Conservation Commission Minutes
WCC Meeting Minutes – March 22, 2018
Meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm & adjourned at 8:10 pm.
Attending: Heather Shand, Howard Beach, Tina Wood, Roy Burton, Harry Temple
Minutes from January 25 meeting were approved.
Review of UVLT Meeting of Upper Valley Conservation Commissions -
No WCC members were able to attend due weather and other conflicts.
Hal Wilkins Resignation – thank you and status update -
As Chair, Jeff Pelton asked that a thank you to Hal be drafted and sent out. This letter was written and approved. It will be sent out once an address has been obtained.
Groundwater Protection –
Howard has continued communication with the DEC. The DEC person working with Howard has discovered an existing model regulation for groundwater protection in Vermont. Howard is reviewing this regulation and is following up with questions.
Town Forest Recreation Planning -
The next public visioning meeting with the consultants will be the evening of July 10th, 7:00 pm, Martin Hall.
WCC Terms and elections for the WCC –
Jeff’s term is up for the WCC, but he is happy to stay on for another term. However, due to other commitments on town committees, he prefers to not continue as Chair. The WCC elected Heather Shand as the new chair, Tina Wood as Secretary, and re-elected Roy Burton as Treasurer. At the next meeting, the WCC will ask Jeff if he would be willing to be Vice-Chair to help with transitioning Heather to Chair. As the commission can have up to 9 members, Heather (as the new Chair) will reach out to others that have shown interest in the WCC and ask if they would be willing to be members.
Next Public Program(s) –
A few upcoming program ideas:
Per Jeff Pelton - a field exercise on identifying and removal of invasive plants at Howard’s property - possibly with the same forester from the program in December.
Per Roy Burton – a talk about Bobcats by Kim Royar from VT Fish & Wildlife - Roy to reach out to Kim to ask if she is willing and what her schedule might be.
Per Heather Shand – a Lyme education workshop or talk. Heather will research other groups to partner with for this type of program.
Status of the American Marten –
Jeff and Roy attended a program sponsored by the Grafton Museum. An attempted re-introduction took place about 20 years ago, with little, if any success. A major contributor to this unsuccessful attempt was that fisher and martens are competitors with fisher being known to kill martens. It was not clear if another attempt at the re-establishment would be happening in the near future.
Other/New Business –
Roy shared an article on an invasive insect from China have a negative impact on Citrus trees.
Upcoming Events and Meetings -
• Carbon Work-Study Discussion Series organized by Sustainable Woodstock - an 8-month program, meeting once a month for 1.5 hrs. http://www.sustainablewoodstock.org/our-programs/carbon-work-study-discu...
• Sunday, July 29. Black River BioBlitz - a fun, family-friendly, and free event, this is a great opportunity to get out into nature and explore the flora and fauna around us at both Muckross State Park and Hoyt's Landing in Springfield VT. Learn more here: http://blackrivercleanup.wixsite.com/blackriveractionteam/muckross-pond-...
Next WCC Meeting: April 26, 2018, 7:00 pm. Location: Center Meeting House.
Respectfully Submitted,
Heather Shand