Campton Conservation Commission  Meeting Minutes For April 11, 2012
Since 2009, April has been designated as our annual land management meeting month. A notice was posted in the Record Enterprise inviting all interested in hearing about BWNA and PCP property work to attend and provide input. CCC members in attendance were Jane Kellogg, Lea Stewart, and Tammy Wooster. Audrey Eisenhauer from the Margaret and H.A. Rey Center also attended.
Jane offered to run the meeting and suggested that we cover BWNA business first since Audrey came to provide an update on the new Rey Center program.
BWNA:
1) Margaret & H.A. Rey Center/BWNA project update:
Jane asked Audrey to re-summarize the project she proposed involving the BWNA. Audrey had attended a CCC meeting last winter to propose a family nature exploration program at the BWNA to be conducted by Rey Center staff. She had also requested financial assistance from the CCC to cover the costs of the program. Audrey explained that the program will be called Nature Nights and run Wednesdays from 6-7:30pm beginning the last week of June and running for 8 weeks. The program will be designed for families and will explore a different nature theme each week using the variety of habitats at the BWNA. Audrey recommended that the program be free for Campton residents and that a fee be charged for non-residents. Jane explained that the CCC could not charge a fee but a suggested donation could be made. $10.00 per family was the agreed upon amount for a non-resident suggested donation.
Lea asked whether reservations would be required and Audrey said that would be preferable especially for the purposes of material preparation. Audrey explained that there will be some method of tracking attendance such as a punch card. Jess has offered to donate a nature themed book to be given to a family who attends all 8 evenings.
How to best promote the program was discussed next and Audrey suggested that she and the CC co-write a press release. Audrey will draft the release and circulate it to the CC for input. Audrey said that she will also develop a flyer and a list of appropriate places to post the flyer was brainstormed. Jane will check with Ron to see if he has an electronic copy of the town logo with the Blair Bridge to be printed on the flyer. Tammy will e-mail Audrey a contact for Campton area homeschoolers
Lea made a motion to expend $500.00 from the Conservation Fund to assist with the costs of the Rey Center Nature Nights program. Jane seconded the motion and all were in favor. Audrey will create an invoice to submit for payment, which is requested by the end of June.
2) Trail Conditions/Parking Lot:
Jane had recently walked the trails which she declared to be in good shape. Jess recently reported via e-mail that she and Ian had removed a tree. Jane mentioned that the parking area will eventually need weeding which Lea offered to do. The condition of the lot is fair and the likely future problem area will be the entrance where we had dumped some fill of mixed sizes. Jane mentioned to Audrey that if more parking is needed for the Nature Nights program, Leah Gray’s driveway can be used.
3) Japanese knotweed:
The CCC continues to research ways to deal with the exotic Japanese Knotweed problem. Lea shared a copy of an article describing a control method employed by the WV watershed Assoc. called herbicidal mowing. All recognized that any control method would require a multiple year commitment. Jane suggested that the first step should be an effort to reach out to all of the abutting landowners and begin a conversation to see how they all feel about different control measures, and willingness to help with the work. In the meantime The CC will take a look at the knotweed after the April 22nd roadside cleanup.
Pattee Conservation Park:
1) Liberty Elm tree:
Jess contacted the Garden Club to invite their members to our annual land management meeting. She asked whether any Elm Tree related issues need to be discussed and also extended the offer of using the PCP for garden club planting projects. Jess was told that the garden club would be meeting on April 10th and that they would report back to us if needed.
2) Mowing:
This is an off mowing year for the PCP field, but Jules will be mowing the walking path.
3) Pumpkin patch project: CES A+program
Jess met with Arianne Fosdick at the PCP and a suitable site for the afterschool pumpkin patch project was chosen. Tammy said that she recently had a brief conversation with Paul Yelle who mentioned that the Historical Society is potentially interested in using the PCP trails this fall as part of their haunted historic walk. Tammy encouraged Paul to attend a CC meeting when plans are more definitive.
4) Poison Ivy Watch:
The CC will continue to keep an eye on the poison ivy and will retreat the area if necessary.
5) Property boundary
The CC will walk the entire PCP property annually to ensure that all abutters are recognizing the boundary lines. Tammy will ask Jess if she wants to join Jane in putting in the ground flags between the PCP field and the Kidney properties.
As a final land management discussion point Jane added that we will continue to be open to other PCP property uses that would be of benefit to residents such as a community garden. Leadership and water are the limiting factors in making this a reality.
Audrey thanked the CC and left the meeting.
Other business:
Jane made a motion to accept the March meeting minutes. Lea seconded the motion and all were in favor. CC mail included a wetlands application for the Blair Bridge project. Our next meeting will be a work session on April 25th at 7pm where we will begin work identifying landowners near high natural resource value areas in town. Jane said that she will be attending a “Reaching Out to Landowners” workshop this weekend as part of the Saving Special Places conference. She hopes to come away with some useful information to help with our project.
Meeting adjourned 8:30 pm
Next business meeting: May 9, 2012
NOTE 7:30 time change