they can claim victory, maybe not even in his lifetime. He showed photos of a large female Northern Diamondback Terrapin which he said is the “star of the show”. He said it is a state-listed, threatened species which is why they are concentrating on this species. He said it is the only turtle that has adjusted to the brackish salt marsh environment.
Mr. Allen showed maps of the Terrapin’s living areas: Rock Harbor, Boat Meadow, Herring River, South Sunken Meadow; and, North Sunken Meadow, all on the Bay side. He said that it’s only a mile “as the Crow flies” to the Nauset Marsh, but there are no Terrapin in Nauset Marsh. He said Nauset Marsh is too cold. He said that Wellfleet is the furthest North that Diamondback Terrapins are found so Eastham is right on the edge of their existence.
Mr. Allen showed a photo of the Habitat Restoration Turtle Garden on Blue Bill Lane. He said it is typical nesting habitat: in the sun, clear, sandy, next to the marsh. He said that this site is ideal and is really what’s necessary to keep the Terrapins off the road.
He said that the Terrapin will probably start nesting within a week and will nest in June and July. He said that once he finds a nest they protect it with a predator excluder, a cage type thing, which will remain there for the whole incubation period which usually last from sixty to ninety days. He said when the hatchlings come up, they check the nests twice a day to make sure there are not hatchlings trapped inside the excluder or they get fried by the sun. He said this a critical part of the effort to try to boost the recruitment of the hatchlings into the population, the more adults they get the more eggs they will get, and hatchlings, and so forth and that’s how they try to increase the population. He said that otherwise, skunks or racoons would get 98% of the babies.
Mr. Allen showed a graph of existing nests and protected nests dating from 2002 to present, showing that most of the nests are now protected. He said there are now somewhere around 70-75 mature females between Boat Meadow and Herring River Marshes. He said that when he started, they were pretty much at the edge of local extinction. He said it takes eight years for them to mature so a turtle that hatched in 2005, the first good year, would mature in 2014. He said that is when they will start to see the results of their conservation efforts. He said that a total of Ten Hundred Ninety-Eight(1,098) hatchlings were released into the marsh last year and they are the hope for the future.
Mr. Allen went on to say that the second aspect is trying to reduce the mortality of the adults, and showed a photo of the Turtle Crossing sign. He said that road kill is the major cause of their mortality. He said there is virtually nothing that will kill an adult other than a car. He said that since 2002 they have lost Twenty-Five turtles to road kill, in spite of the Turtle Crossing signs and education.
Chairman Murley said the Commission has addressed some of these things. He said he thinks the Commission has always been careful of retaining walls around the salt marshes and particularly with hardscaping and flat areas. He said a problem that Wellfleet has run into quite a bit is that Conservation Conditions for coastal areas call for re-planting, re-planting, replanting, and a certain amount of erosion is critical for he Terrapins. He said he thinks the biggest problem in the coming years will be that the high marsh habitat is being degraded very quickly. He said that hatchlings might spend years in the thickest part of the salt hay, hanging out, gaining size, letting food come to them, and in a lot of places there is no depth to the marsh. He feels that is a potential threat down the road.
Mr. Murley said that hopefully, with people like Bill and other volunteers the populations will continue to increase. He said Eastham was almost a forgotten spot until Bill took up the cause. He said they are almost invulnerable as adults and can live to be thirty years old and reproduce for twenty years. He said the males don’t ever leave the marshes so it’s the females that would be out wandering trying to find a place to lay their eggs.
There was discussion about the possibility of putting a “Turtle Data” sign somewhere on First Encounter Road or at the sticker booth at the parking lot, and also about a little more public education.
Mr. Allen said that most of the nesting in Eastham is on private property and he is indebted to all the property owners for their support and for allowing him access to their properties.
7:29 P.M. Request for Extension Permit, Kelly, DEP SE 19-1277, 24 Salt Marsh Way, Map 17, Parcel 687.
Deputy Usowski presented this request. She said the Order of Conditions is for the construction of a single-family house and associated septic system within 100' of the Salt Marsh. She said the owners have requested a one-year Extension. She said some of the plants were just planted this month and the Commission needs to make sure they survive. She said this Order will expire on June 21st.
After brief discussion about whether to grant a one-year or a three-year Extension, Mr. Hoerle MOVED and Mr. LaBranche SECONDED the Motion to issue a One-Year Extension Permit for DEP SE 19-1277.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
7:33 P.M. Administrative Review, Reinhardt, 255 Mill Road, Map 15, Parcel 023.
Deputy Usowski presented this Administrative Review for the removal of four trees within 100' of the pond. She said they are all greater than 50' from the resource area. She said she was planning to speak with the owners about planting more vegetation in the area.
Mr. LaBranche MOVED and Mr. Collins SECONDED the Motion to ratify this Administrative Review.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
7:37 P.M. Administrative Review, Wright, 290 Samoset Road, Map 14,
Parcel 136.
Deputy Usowski presented this AR for the removal of half a tree which has fallen within 100' of the pond. She said it is partially in the neighbor’s yard and the owner just wants to remove it.
Mr. LaBrance MOVED and Mr. Hoerle SECONDED the Motion to ratify this Administrative Review.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
7:40 P.M. The Commission reviewed the potential filing for an 8' x 8' removable platform, on grade, about 6-8' from the top of the Coastal Bank. Deputy Usowski said there is an informal path and the house is pretty far away. She said she is inclined to direct the owner to file a Request for Determination of Applicability for this project and asked the Commission if there were any questions she could relay to the owner.
Commissioner Murley suggested ½" spacing for the decking on 4" x 6" runners. He said he doesn’t feel that a railing is essential. He said that the spacing without the rail would allow vegetation to grow underneath it.
7:46 P.M. The Commission reviewed information regarding a weed blanket for pond bottoms submitted by Ed Steinbauer, of Nauset Haven Condominium Cottages 3280-3298 State Highway.
Deputy Usowski said she has already told Mr. Steinbauer that this activity would require the filing of a Notice of Intent. She said they would like it to be about
40' wide x 15' deep.
Mr. Collins said the beach where they are trying to control the weeds is probably about 40' long. He said he thinks they are trying to take a pro-active approach. He said that in the past some people have tried to rake the area. Deputy Usowski said she thinks the idea is to leave it in the pond all year. Ms. Giovinazzo said that the website about the product says that it is moved to a new area after an area is controlled.
Mr. Murley said that he has seen some of the older product installations and the material is just breaking apart and there was no provision to make sure that the pieces were being picked up. He said this may be a new generation of this type of product.
Ms. Giovinazzo commented that her problem is that it is a plastic which is being put into the water and she doesn’t particularly like the idea.
The Commissioners discussed whether there might be another material which could be used instead of plastic/polyethylene.
Chairman Murley suggested using the material in an 8' to 10' pathway from the beach out to swimable water and then maintaining the weeds in shallower water by hand and raking.
7:55 P.M. Deputy Usowski asked for a vote on the Conservation Commission liaison to the Community Preservation Committee.
After brief discussion, Mr. LaBranche MOVED to nominate Lorraine Giovinazzo as the Conservation Commission Liaison to the Community Preservation Committee. Ms. Larsen SECONDED the Motion.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
Deputy Usowski asked the Commissioners to try to think of anyone eligible to serve as new Commissioners.
There was no further business. Mr. LaBranche MOVED to adjourn at approximately 9:05 P.M. Mr. Hoerle SECONDED the Motion.
SO VOTED UNANIMOUSLY.
Respectfully submitted.
Kay Stewart-Greeley, Clerk
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