Condensed from approved minutes
Present: ACC members: Nancy Robart, Jesse Schust, Jerry Hersey, Sooze Hodgson, Tina Cotton, Shawn Upton, Alan McIntyre, Lee Wells, Jenny Bodwell
Also attending: Donna Duclos, Robin and Bill Benincase
Greetings to Shawn: Shawn invited us to join him moose tracking this weekend.
Website: Alan is constantly working on it. Need photos from Jerry, Jenny, and Shawn. Town and New Hampshire Cooperative Extension websites link to our site.
Correspondence: Town sent email to ACC regarding membership and asking for budget information and annual report.
Communication: Between Select Board and ACC. Beacon article mentioned they were disappointed in communication from us – this is from June? We need to make sure they feel they know what we are doing and vice versa.
Also mention of work recommendations from Skip was news to us. Members of Select Board could come to our meetings as was done in the past? We can also ask them when it would be the most appropriate for one of us to be at their meetings.
The ACC should be notified when timber cut applications and permits are issued. This goes through Town Administrator. Select Board only notes that they have received the form.
Map of Andover Conservation Easement as of 2019 located in Pizza Chef. Map needs to be updated. ASLPT will update it. Pizza Chef seems to be the best location. Everyone goes there, and it is open more often than other spaces in Andover. Need to make sure the pamphlet holder is supplied along with the map.
Beaver Deceiver (BD) photos and reports are on our website and accessible. Valley Road BD needs to be taken apart, analyzed, and restructured/redesigned as needed.
We are BD monitors, not doing maintenance. Select Board will discuss with Michelle Lambert assisting with BD clean up at their next meeting. If the Select Board approves of having Michelle help with BDs, it will be a contracted, paid position. She would be an independent contractor and covered by town insurance.
Have BD monitors all spoken with abutters getting their permission to clean out BDs?
Skip and Michelle will liaise about what part of Valley Road BD will be dismantled.
Community Education/Outreach:
Bioblitz: September only for town land
iNaturalist is a good app to identify plants, insects.
Interpretive maps/activities to inform people about BDs and natural resources in Andover. We could do tours.
Wetland Buffer signage: Holes will need to be drilled out on signs, so we can post them with standard screws.
Trees have been harvested on Town land at access road to White Oak Pit. Trees were cut by neighbor’s agent with consent of the Town.
Is river protected by the Shore Land Protection Act? Would a DES permit have been needed? Meet on September 16 at White Oak Pit to look at cutting – invite member(s) of Select Board to join us.
New Hampshire Municipal Conservation Commissions Handbook: Motion made by Nancy, seconded by Jesse: all in favor to purchase seven copies, one for each library and rest to be shared by members.
Nancy has contacted Sutton/Wilmot CC about what they are doing. Sutton has invited us to join them at a meeting; Wilmot working on a wetland buffer.
Nancy still waiting to hear back from Shirley Currier re: our investment/CD.
CC handbook recommendation: Conclude meetings with mention of nature observations. ACC members mentioned sighting of eagles, couple of Great Blue Herons, Osprey, Common Night Hawks, red-tailed hawks, moose scat, sound of eagle dive bombing.
Nancy called Merrimack County about Andover farms not listed in directory but hasn’t heard back. Jerry thinks the farms need to get themselves listed.
SRK may be offering a winter solo safety course again.
Shawn would be interested in doing orientation training.
SRK looking for people to help them – check website.