Washington Conservation Commission
Minutes – April 16, 2014
Assembly time: 7:00 PM.
Members present: Jed Schwartz, Nan Schwartz, Arin Mills and Johanna Young.
Visitors: None
1.0 Approval of Minutes: Minutes from March 2014 meeting, Arin suggested adding an action item list to the minutes each month so we can easily remember what we were to do during the month, everyone agreed. Johanna made a motion to approve, Arin seconded, all voted in favor.
2.0 Permits Committee - No permits.
3.0 Committee and Board reports:
3.1 Land Protection Committee - Jed reported that there is a potential project in Washington but he has no details. Arin asked if Nan had asked Lynda about whether we need separate accounts for projects and other purposes (such as conference attendance and educational costs). She hadnÕt yet but she would ask her this month.
3.2 Energy Committee – Johanna reported they didnÕt meet this month because one member couldnÕt make it. Two committee members were attending the Local Energy Conference last weekend. UVLSRPC is holding a countywide energy committee get-together next month that they are planning to attend. The EC wants the Selectmen to consult them on town energy matters. Jed recommended that they attend a SelectmenÕs meeting on a Thursday evening to speak with them about the issue.
The EC is actively looking for new members to join them. If you are interested please call Johanna at 495-1218 or come to their next meeting May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.
3.3 Planning Board – Nan reported that the Planning BoardÕs Master Plan Subcommittee at work on setting up a community-visioning workshop for Saturday, June 21st. Arin suggested that we do something about the NRI for the workshop, either a presentation or put up information. Nan will speak with the Master Plan Update Committee about what we could do. Arin asked about the Conservation Plan and whether it had some recommendations, goals and objectives laid out. Nan will send Arin the pages from the CP.
3.4 Forestry Committee – HasnÕt met, they will be letting us know when they are meeting so we can discuss some new town trails with them.
3.5 Legislative update -
There are three bills moving through the legislature:
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SB388 - establishing a committee to study the current status of land conservation in New Hampshire and the state's role in encouraging the voluntary protection of land in the future, passed the Senate, now in a house committee. HB1100 - establishing a committee to study the ownership by public entities of land for conservation purposes, has been deemed inexpedient to legislate, (killed) HB1271 - establishing a committee to study the powers and duties of conservation commissions, has been sent for interim study. |
4.0 Public Presentations and workshops:
4.1 Tracking Invasive Plants project –We didnÕt discuss the project this month.
The reporting sheets and guides are always available on our web site here: InvasiveProject.html
4.2 Vernal Pool Workshop – Arin said the date for the Vernal Pool workshop and visit has been set for May 9th for the school visit and May 10th for the pool visit. The program will be similar as it has been in the past. We will do a presentation and game and then hands on activity. She asked for 2 sections of kids at 10AM and 11AM, 45 minutes per session, their lunch is at 12:15. Arin will try to pick up a few tubs and Jed will pick up a few more nets. Arin will visit a possible vernal pool on the Lovewell Mountain Rd soon as she can. Nan will look up who owns the properties TM 12-36 and 12-62. Jed and Nan had taken a look at Amphibian tracker (UConn) that Arin found and it is very cool. We could try using it to report sitings of amphibians. Je reported that when he was coming home from a meeting Monday night there were frogs crossing the road everywhere. Arin said that if anyone finds a Spotted Salamander they should hold on to it for the school presentation. She kept hers in a bin with wet moss and leaves and some water. She swapped out the leaves for new ones every few days. Nan printed out the salamander information that Arin found online. Arin suggested a science experiment of some kind to do with the kids for the workshop. She wants to do something with water. Maybe showing how water holds in pools or snow melt. Jed will fill some jars with snow and hold them in the freezer. Nan said that the frog call game was good and she will see if she can find a few new activities/games for this year for the bigger kids.
4.3 Jed mentioned trying to do a presentation on water issues this year. He spoke with John Brighton last year, and he wanted us to do something on keeping the ponds healthy through awareness of storm water runoff, etc. Jed will look for someone to do a talk. Johanna said we could do it in conjunction with her annual swim.
5.0 New business –
5.1 Election of officers - not enough members were present so we will put this off until next month. Jed asked Arin if she wanted to step into a larger role, Arin said she is willing to do more. We are still looking for new members to join us!
5.2 Adopt a Highway trash pickup - We scheduled our first pick up for May 17th, Saturday, at 9AM. We will meet at the Library parking lot.
5.3 We received a letter from Barbara Skuly (ARLAC), asking for a $100 donation for river testing. We have given this amount in the past few years. Johanna made a motion to send ARLAC $100, Arin seconded, all voted in favor. Nan will ask Lynda Roy to send them a check.
6.0 Other Business:
6.1 NRI update - We all read through Chapters 4 and 5 and made our comments on these pages. Nan found a misspelling of Eccardt Farm on page 28. She suggested we might want to field verify some of the predictive model mapping by doing some surveys. We will consider this. Arin said that we should further discuss the predictive modeling and explain how it is done. We can look at the Fish and Game website or WAP for this information. Arin thought we should discuss the different types of grasslands, hayfields as opposed to grass fields that arenÕt mowed (pastureland). We should discuss how mowing can affect bird and wildlife that nest or live in the fields. On page 30 Arin thought we should question the species he lists and update them. She said that Natural Heritage Bureau might have a better list and she will check there. On page 32 the Bat Survey is mentioned and Nan thought we should do a field trip out to Twin Bridges this summer. Arin said the Northern Long Eared bat would be listed later this summer. It will then require a 5-mile buffer zone for its hibernacula if they are still found here. Jed mentioned boulder fields on Lovewell Mountain that could have some caves. Arin had a list of rare and uncommon species found in Washington, she would send the list to Nan to add to the list on page 33. Arin asked if DRED had done any inventories for Pillsbury State Park. No one knew. Arin felt we could add our growing list of invasive species to the list on page 34. Nan said we should add the new Town Forests to the list on pg. 47 as well as the new conservation easements on Eccardt Farm and Farnsworth Hill. Jed said that next month we should look at goals and objectives in order to talk about them and develop some if needed.
6.2 Barker – Jed will speak to Sandy to see if she would contact Monadnock Sunapee Greenway trail group and also speak with the Snow riders club about trail protection and possibly have her talk to Phil about this.
6.3 Nan said that Johanna Young and Peter France need to visit Sandy Poole to sign their oaths of office.
6.4 Bay Survey – Arin finally received a copy of the Bat Survey that was done in 2002. Nan will scan the pertinent pages of the document and send everyone a copy of it. Arin reported she had a bat show up on the wall at work. Emily Brunkhurst came over from Fish and Game and removed it, relocating it to Fish and Game property. She said donÕt touch a bat with your hands or it will have to be put down because of rabies. If you remove one from your house use heavy gloves and relocate it to a tree in a sheltered spot. Nan had a copy of a recent article from the Concord Monitor about a bat survey that was done this winter by Fish and Game. It said that White-nose Syndrome has decimated the hibernating bat population, in New Hampshire.
7.0 WhatÕs Happening in Nature?
The snow is finally melting away, even though we had another 3 to 5 inches just days before our meeting.
Johanna reported her beavers are active again. Johanna and Lindley are planning to screen their culvert to keep the beavers from stopping it up. They had to have a tree taken down on Rt. 31 that the beavers chewed and was threatening the wires. She saw a muskrat, mergansers and wood ducks on her pond and a Kingfisher fishing in it. She also saw a school of small fish in the pond. She wondered what a small bird she saw was; it had a sharp black beak, beady black eyes, a small amount of red on its head and a grey body. She has seen water bugs in her pond already and saw some coyote tracks. She also saw a moose in March.
Arin had a flock of Juncos at her bird feeder and had some swooping around her outside light at 10PM one night.
Jed shared more pictures of his turkey and fox encounter. He said that the frogs he saw crossing the road were going north to south, but mainly they were going in the direction of water.
Nan said that she was at a meeting in the afternoon on Tuesday and someone there reported hearing the wood frogs croaking behind Town Hall. Johanna said she heard peepers on Tuesday.
Arin saw a black squirrel on Rt. 31 near the Chase Farm, playing with a grey squirrel. Jed has seen black squirrels in Canada and out west, where they are plentiful, but has never seen on here.
To learn about black squirrels, click here: NewinNature.html
8.0 Correspondence:
DES Notice of returned application, Mata, Smith Pond Road, TM 17-3, 17-42 and 17-7
DES Notice of Complete Forest Notification, Mata, Smith Pond Road, TM 17-3, 17-42 and 17-7
Letter from Barbara Skuly, ARLAC asking for a $100 donation for water testing
Letter from NH DOT District 4, forms for Adopt a Highway trash pickup
Copy of Dredge and Fill Application for Town of Washington, Bailey Road Culvert Upgrade
Copy of Dredge and Fill Application for Town of Washington, Valley Road Culvert Replacement
Email from Donna OÕMalley re: the frog population decrease on Millen Pond, etc.
9.0 Action Items –
Jed -
Speak to Steve Hanssen about an Oak Hill trailhead sign.
Pick up a few more nets for vernal pool visit.
Get 2 quarts of snow in jars.
Ask Sandy to speak with Barker about possible conservation easement.
Look for someone to do a talk on water issues.
Nan –
Speak to Lynda Roy about whether we need separate accounts for projects and other purposes.
Speak with the Master Plan Update Committee about a presentation on the NRI at the workshop.
Send Arin the Conservation Plan pages concerning goals and objectives.
Look up who owns the property on Lovewell Mountain Road with the vernal pool.
Find a few new activities/games for this yearÕs vernal pool presentation.
Ask Lynda Roy to send ARLAC a check for $100.
Scan the Bat Survey document and send everyone a copy of it
Arin –
Visit a possible vernal pool on the Lovewell Mountain Rd.
Pick up a few tubs for vernal pool visit.
Check Natural Heritage Bureau for a better species list for NRI, page 30.
Send list of rare and uncommon species found in Washington to Nan
10.0 Adjourned at 9:00 PM, our next scheduled meeting is May 21st at 7PM at the Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Nan Schwartz, Secretary