Conservation Commission Minutes for May 9, 2011
Chair Sam Demeritt opened the meeting at 7:02. Other Commission members in attendance were Celia Abrams, Peter Landry, Susan Mooney, Cheryl Smith, Deb Kimball and Noel Carlson, Alternate, sitting for Deb Stevens.
The minutes of 04.11.11 were accepted as read. The motion was made by Landry, seconded by Mooney. All votes were in favor.
Roadside clean up was scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 at 4 PM. Demeritt will pick up the equipment. Demeritt, Abrams and Mooney will begin at 4:00 and others will join later in the afternoon.
Smith went into the Town Clerk’s Office to swear in for another three-year appointment to the Commission. When she returned Abrams went in to do the same. Abrams returned and said there was no form for her to sign from the selectmen (BOS) nor did the clerk have any past documents for Abrams in the file. Smith noted that the form she signed was not for the correct year. Then Carlson stated that he had not received any information about being appointed as an alternate to the Commission. Demeritt will look into this matter.
There is a VRAP (Volunteer River Assessment Program) refresher training scheduled for this coming Saturday in Concord.
No one from the Commission will be able to attend. Due to recent budget cuts by the NH legislature, training programs are not held regionally during the late afternoons as in previous years. The Water testing kit that belongs to the Commission has been checked and fluids replaced by VRAP personnel. Abrams brought the kit and Kimball retrieved it.
Kimball organized the sign up for river testing in Nottingham this summer. Two sites on the North River and volunteers from Nottingham have tested one site on Little River since the program began in this area several years ago. Kimball will put together the schedule and send it out to Deb Stevens and us. As it stands on May 8 the schedule is as follows:
May 28, Kimball and Abrams;
June 11, Abrams and Carlson;
June 25, Kimball and Demeritt;
July 9 Mooney and Carlson;
July 23, Mooney and Abrams;
August 6, Landry and Carlson;
August 19, Landry and Demeritt;
Sept 2, Kimball and Demeritt;
Sept 16, Demeritt and Smith.
Note that a few of these dates are on Friday, not Saturday. These assignments are fluid and substitutions are expected.
Correspondence:
From LRWA: Flood Plain Pool Ecology, Saturday, May 21, 10-12:30 at the Clark Farm in Epping, led by Mark West.
Intent to Cut: Map 59, Lots 1&2, on Ledge farm Road, owned by Peter and Christopher Zanard, Greensboro, NC, on a lot of 70 acres, 37+- to be cut, white pine 26 MBF, hemlock 32 MBF, oak 32 MBF and 185 tons of pulpwood.
Intent to Cut: Map 4, Lots 10 & 14, on Old Turnpike Road (Route 4) owned by Jeff Cole, Brezac Land Development, on a lot of 18.45, 12 acres to be cut, white pine 25 MBF, hemlock 10 MBF, 100 Tons whole tree chips and 15 cords of cordwood.
Two letters dated May 2, 2011, from John Fernald to Mr. Infascelli, DES Wetlands Bureau, an application to replace a failed culvert on Merry Hill Road and an application to replace an 18” culvert with a 24” culvert on Garland Road.
Dated May 3, 2011, from Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, copies of easement monitoring reports for the following Nottingham properties and dates: Charlotte Kimball, 12/27/09, 12/26/10; Rosenfield and Mallette, 12/31/09, 10/14/10; Dan Comte 11/13/09, 11/11/10; April Bacon 12/30/19, 12/30/10.
Dated April 4, 2011, from Cheryl Killam, Conservation Commission Chair for Raymond, NH, an invitation to attend a multi-town conservation commission workshop to be held on the 18th at 7 PM at the Raymond High School. There will be round table discussions on a variety of topics. Demeritt filled out a questionnaire to send in prior to the meeting. Six members indicated that they would be attending this event.
A notice from the recreation Department that Nottingham Day will be held on Saturday, September 17, from 10 to 4 pm at the school. Set up will be 7:30 to 9:00. Demeritt will sign the Commission up for a space
Received was a copy of the Spring Edition of Supply Lines with the Source, a publication from DES Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau. The lead article is “The Impacts of Weather on Water Use”.
Received was a copy of the Spring Edition of Directions, from Woodward and Curran. It appears to be an advertising newsletter.
D. Kimball left at 8:00.
Bear-Paw Report:
Demeritt reported that there were two recent committee meetings held: Bear-Paw Outreach and Land Protection. There will be a bird walk at Mulligan Forest on Saturday morning 7 to 9 on May 14. Mark West will lead the walk. People are to meet at the trailhead on Stevens Hill Road. The Biothon will be held at the Cassier Town Forest in Raymond on June 11.
Lamprey River Watershed Association (LRWA):
The next meeting will be held the following Monday, May 16. The LRWA conducted a cleanup on the lower area of the Lamprey River, sponsored by Trout Unlimited.
On May 21, from 10 to 12:30, Mark West will lead a program on Floodplain Pool Ecology at the Clark Farm in Epping.
Photos:
Demeritt had photos of several “wetland” issues that are of concern to the Commission. A landowner contacted Demeritt stating that he wanted to cut down a tree that is dying within 25 feet of the lake’s edge. Demeritt was unable to determine what tree the landowner wanted to have removed. The members recommended that the landowner contact DES Wetlands Bureau re: this issue.
There were photos of the BAR property off Smoke Street along the Little River. The photos showed extensive snow cover and not much other detail.
There were photos of the hole on the deed restricted conservation property of a resident in the Highlands. Mark West is scheduled to inspect the hole.
Other:
A resident called Demeritt about his neighbor who has begun to put fence posts in a wetland area. Demeritt will look into this.
Smith recommended that the Commission identify knotweed patches in town and put these locations on a map to remind the Road Agent and the Board of Selectmen that this plant is not to be dug up and relocated, thus propagating its spread. Landry said that he could make a copy of the most recent map of town that we could use to write comments on. Continued discussion was for the town to develop a policy re: knotweed and other plant invasives
Landry spoke about the proposal to re-stake the Highlands along the deed restricted properties and how new developments should mark these conservation easement protected areas. Medallions on trees, blazed by green paint prior to affixing medallions along sightlines, placing survey pins on corners, metal posts in fields with medallions, and placing rebar into the ground would last for maybe 25 to 30 years. This cost would be borne by the developer. Further discussion was about a stewardship fund to cover future expenses of easement monitoring. Bear-Paw will be contacted to ask for a copy of their stewardship fund formula.
Abrams forwarded to members information about HB 409 which was presently in the Senate.
Smith moved that the meeting be adjourned, Carlson seconded the motion and all votes were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan P. Mooney, Acting Secretary
These minutes were accepted as read at the meeting held on June 13, 2011.
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