Dublin Conservation Commission
Minutes
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Attending: Jack Lewis (chair), Anne Anable, Jerry Branch, Karen Bunch, Suzan Macy, Sue Yarger, Selectman Charlie Champagne
The minutes of the meeting of Wednesday, June 11, 2008 were reviewed and approved as amended.
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum): Sue Yarger reported that she continued calling the Galerucella Beetle supplier, and that they offered 1000 beetles on July 1 for receipt and distribution on July 2. The beetles were distributed to the south end of Mud pond, East Harrisville Road just north of Cobb Meadow Road, and Route 101 near Webber’s. A number of the commissioners participated in the beetle release.
On July 9, Sue received an offer of another 1,600 beetles, virtually filling the Commission’s request for 3,000 beetles. They are scheduled to be delivered and distributed tomorrow, July 10 at 3:30 PM, and all are invited to participate.
The Commission accepted the generous offer of the Garden Club of Dublin to pay up to $330 toward the cost of 3,000 beetles. The actual cost of the beetles delivered 7/2 and 7/10 is $296, and Suzan Macy and Karen Bunch said that they would work with the Garden Club of Dublin to provide these funds. The Commission plans to pay for shipping and distribution costs.
The Commission intends to publicize the beetle distribution and to follow up to determine the success of the distribution over time. Anne Anable will write an article for the Dublin Advocate and will pass on information and pictures to the Ledger-Transcript. Sue Yarger will send an announcement of the distribution to the department in Concord with which she has been working. The Commission has taken pictures of the distribution sites at the time of distribution and will take more pictures later this summer when the Lythrum is in full bloom. The Commission will photograph the same sites at peak bloom over the next several years to see how successful the beetle distribution is over time.
SWRPC Annual Meeting: Anne Anable, Suzan Macy and Sue Yarger attended the SouthWest Regional Planning Commission annual meeting, held this year at Crotched Mountain. They reported that there was extensive networking by people interested in ensuring the quality of life in southwestern New Hampshire, that the food provided by Crotched Mountain was excellent, and that the educational part of the program was an excellent presentation on a very sizable effort being undertaken by Crotched Mountain to create miles of handicapped accessible trails for use by Crotched Mountain patients and the public. In conjunction with this project Crotched Mountain is putting over 1000 acres of its land under conservation easement.
Rotary Club: Jerry Branch reported that the Monadnock Rotary Club has started to consider the idea of creating a plan to develop the town’s Howe Reservoir property as a park which would make the land more accessible and usable by the town. Their initial thoughts included creating a more usable entrance to the land with some area to park, adding picnic tables and a canoe launch and clearing enough undergrowth to provide for better views. Future pieces could include a small amphitheater, nature trails with educational markers, and other items. Jerry said that the Rotary Club would begin working with a designer and looking into how to raise funds for such an effort if the Commission was interested. The Commission passed a motion expressing interest in the proposed project. Members stated that they looked forward to hearing more and that making better use of the Howe land was a priority for the commission.
Dublin Lake: Karen Bunch reported that the first outing of the Weed Watch took place on June 12, and a second one on June 25. Two new weed watchers, Barbara Summers and Anne Conway, have joined the team, and that Karen Bunch, Sheila King, Jack Lewis and snorkelers Susan Peters and Howard Thomas also participated. Karen has begun a weed map of the lake, and has worked with Amy Smagula of DES to identify the different types of weeds found, mainly through photos. By summer’s end we should have an excellent record of what is growing where around the lake, and we will have a base for noting changes over time.
Karen and Felicity Pool collected water samples from inlets and beaches around Dublin Lake on June 23. E.coli testing of the samples couldn’t be done, but phosphorus testing did take place, and Karen provided a copy of the results. There were 7 places which showed high concentrations of phosphorus, including 4 rated as excessive. None came close to the levels we saw during a rain event last September, but the specific locations will be watched for continued issues. New e.coli samples were taken on July 3.
The Lake Host program began on the July 4th weekend with two Hosts sharing the work.
Beech Hill: Jack Lewis volunteered to take Commission members up Beech Hill to see where the reclamation project stands. A trip was set for Tuesday, July 15 at 10:30 AM.
Other Business:
· The DES workshop on the Comprehensive Shoreline Protection Act was brought up. Charlie Champagne said that he would ensure that Paul Waterman knew about it.
· Karen Bunch said that she had ordered books on Aquatic Plants and Algae for those who had expressed an interest, and had ordered an extra one for the Conservation Commission.
· The July 16 day long conference on Green Concepts for a Regional Economy had no takers.
· The Commission decided to continue its membership in the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.
· Senator Sununu provided the Commission with a disk containing a Guide to Federal Conservation Programs, including grant programs. Sue Yarger agreed to act as the source for copies of the Guide.
Meeting Schedule: The Commission will continue to meet at 7 PM on the second Wednesday evening of each month. The next meeting scheduled for August 13, 2008.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.
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