Minutes of Poland Conservation Commission
March 5, 2008
Present: Don Stover, Rich Haslip, John Crouch, Fred Huntress, John Laskey, Dana Lee
Agenda: 1) Elect Officers, 2) Review and Accept Mission Statement for B.O.S. review on 3/18/08 meeting (attach legislative background on Conservation Commissions).
Group discussed the draft mission statement and generally discussed possible purposes for the group. It was agreed that although there is a lot they can do, they need to stay somewhat focused for now. Fred Huntress point out that 3 or so things in the Comp Plan update pertain to them right now, including a) seeking conservation easements for wood / agric. lands; b) to create funds and manage funds for open spaces, and c) Inventory and monitor large tracks of land.
There was some discussion about an immediate need to inventory, study and suggest the possible value to the community for town-owned lands in possession now.
There was some discussion about an immediate need to do outreach to other groups such as AVSWCD and the 3 lakes groups. Also they should notify the Planning Bd., EDC and others of their existence and desire to be a part of those discussions and decisions.
Election of Officers: The group took nominations for Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary. In the end Don Stover was elected Chair for a one-year term, Rich Haslip as V. Chair, and Sue Ellis as Secretary. Dana was asked to serve as staff and to assist with various writing and communications.
Don indicated he may seek to travel at some point and would give 30 days notice if that came to pass to assist with a transition in Chairmanship, officers and membership.
Mission Statement: This was discussed at length and it was agreed that they must start with studying lands for their possible values, and only then make some determination if conservation easements or other land preservation efforts will be advocated and implemented by their group. Dana was asked to re-write the statement as follows.
“The purpose of the Poland Conservation Commission is to study the value of lands in Poland that may be important for outdoor recreation, as water resources, as wildlife habitats, for timber harvesting, farming, historic or scenic value with a goal of implementing stewardship and preservation where appropriate.”
A motion was made by Rich, seconded by John. Motion passed unanimously.
Monthly Meetings will be regularly scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 8:00 a.m. in the Selectmens’ Conference Room. This will begin on April 9, 2008 as the next meeting.
TO DO LIST
· Dana indicated that he would draft a letter announcing their formation and purpose and desire to build partnerships and exchange information and assistance.
· We spoke about the incoming B.O.S. member, Peter Bolduc, possibly being interested in the PCC and maybe acting as a liaison to the B.O.S.
· Also asked Dana to see if they could have a section of the web page where contact info, mission statement, minutes and activities / inventories could be accessed.
· They also discussed the need to create a class of membership outside of the core 6 or 7 members of the formal PCC committee who want to be a part of the group and its activities.
POLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION
April 15, 2008
To All Interested Parties,
The Town of Poland recently reconstituted its Conservation Commission with six very active and optimistic new members.
It is our hope that we can quickly and effectively build partnerships with other folks and organizations that may share (or even differ with) our general view of the need to provide good stewardship to our local environment.
We are writing to ask that you contact us and let us know how we can be a part of your efforts. We would like to share data and inventory, know of your upcoming plans or activities, know of your educational campaigns, get agendas of your meetings, and of course – reciprocate with our information.
The Poland Conservation Commission Chairperson is Don Stover and he can be reached at dstover@ime.net or by calling 998-4194. You may also contact our Town Manager, Dana Lee, at dlee@polandtownoffice.org or by calling
998-4601 and he will get any messages to us.
To begin the sharing of information, some of our top priorities to get started are:
1) This letter of partnership and attending several meetings with various boards and lake associations, etc.
2) Expand membership
3) Develop specific goals / agendas for the year
4) Inventory and study town parcels of land
5) Begin to gather resources for those interested in conservation easements or other land preservation efforts
Thank you for taking time to learn a little about our group. We look forward to a call, e-mail or better yet, a meeting with your group.
Sincerely,
Don Stover
Chair, PCC
MISSION STATEMENT
“ The purpose of the Poland Conservation Commission is to study the value of lands in Poland that may be important for outdoor recreation, as water resources, as wildlife habitats, for timber harvesting, farming, historic or scenic value with a goal of implementing stewardship and preservation where appropriate. “
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