Condensed from official minutes.
Present: Tina Cotton, Jerry Hersey, Sooze Hodgson, Nancy Robart, Jesse Schust, Nancy Teach (via Zoom), Lee Wells
- Correspondence.
Voicemail from Cara Trott.
Jesse received copy of the large-scale survey of Town property adjacent to Sirard property (Bradley Lake Road property.) The survey shows the detail of the encroachment.
- ASLPT 1/8/24 Outreach Meeting summary.
Lee presented; notes will be addendum to our meeting minutes.
Might we want to do a Blackwater River advocacy group to raise awareness and better
protect the river? Perhaps invite Warner/Sutton (Warner River) group to talk to us about
what they are doing to protect the Warner River. We have no special regulations; other
towns along the river could join us. Hub might be willing to host it as an educational
event.
Headwaters in Wilmot: it would be great to clean up so one could kayak it. We
need to learn what is involved. Nancy R. can contact Lynn Whitman in the Kezar Lake
association for advice. Jesse can contact Warner/Sutton group.
- Dyer’s Crossing/McDonough.
The survey has been submitted to the Merrimack County records office. It is in the draft of easement, and it is all set for us to give to Matt Serge. Lee will reach out to Matt with recent draft of easement. If he gives it a green light, then it goes to the Select Board.
Andy Deegan has incorporated the details he needed from the Merrimack County Deeds Office. We should let the Select Board know where we are in the process and what we intend to do.
We should meet with the new Town Administrator, Scott Hilliard, to introduce ourselves and talk about issues we are dealing with. Nancy and Jesse will do this. Nancy will try to make an appointment for January 24.
4. Bradley Lake Properties – Bradley Point.
Status update/plan for boundary correction. Nancy T. sent us a copy of the survey that the Voss family had done. This abuts the Mahoney property; her driveway appears in to be in the triangle that belongs to the Town.
Jesse spoke with Ken Grant about his property there; he needs to get information
from his sister. We need to get a copy of the Grant property map, before we go any
further. Jesse will check in with the Grant family to see if they can produce a more
recent survey. If they do, it should be filed with the county deed office. Jesse will bring
information to our next meeting.
5. Bradley Lake Road- Sirard property.
Sirard wants to buy it. Our interest is to protect the shoreline and redraw the lot lines. It would be helpful to see Randy Sirard’s surveys. Could just the shoreline be placed in easement along with access to it? We need to have a very specific plan.
Do we need to go to the Planning Board? We need to get Randy involved and moving
forward. We could run this past the Planning Board for advice.
Warrant articles — to get Bradley Point easement?— do we need to resolve the
triangle/Grant property first? Nancy R. will talk with Pat Moyer about this. Nancy will find out the deadline for warrant articles. Nancy and Jesse will bring this up with Scott Hilliard.
Motion passed for ACC to place a conservation easement on the Town-owned property on Bradley Point Lane, Map 13 lot 280-107. Andover Town Report: Tina pulled it together from minutes; Jesse suggested more sensitive language on the Bradley Lake properties.
Add ACC members and date of terms in the Report. Jesse and Tina will finalize a couple of paragraphs on the Bradley Lake properties.
- ACC Banner.
Lee should be getting the design this weekend. Do we want to do a brochure? Deadline: Town Meeting.
7. Addendum: Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust: Outreach Meeting notes, January 8, 2024. ASLPT Outreach meeting.
- Tim Fleury, UNH Extension Forrester in Merrimack County:
Good news: Spongy Moth populations are collapsing due to the wet weather.
Bad news: Beech leaf disease is spreading; last year 5 towns had it, 50 more this year. Closest to us: Dunbarton and Hillsboro. It will get here; will do significant damage to our understory. It is also significant for wildlife.
Good Forestry in the Granite State is reviewing and updating — will be releasing program for comment soon.
- New London — change in policy; people are allowed to uproot invasives in wetland buffer areas. They are also doing their third and last Cricenti Bog update. (Town Trust fund may help with the cost.)
- Springfield — pursuing a major piece of property to place in easement.
d. Sunapee — Dewey Meadows: doing biomass harvest, trying to raise $55,000 for conservation with warrant article. - Sutton — possible easement in future. Trying to keep King Hill Slopes open for open space.
- Warner — working on Rail Trail along the Warner River (Boston Globe article on 12/7); doing a Natural Resources inventory — 32 properties worth keeping; working on Mt Kearsarge bike trail. Con Com been asked to take over micro invertebrate inventory to help protect Brook Trout and water quality.
- Wilmot — updating natural resources inventory; may establish a town forest.
- LSPA — road salt issues. Have resources on website for alternatives and suggestions for what people can do on their own property. Plug to sign up for their newsletter through their website. Cyanobacteria issues.
- Sutton/Warner River — local advisory committee. One of 19 designated rivers, they are responsible for a 20-mile stretch of river; are a resource for the local conservation commission; protect watershed ¼ mile on either side of the river.
Keeping an eye on Lake Solitude and Lake Todd, which feed into the Warner River. Checking copper levels in water and keeping an eye on logging issues (Bradford clear cut resulted in a lot of sediment in river). Concerned about lack of uniformity on “intent to cut” among towns and how people are informed.
- ASLPT.
Bad news: turned down for LCHIP grant.
Good news: Andover easement almost finalized; also one coming in Salisbury.
In pipeline: 40 acres in Bradford (could have been huge development site — flat, level parcel).
Forestry Management plans moving forward, including Andover.
Game Camera Law and Tree Stand law went into effect 1/1/24.
Next meeting: 4/1/24