Bradford Conservation Commission
Secretary’s Draft Report
October 17, 2017, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library
Present: George Beaton, Seth Benowitz, Nathanial Bruss, J Ann Eldridge, Meg Fearnley, Patty Furness, Scott MacLean, Brooks McCandlish.
Secretary’s Report: The draft minutes of 9/19/17 were reviewed and accepted as read.
Treasurer’s Report: Meg summarized the 2017 expenditures which included supplies, NHACC member dues, conference fees, map printing, and trail development. Any remaining funds from the 2017 appropriation will be used to update maps and print; for example, the Clark easement needs to be added to the latest map.. Meg suggested the BCC 2018 budget request remain at $925, and all members were in agreement.
Warner River: The nomination of the Warner River to the NH River Management and Protection Program was recently approved by the NHDES Commissioner. The nomination will now be sent to the NH General Court to be voted on by the legislature. Senator Dan Feltes (primary sponsor), along with co-sponsors Clyde Carlson and others, will introduce bills to both the Senate and House for inclusion in the 2018 legislative session. The BCC will submit another letter of recommendation when the appropriate Bill numbers are known.
NH Association of Conservation Commissions Annual Meeting: Scott, George and Seth have registered and are attending this educational event on Saturday, November 4 at Pembroke Academy.
Ausbon Sargent 2017 Annual Meeting: This yearly gathering will be held on Sunday, October 22 at 3pm at the New London Historical Society.
Conservation Commission Chairs Meeting: Ann will be our representative at this session on Thursday, October 19.
Bradford Hazard Mitigation Plan: Bruce Edwards will be attending a meeting regarding a culvert grant for sites around Lake Massasecum. The current hazard mitigation plan will expire at the end of this year, and a new plan for Bradford will be initiated. Brooks volunteered to be the BCC representative to the hazard mitigation committee.
Beaver Activity: Seth emailed Skip Lisle (“beaver deceiver”creator) regarding feasibility and estimated cost of installation of the system at two sites in Bradford where in the future busy beaver business will potentially flood the road. He is awaiting a response.
Map 8/Lots 5, 6, 30, 31: The denial of the application for a proposed hunting preserve on East Washington Road was upheld unanimously by the ZBA at a recent rehearing on October 4.
Intent to Cut Tracking: Seth obtained a list of owners submitting intent to cut applications from the town offices to share and review. The information included map and lot numbers, but it was suggested that the site map also be requested in the future. Huge thanks was given to Seth for his diligent efforts to keep us informed!
Class VI Road Erosion: Members have noted a marked increase in erosion on some of Bradford’s Class VI public roads due to OHRV overuse. George and Seth shared recent photos of damage on Rowe Mt Road from OHRV use, and it was agreed to obtain similar baseline data on other Class VI Bradford roads such as Smith Road, Day Pond Road, and Liberty Hill Road. Seth shared the Central NH Regional Planning Commission October meeting minutes with the focus on OHRV use in the Mink Hills. Group objectives included encouraging Select Boards and conservation commissions to compare and collaborate on Class VI road regulations and OHRV policies. This group will meet again in December.
NH Geographically Referenced Analysis and Information Transfer System (Granit) Update: The UNH Cooperative Extension will be updating Granit. Ann noted that the Penhallow lots information remains incorrect; indicates the lots are owned by the town of Bradford. Brooks volunteered to contact Granit personnel to correct this.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:40. The next meeting will take place Tuesday November 21, 2017 at 7pm at Brown Memorial Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Furness, Secretary