Washington Conservation Commission
Minutes
– May 20, 2009
Assembly time: 7:00 PM.
Present: Carol Andrews, Rich Cook, Nan Schwartz, and Jed Schwartz by telephone
Guests: None
1.0 Approval of Minutes: Minutes from April, not enough people to approve, will take up next month.
2.0 Old Business:
2.1 Dredge and Fill Committee – Journey's End/WLA cove dredging project. Dick Bulman sent answers to the questions posed by DES. We sent a second round of comments on the application.
Carol
thinks we need to re-designate our Dredge and Fill committee members and the
chair-person and look at updating the committee rules. We will discuss more
next month.
2.2 Energy
Committee – Three Energy Committee members are asking for funds to cover
fees associated with attending the first annual Local Energy Committees
Conference on June 20th put on by the Carbon Coalition. More
information here: http://www.carboncoalition.org/Conference/ Nan made a motion to give $45 to the Energy Committee to attend the conference, Rich seconded, all voted in favor.
2.3 Ashuelot
River Advisory Committee – The committee sent a letter asking for a
contribution to help cover the cost of lab fees associated with water testing
for their VRAP program this summer. The $900. in lab fees have been covered
previously but they will have to pay for it themselves this year. They are
asking for contributions from conservation commissions in all ten towns along
the river. Nan made a motion to give them $90, Rich seconded, all voted in
favor.
2.4 Land
Protection Criteria – Sandy has been working on a document that sets out
criteria that we can use when evaluating a property for a conservation
easement. She sent it to Nan and Carol for first comments. We need to decide
how we will use the criteria, whether we will have land owners come to us and
we use it to check off what is found on the land or will we use it to compare
projects to help decide which one we would want to fund. We will ask Sandy if
she feels it is ready to send out to all members for more comments.
2.5 Vernal Pool Visit – Everyone
felt that the May 2ndvisit to the vernal pool at Faxon Hill Road and
Old Haying Road was wonderful and a big success. It was well attended and there
was lots to see. For pictures of the visit go here: http://www.washingtonnh.org/WCC_Html/Vernal.html
Carol thinks that next year we should do it again and that she would like to do a presentation before the visit to prepare the kids a little more for it. Maybe a slideshow, some practical tips, and a handout people can take away with them. We could do this the night before (maybe use the school all-purpose room) and then meet in the morning for the visit. We will discuss further.
3.0 Other
Business – None
4.0 What's Happening in Nature?
Johanna sent Carol a list of things she had observed recently and she shared them with us: They have had frequent visits from 2 beavers (a large one and a small one), they have a Merganser duck pair in their wetlands that fly off when they get too close, she saw a juvenile bald eagle in the wetlands off 393 in Concord, saw a Pickerel frog (the first she has seen this year), saw a florescent green insect that flies (but isn't a fly), and saw a moose who crossed the road in front of them near Pillsbury Park.
Rich said he picked up a painted turtle and put it across the road near Carol's bog in Bradford. Please stop and move any turtle you see trying to cross the road. Put them across the road in the direction they are trying to move. They are either trying to get to their spot to lay their eggs or return to their home. So help them out and keep them safe from cars.
Carol
said the Rhodora is about to bloom in the Bradford Bog. It is very much worth a
trip out there to see it. You will be able to see a vast area of pretty purple
flowers.
Nan
said there are River Otters in Mill Pond in East Washington, and they having
fun watching them. The otters messed with their solar water system by chewing
on the intake hose. Jed had to do some repairs to get it working again. To
learn more about river otters go here: http://www.washingtonnh.org/WCC_Html/NewinNature.html
5.0 New Business – None
6.0 Correspondence:
DES
Shoreland Impact Permit, Ronald Ciotti, 49 Long Pond Road (Highland Lake)
DES
Wetlands permit for East Washington Pond project
Local Energy Solutions conference announcement June 20th 8:00 - 4:30 at the Grappone Conference Center in
Concord
DES
Supply Lines with the Source newsletter
DES
Permit by Notification request for more information, PSNH pole replacement on
Washington Drive
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission invitation to Annual Meeting June 10th 5:30 at Mount
Sunapee Resort $30
The
Sullivan County Extension Connection newsletter
Copy
of Washington Lake Association's response to DES re: dredge permit
7.0 Adjourned at 8:30 PM, our next scheduled meeting is June 17th at 7 PM in the Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Nan Schwartz
Secretary