Webster Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes for May 18, 2010
Present: Mary Jo MacGowan, Chair, Members: Sally Embley, Betsy Janeway,
Susan Roman.~
Alternates: Nancy Clark, Robert Quinn.
1. Meeting began at 7:45 pm.
Appointment of Secretary: Betsy Janeway was appointed secretary
Minutes from March meeting were reviewed and accepted
2. Correspondence:
· The Army Corps of Engineers is replacing an old culvert with a new one on Potash Rd.
A Wetland Bureau Complaint (File # 2010-00984) has been sent to Sandra Alexander of 35 New Hampshire Drive on Pillsbury Lake, for putting rip-rap in the bank without a permit or proper authorization from DES.
· The Ausbon Sargent Land Trust informed the CC that the Blackwater Connector project has been completed and protected with a conservation easement.~ These 235 acres are on the West side of Little Hill and connect Knight's Meadow Marsh with the Blackwater River, forming an excellent wildlife corridor.
3. Land Management: Betsy will make a date with Jane Difley to walk Town lands (Mock Forest; Riverdale Natural Area) to investigate possible harvesting of trees; ultimate goal is to develop a management plan for each property.
4. Currier & Ives Scenic ByWay Update: Vanessa Bitterman of the CNHRPC has written asking Webster to appoint a representative to the ByWay Council, but Webster Selectmen have not renewed Webster's membership (cost: $1800) in the CNHRPC and will not appoint anyone to the ByWays Council, but have referred the requested Resolution of Support to the Webster Planning Board.~ The Planning Board also will not appoint a representative to the ByWays Council.~ The WCC is puzzled by these actions and by rumors that the Scenic ByWays project is a federal plot. ~We want Webster to have a representative on the Council.
5. Spring and Summer Outings: June 13 at 7:00 a.m.: a wildlife walk with naturalist Bob Quinn; August 8 at 3p.m.: a canoe/kayak trip on Pillsbury Lake.
6. Direction of WCC: Where are we going, what are our goals? Our discussion resulted in our determining to finish the Natural Resource Inventory which is more than half-way completed; and to form management plans for conservation land.~ We discussed: land protection; the State of NH's law which says towns must provide affordable, or workforce, housing on over 50% of the Town's land area; and proposed legislation (from a subcommittee of the State Groundwater Commission) to allow towns to regulate groundwater withdrawal and develop a "consumptive water plan."~ For more efficient meetings, we decided to discuss only correspondence requiring action at the start of our meetings, and save the rest of correspondence for the meeting's end.
The next WCC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15th at 7:30 at the town hall
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by Betsy Janeway
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