Washington Conservation Commission
Minutes – January 18, 2017
Assembly time: 7:00 PM
Members present: Jed Schwartz, Arin Mills, and Nan Schwartz.
Visitors: None
1.0 Approval of Minutes: November minutes, we will take them up next month since we had a small group attending.
2.0 Permits Committee - Beach Sand Replenishment Wetlands application – We recommended that LAE lower the amount of sand they were asking to put on the beach and they complied. Jed signed the application and it was submitted to DES. Arin would like to attend the LAE annual meeting and speak with them about installing a perched beach in the future.
3.0 Committee and Board reports:
3.1 Land Protection Committee - Jed said we are closing on the Bartlett property sale next week Nan had bills from Drummond/Woodsum for work done on the property sale; we agreed to have Nan give it to Lynda for payment.
3.2 Energy Committee – Johanna was not able to attend our meeting but the EC hasnÕt met recently because Andrew has been too busy with his business.
3.3 Planning Board – Nan said the Planning Board is finished working on the Town Buildings project, they came up with a good plan for the Town Hall and the Selectmen are now working closely with the F/R Department to complete a plan that uses the existing station and adds on to it. They hope both will be on the Warrant at Town Meeting.
3.4 Forestry Committee –Tom was not here to report. He thinks we should reach out to Swift Corwin and Lempster CC about the trail plan. He will reach out to them.
3.5 Legislative update - Nan said that NHACC is following several bills related to drinking water protection, shoreland protection and timber trespass are in the mix of bills to watch this season. Right now, they are tracking at least 14 bills including:
¥ SB 30: defining woodland buffers for the purpose of the shoreland protection act,
¥ HB119: making appropriations to DES for the purpose of drinking water protection,
¥ HB163: relative to the responsibility of municipality to enforce its ordinances, and
¥ HB170: relative to posting notice and minutes of public meetings on the public body's website.
For more info on these and more bills of interest to CCs go here: http://www.nhacc.org/files/2614/8416/5166/LSR1-11-2017.pdf
Arin said we should look more closely at SB 30, she thinks they are looking at changing the grid system and using smaller grid sections. She thinks we might want to comment on this one. Nan will take a look and see if she can find out more information and let everyone know.
4.0 Public Presentations and workshops:
4.1 We talked about doing a snowshoe hike in February and tentatively set a date for Saturday February 25th. Arin wants to do it in East Washington on JedÕs trail again. Jed said his trail is in good shape right now and he has been working on it. We will hope for snow and will firm up the plan next month.
Arin wants to do a program in the school this spring about pollinators and butterflies. We all agreed and will aim for late May or early June. We have lots of materials to work with for a presentation. Arin bought some nets that she is working on modifying to catch butterflies. Arin will talk to the teachers at school and see what will work for them.
We discussed trying to do a hike in the Bradford Bog again this year. Arin wants to do it when the Rhodura is blossoming and wants to coordinate with the Bradford CC. We will plan this for May.
5.0 New Business:
5.1 We received two bills from DrummondWoodsum, one for $409.50 and another $19.50, for work on the Bartlett land sale. We approved paying both bills, Nan will give them to Lynda for payment (see 3.1).
5.2 NHANRS – Nan received notice that we need to renew our membership to NHANRS for $20. We decided to consider it again next month when we have more members present.
6.0 Other Business:
6.1 Natural Resource Inventory Map updates – Jed said that we arraigned a partial payment for Chris and held over the balance of the money to pay him when the maps are done. Nan and Arin decided to get together next week to look over the draft maps and make a list of comments for Chris.
6.2 Master Plan goals for 2017 – We are making the NRI update and map update our first goal.
6.3 Barker trail easement – Jed reached out to Whit Beals at NEFF about the Barker easement and is awaiting his reply.
6.4 Tracking Invasive Plants project – We are keeping this on the agenda as a placeholder until the growing season starts. The reporting sheets and guides are always available here: InvasiveProject.html
7.0 WhatÕs Happening in Nature?
We just received a nice amount of snow (6 to 7 inches) overnight. Arin said it has been an up and down weather pattern this winter so far, cold and snow and ice, then warm and rain. We were down to bare ground again before this storm.
Jed said he saw a large otter down near the brook. Nan thinks they moved upstream since the pond was let down all the way. Jed spoke a little about the pond and the problems caused by the Dam Bureau letting the water out of the pond and not using anything to protect the brook from silting.
Arin said that Phil saw a moose on Faxon Hill Road and got a video of it.
Jed saw the really large tracks of a bull moose in the woods, he also saw tracks for a mother moose and young moose travelling together. Jed said that on Farnsworth Hill he saw lots of snowshoe hare tracks and moose tracks. At the log landing on Farnsworth Hill he found a place where moose were walking around, browsing for food and left tufts of hair.
Jed said he was concerned because he hung up his feeder and for a couple of weeks no birds showed up. He was worried because he also didnÕt hear any bird songs in the woods. Finally weeks later the birds came and now they have chickadees, nuthatches, gold finches, Titmice and others visiting daily. Nan thought that maybe the long warm fall meant there was a lot of natural food around for the birds and they didnÕt need to go to the feeder. Arin reported she hasnÕt had many birds at her feeder this year. Nan said they have had a mutant chickadee visiting their birdfeeder, it is the same size as a chickadee but its coloring is more white with a pink beak and legs. Jed will send Arin pictures of it to show her friend at Audubon and find out what it might be.
To learn more about this oddly colored bird, click here: NewinNature.html
8.0 Correspondence:
Bills from DrummondWoodsum for $409.50 and 19.50, re. Bartlett land
Copy of Wetlands permit application for LAE
UNH brochure for Land Surveying, Soil Science and Construction Management classes
Email from NHANRS, re: membership renewal
9.0 Adjourned at 8:25 PM, our next scheduled meeting was on February 15th, but because of a scheduled Budget Hearing on that date we will meet on Thursday, February 16th at 7PM at the Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Nan Schwartz, Secretary