Town of North Stonington
CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Minutes
June 23, 2011 @ 6 p.m.
Call to order @ 6:02 pm
Present: William Ricker, chair, Richard Blodgett, Robert Fleury, Pat Lewis, Warren Speh
Previous minutes: The notes from the April meeting (there was no quorum) were accepted as written. May minutes were approved as provided.
Citizen comments: none
Committee Reports:
Trails: Ricker discussed GPS topo maps completed by State, municipal, Avalonia, The Nature Conservancy and awaiting Mashantucket trail maps. Numerous private land owners who have been contacted to have trails on their property included in the town wide mapping have chosen not to allow the public access for concern of littering, trail bikes and quads ruining the trails and the farmers have shared concern that gates have been left open only to have their cows escape. They feel it’s not worth their aggravation to allow public access. Commissioners agreed to modify the town wide mapping to include those known trails, but to note any use of them must be with the permission of the land owner.
The State is having trouble maintaining their trails with financing reduced. As a result the downed trees, many due to the snowy adelgid blight on hemlocks, are not being cut up if they fall across a trail. Ricker secured local Cub Scout pack and adults to cut and move downed trees from the Blue Trail around Wyassup Lake. He and the Cubs also cleaned up litter in Pachaug Forrest off Wyassup Road where construction debris had been dumped.
Old Business:
The butterfly garden Girl Scout project has been turned over to the newly formed Hewitt Farm Committee. Likewise, the signage for Hewitt Farm has been turned over to the Hewitt Farm Committee at their request.
Lakeview North signage has been approved and the wording as well as the GPS mapping of trails will be submitted to the BOS for their approval. Motion made and seconded to have Ricker submit the draft of the Lakeview North sign to the selectmen.
Vote carried: 4-0-0
Speh reported the Schweitzer property purchase by the State is in limbo waiting for the recently formed Schweitzer LLC to consider the States offer. Commission decided not to pursue an exchange of land adjacent to Rocky Hollow Recreation area for town owned land off Pinewood Rd as the total package would be more acceptable to the State.
The Commissions budget was cut from $800 to $300 without any consultation with the Commission.
Membership status was reviewed. As no action has been taken by the BOS in nearly 4 months it was recommended a letter be drafted to the selectmen stating our displeasure and asking action be taken. Without affirmative action it was voted we ask this item be placed on the agenda for the July Town Meeting. Motion made and seconded. Passed: 4-0-0. A letter was drafted at the meeting.
Task Assignments: New task assignments must again be postponed until we have a full compliment of commissioners to assign.
Correspondence:
Ct Wildlife magazine and CACIWIC’s “Habitat” was distributed.
A letter was received from CT Farmland Trust asking we post their flyer in the Town Hall (done) and distribute to farmers in town. The commissioners asked Ricker to draft a letter to them suggesting they write directly to the major farms in town. Ricker to contact ZEO for those addresses, secured through the Agricultural Steering Committee, and forward them to the Farmland Trust.
Motion made and seconded to adjourn at 7:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Warren Speh, secretary pro tem
| 