Campton Conservation Commission
Meeting Minutes
October 12, 2011; 7:30 pm
Members present: Jess Halm, Jane Kellogg, Jules Doner, Tammy Wooster
Before the meeting began Jules showed us a bookcase he brought which will house the CCC reference library. He will make some adjustments to the shelves at home.
1) September minutes:
Jess made a motion to approve the September meeting minutes. Jane seconded the motion and all were in favor.
2) Land Management:
a) PCP
i. Signs:
Melissa has completed half of the PCP land use policy sign lettering and we still hope to get the sign up before the ground freezes.
ii. Trail work:
On 9/22 Lea and Jess did some much needed trail clearing work and used some existing blow down to help better define the trails. Jess said that the trail network is useable but there could be some confusion about where to go in some spots and so trail markers could be helpful. Jane offered to paint some tree blazes, and Lea will do some further clearing with a brush cutter. Jess will ask Ian about a ground tool used to establish new trails.
iii. Other PCP work:
Jules will remove the trash can that sits inside the Elm tree fencing and we will mow the grass inside the fencing in the spring.
Jess will ask Butch if he can spare some ground flags to serve as a visual boundary line along the Kidney/PCP property interface. We will be in touch with the Kidneys when the flags are put in.
Jess will call Anita Lane and ask her to remove an old well housing structure which currently sits on town property.
b) BWNA:
i. Recent work day progress:
On 9/23 Jules and Jane moved the tree sections cut by DOT (post Irene) from Rt. 3 to the edge of the parking lot. They also dug up some very small Japanese knotweed plants near the south side of the driveway at the edge of Rte 3. Lastly, they walked to the second bridge to discuss the undercut bank issue. There is a large rotted tree down in the stream which needs to be moved so that it is parallel with the stream bed. Jane suggested cutting it down to a movable size and then rolling it into place along the eroded bank. Jane will ask Ron if he can help with the chainsawing, and Jules offered to help move the log. It was also noted that there is a spike on the first bridge sticking up which needs hammering in.
There is some confusion as to whether a large compromised maple tree along Rt. 3 poses a threat to the power lines. Jess will ask Ian to take a look at it. Jane will make a quick check on the Whitten property house lot progress.
ii. Japanese knotweed:
Jess recently sent a letter to the DOT requesting advice on Japanese knotweed control at BWNA. Jess brought along a letter of response from Sr. Environmental Manager Christine Perron which CCC members reviewed and discussed. Christine advised us that the eradication measure for well established patches is herbicide application, for which there are two methods. One option would be to cut the knotweed by hand in early summer, properly dispose of the cut stems, and then apply herbicide to the foliar regrowth at the end of the summer. The second option would be to inject the herbicide with a special tool directly into each knotweed stem, which eliminates the need to deal with viable cut stems. Stems that are too small to inject would still need to be sprayed. Either method will require a commitment of several years for follow up treatments.
All agreed that given the size of the large established knotweed patch, we would try and manage it rather than eradicate it for the time being. Since the large knotweed patch extends beyond the BWNA property and we would have to involve abutting landowners and hire a licensed herbicide applicator. At the very least we will try and stay on top cutting, digging and disposing of the smaller newer patches. One concern discussed was the possibility of the knotweed encroaching into the driveway area and creating a visual problem for those leaving BWNA. Jane wondered whether knotweed is shade intolerant which could prevent it from spreading into the grassy area beyond the wetland. Jess will follow up on this question with Christine and tell her of our plan. We will be revisiting this issue in the spring and keep it on the radar as a future major land management project.
3) Groundwater:
a. Lakes Region Planning Commission Meeting:
Jess attended this meeting on 9/26 and provided an overview of two topics discussed. The first topic detailed changes to the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) which now has the new name of “Shoreland Water Quality Protection Actâ€. The changes came about after a stakeholders group formed to propose a review of the CSPA. This group influenced the legislature to make changes which went through as House Bill 2. Major changes include less stringent notification requirements, and relaxing of both the tree point system and impervious surface area allowances. Jess expressed frustration that this important legislation that is supposed to protect shore lands has now been watered down and has no teeth.
The second topic of discussion at the meeting was due to OEP water protection budget cuts which created confusion around groundwater protection ordinances. Jess learned that towns can still go ahead with ordinances despite the budget cuts.
b. PRLAC Meeting;
Tammy attended the 9/27 PRLAC meeting which was dedicated as the Pemi River Corridor Management Plan meeting. Twelve people attended the meeting, most of whom were area town Planning Board members. Lakes Region Planning Commissioner Dave Jeffers presented the results of a survey which was circulated to Pemi River corridor residents. The purpose of the survey was to gather input relative to present and anticipated problems affecting the river. There were 171 respondents and this number was comparable to the last survey taken in 2001. Tammy reported that it was interesting to learn that one of the most important objectives identified was the protection of the aquifer and drinking water. She said that she shared the CCC’s story of attempting to reclassify Campton’s aquifer and others expressed support in making this a future action item. She also learned that PRLAC has a website in development. PRLAC will develop recommendations with a goal to publish a management plan by Dec. 2012. The take home message is to attend PRLAC meetings where the details of the plan will be worked out.
c. Educational Outreach recap:
All agreed that the groundwater outreach materials we developed are effective but we need a system for replenishing and reprinting them. There may be some money left in the budget for reprinting this year depending on NHACC conference attendance.
4) Warrant Article:
Last month the CCC sent a letter to the Select Board requesting a discussion about the “conservation fund expenditures made to qualified organizations†warrant article to be taken up in 2012. Specifically, we requested that the Board have a warrant article discussion among themselves and communicate any questions to us in writing. Our hope was to then be prepared to answer their questions at an October Select Board meeting and have an open discussion in preparation for a public hearing.
Jess reported that Ann Marie communicated to her that the Board was preoccupied with Irene/bridge issues and would not be currently discussing the issue but the CC could still attend the 10/17 meeting to discuss it then. All agreed that we will ask to reschedule and be placed on the 11/14 SB agenda. This would give the Board a month’s time to discuss the article and come up with questions for us so that we can be prepared and have a productive conversation. Jess will ask this of Ann Marie and request feedback by our 11/9 meeting.
5) 2011/2012 Budgeting:
This agenda item was tabled for the time being except for a brief discussion relative to the NHACC conference fee budget detailed below.
6) NHACC Registration:
Jess reported that she recently e-mailed Ann Marie to ask for CCC budget numbers so that we could plan for CCC member registration for the NHACC conference. She learned that we have $200 in the conference/education budget. The advanced NHACC member registration fee is $45. Tammy will attend and ask Melissa and Lea if they are interested. Jane and Jess will decide after Melissa and Lea respond. All agreed that it would be ideal to have two CC reps attend and the conference workshop schedule was briefly reviewed. The CCC offered to cover conference registration for a Select Board member to join us but Ann Marie said that none will be attending. Any remaining money in the education/conference budget will be spent on groundwater brochure reprints.
7) Sponsor-A-Highway Cleanup Date:
Two potential dates were chosen as cleanup days. It was decided to let Melissa choose the date since she is the person who lines up the bags and pickup dates with the DOT. Tammy will ask Melissa if she prefers 10/22 or 10/29 at 8am.
8) FYI:
Jane reported that we have received the annual PRLAC request for fees in the amount of $200. All agreed this was reasonable.
Tammy noticed that the town web site has Jane and Jules’ terms listed as expired. Tammy will follow up with Ann Marie to clarify all term dates. Jane recommended that a document be created with all CCC contact info and that it be kept in the CCC filing cabinet and updated as needed. Tammy will take care of this.
A brief discussion was had relative to Jess’s resignation after she has her baby in Dec. All agreed that a chairmanship conversation needs to be had with all CCC members present.
Mail opened included a mowing bill from Mike Rej, a Forestry Notification, and a letter from the NHACC requesting a conference attendee from each town cast a vote on changes to the Board of Director’s bylaws.
Meeting adjourned 9:24pm
Next meeting 11/9/2011 7pm
*(Note Time Change!!)