Bradford Conservation Commission
Secretary’s Report
February 20, 2018, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library
Present: George Beaton, Seth Benowitz, Nathanial Bruss, J Ann Eldridge, Meg Fearnley, Patty Furness, Scott MacLean.
Secretary’s Draft Report: The draft minutes of 1/16/18 were reviewed and accepted as read.
Treasurer’s Report: Meg stated there was $18.99 interest accrued on accounts in January.
Saving Special Places 2018: This annual land conservation conference will take place Saturday, April 7 at Prospect Mt High School in Alton. Details and registration is accessible online at the website.
Mink Hills ATV impact on Class 6 Roads: Seth e-mailed to BCC members the minutes from the Feb meeting of the Central NH Regional Planning Commission regarding OHRV activity in the Mink Hills. A regional approach would be most beneficial to surrounding towns.
2018 NH Coverts Workshop: Applications to participate in this three and one-half day camp in May for landowners and conservation-minded NH residents are due March 1. Anne and Patty will contact a few potential candidates to inform and ascertain any interest in attending.
Cottrell/Baldwin Lecture Series: The schedule for 2018 is out. Topics will include wildflowers of New England, Eastern Coyote, Log Drives of the Connecticut River, and Bogs and Fens, and will take place on Tuesday evenings beginning March 20 at the Baldwin Forestry Education Center at Fox State Forest.
SB 445: This bill which designates the Warner River as protected passed unanimously in the NH Senate, and was recommended as ‘Ought to Pass’. It will now be sent to the NH House in March for voting. A big thank you was given to Scott for his diligent efforts in this nomination process.
2018 Draft NHDES Wetlands Rules: These proposed new rules will require Dredge and Fill applicants to pre-file the permit with conservation commissions prior to submission to DES. The goal is to establish clear expectations for applications for standard permits (RSA 482-A:3,1) and may impact the process for conservation commissions to review and comment on Dredge and Fill permits. The public comment deadline on the draft rules is April 20. The NHDES Wetlands Bureau is offering five public input sessions, the first on Monday February 26, 6-8pm at Concord DES headquarters.
HB 1104: Shortens the timelines for responding to developers who want Dredge and Fill permits, and repeals the opportunity to request an extension of the 40 day time period to research and offer comments. We do not see how this would be beneficial to the environment.
Forest Fund: There was discussion of the need for plans for forest management of properties under the stewardship of the BCC. It was decided to consult with Brooks or another licensed forester to draw up management plans for Aiken Town Forest, Pearl Town Forest, Bradford Bog and springs site, and West Meadow Wetlands. (Brooks will do pro bono)
Bradford Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee: Ann attended the January meeting.
Map 4/Lot 12 Ammunition Manufacturing: The Planning Board accepted the application as a home business. Comments are needed as the proposal goes before the ZBA and are due March 7. Concerns voiced included pollution and contamination risks, what distinguishes this as a home business, and what are state and federal requirements for ammunition manufacturing. Brooks and Nathanial recused from discussion. Ann requests comments be sent to her via email.
Town Properties for sale: It was decided that there is no conservation interest; most properties have road frontage and are not abutting wetlands. A comment will be submitted to the Selectmen stating that housing construction should be prohibited on any non-town maintained roads such as the properties on Dunfield Rd and Butman Rd.
Beaver Program: Seth will contact Skip Lisle to settle on a date in April for the presentation.
Possible Conservation Project: Owners of property in Bradford have expressed interest in conserving their land. It was decided to contact ASLPT regarding the next course of action for possibly conserving this property, and to determine ASLPT’s degree of interest. Ann will send information on a conservation for landowners workshop taking place in Warner in May.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:30pm. The next meeting will be Tuesday March 20, 2018, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Furness, Secretary