Washington Conservation Commission

Minutes – June 16, 2020

 

Assembly time: 7:00 PM, Meeting conducted online using ZOOM.

 

Members present: Arin Mills, Jed Schwartz, Johanna Young and Nan Schwartz.

Visitors: None

 

1.0    Approval of Minutes: We will approve January and April minutes next month. No meetings held in February and March.

 

2.0   Permits Committee  -

New: Howe, Shoreland permit for septic replacement and regrading of lot – under technical review.

Previous: Calabro, Review of Shoreland permit application, Lake Ashuelot Drive, TM 14-184 - approved. The application said that there is a wetland permit application pending so we will watch out for that.

Dicarlo, wetland permit for access structure, expansion and replacement- approved.

Quinn - Wetland permit – approved, Shoreland permit – approved.

Chidester – Jed will check the site for silt fencing.

Camp Morgan Beach and field project – The fieldwork is permitted and will be done by DPW later this summer..

Mill Pond dredging – Jed will check in with Anthony Costello. We will check the ARM website for more information on grants.

Ayers Pond Bridge project – The temporary bridge is in and in use, Head walls are being installed. Jed will drive by and look at conditions

Longval wetland issue – No news

           

3.0   Committee and Board reports:

3.1   Land Protection Committee – Jed will contact Anne McBride at Monadnock Conservancy about the Barker property again. Johnson property is in waiting mode.

3.2   Energy Committee – No news. Jed said the work to switch the streetlights over to LED bulbs is finished.

3.3   Planning Board – Nothing new.

3.4   Forestry Committee – No news.

3.5   Legislative update  - No news, not in session.

 

4.0   Public Presentations and workshops: None          

 

5.0   New Business:

5.1   Trash Pickup – Arin said she has deiven the route and it doesn’t look too bad. We scheduled our first trash pickup for Tuesday, June 23^rd at 3:30pm.

5.2   Johanna’s Swim – Johanna is not sure if she will be able to swim this year but we will do a canoe/kayak crossing of Millen Pond in August if she isn’t feeling up to it. We will talk about it again at our July meeting.

 

6.0   Other Business:

6.1   Trails and Recreation Guide Booklet – Arin will work on maps and Nan will work on words and layout.

        Jed brought up a recent meeting of the BoS and a newly sanctioned ATV club in town (Dirt Donkeys). They are interested in making a map that shows were they can legally ride in town. The Wild Acres area has trails for ATVs but it is not mapped either. He offered to help with making a map with them and asked Arin if she might help. He asked he about any DOT maps with Class V and VI roads shown on it. Arin said he should ask Ed Thayer about a nodal map (which the town receives every year to confirm the accuracy of the Class V and VI roads). These maps are used for funding from the state.

 

6.2   Facebook Page – Arin said she is continuing to post items when she can. To check out the CC’s Facebook page go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2173271309586226/  

6.3   Master Plan goals for 2019 – This is a placeholder.

6.4   Tracking Invasive Plants project – We are out of the dormant stage so look for plants to report. The reporting sheets and guides are always available here: InvasiveProject.html

 

7.0   What’s Happening in Nature?

Jed reported that it is painfully dry with no rain in sight, he has to water the gardens constantly. Nan asked about the community garden. Jed said he has extra plants if they need them. Arin said the community garden was hit by the late frost on June 1^st. There was a heat wave before that so all of her plants went into the garden. She and Jed both lost plants to the frost.

Johanna has Wood ducks with ducklings. They run across the water when they are taking off to fly. She has seen a mink swimming in her pond. She has a muskrat who lives with the beavers (or at least in part of their den), she has seen the muskrat bringing greens to her babies. She has a Merganser with babies. The geese in her pond had 2 babies but something ate them. She has a Woodpecker living in a tree bringing food to her young.

Jed has 3 nests with Bluebirds, he watches them catching bugs and flying acrobatically.

Arin dais the night of the full moon she was driving home and there was a big hatching of bugs near Shedd Brook. It looked like snow falling.

Jed has a Woodcock living nearby. He said that 2 weeks ago he was driving home from town and he saw something in the road. He stopped and it was a water snake (4 feet long) sunning itself in the road. It was the biggest water snake he has seen in a long time. He moved it out of the road so it wouldn’t get run over. Arin said thee are lots of water snakes near her marina in LAE.

Johanna said she hear the Bittern calling in the wetlands near her house. Johanna said some Otters passed through.

Arin said she heard the Peepers this year on April 7^th almost 10 days earlier than last year. She said Leaf Out happened on May 26^th, later than last year.

Do Muskrats really live with Beavers in the same lodge? To find out click here: NewinNature.html

 

8.0   Correspondence:  

None

 

9.0   Adjourned at 8:36PM, Jed will set up a ZOOM session for our next meeting, if needed, for Wednesday, July 15^th at 7PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,           

Nan Schwartz, Secretary