Condensed from approved minutes:
Members Present: Nan Kaplan, Jerry Hersey, Mary Anne Broshek, Tina Cotton, Alan McIntyre and Jesse Schust.
Minutes: Jerry made a motion to approve the November minutes with small corrections/additions, Alan seconded, and all were in favor.
Correspondence:
NHACC invoice for conference attendance.
ASLPT request for membership dues.
DES non-compliance letter regarding David Bates’ property on Gale Road (appears to be resolved at time of meeting).
Forest Society letter requesting monitoring report for Fenvale conservation easement.
DES compliance letter regarding Emerson property at Bradley Lake (past issues resolved).
Wildlines newsletter from Fish and Game.
DES Environmental Newsletter.
Conservation Commission budget presentation to Budget Committee:
Presentation 12/13/17 using new format. Handout provided. Mary Anne presented.
Jerry made a motion to recommend that we propose the same budget amount as last year.Jesse seconded. All were in favor.
Bradley Lake Logging:
Jerry will find out if the forester being used is certified. We discussed rights of way issues regarding the Reiner property. The logging operation will cross the privately owned bridge on a private road, on the Reiner property (land held under conservation easement with the Forest Society). Mary Anne will check with Eric Reiner.
Bradley Lake, Emerson:
The previous wetlands impact noted in 2009 has been corrected by the land owner. Jason Aube of DES visited the site on November 7, 2017, and confirmed that the required work had been completed.
Website Progress:
Alan shared with the group the various plans and completed pages of the proposed website. We all felt that the site has plenty of scope for future expansion.
Harvey Pine Co-occurrence Map:
Harvey provided Alan with the latest wetland maps to share with the group. We will invite him to any future meetings he can attend.
Monitoring:
Mary Anne will complete the monitoring reports once the report from Derek can be accessed.
Verizon Cell Tower Hearings:
The first ZBA meeting on the Verizon cell tower has taken place. The main variance sought is an extension to the height limit from 100ft to 120ft, which allows room for additional carriers. Mary Anne expressed concern that the cell tower could impact on wildlife such as bat colonies in the area.
The second ZBA meeting on the cell tower was held on December 19 at 7 PM. Mary Anne will obtain the information on health and safety issues presented by the Verizon consultant and send to Jesse and Alan.
Culverts Grant and Merrimack County Conservation District (MCCD):
The latest Andover Beacon shared a photo of MCCD interns identifying culverts in Andover. Mary Anne will contact Stacy Luke for more information about progress on the culverts grant.
Beaver Deceiver Educational Workshop for DOT:
We have received confirmation form Jay Aube at DES that wetland permits are not required for beaver deceivers as long as machinery is not used to install them. Nan will contact Vicky Mishcon about setting up this proposed workshop.
Conservation Easements:
We discussed areas of Andover which might suit future conservation easements, such as land adjacent to Bog Pond (which has been previously discussed). Mary Anne will contact two adjacent landowners to determine if there is any interest in land conservation.
Wetlands Ordinance Progress:
Jesse will continue to facilitate review of other communities’ zoning ordinance for wetlands. Jesse will contact Joanna at Town of Andover to ask if she can alert us when the town receives notification of permits involving wetlands.
Potential Workshops for 2018:
Bats, wetlands, rain gardens, impact of climate change on NH- Mary Anne will send contact information on the bat expert to Alan and contact information for the DES expert on climate change impact in NH to Jesse and Alan.
Other Business:
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM.