Bradford Conservation Commission Secretary’s Draft Report
December 20, 2022, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library
Present: George Beaton, Seth Benowitz, Ann Eldridge, Patty Furness, Scott MacLean, Brooks McCandlish, Doug Southard.
Secretary’s Draft Report: The draft report of 11/15/22 was reviewed. George made a motion to accept the draft minutes as read, Doug seconded, followed by unanimous approval.
Wetland Training Program Series: The NH Association of Conservation Commissions is presenting a seven-part series on Wetlands identification, laws and classification of local, state and federal regulations. Five parts will be zoom, two in person. The series will begin January 2023.
Wildlife Corridor Map: George recently shared the 2021 NH Wildlife Corridors Map with members of the BCC. This map, developed by NH Fish and Game, helps identify core wildlife habitats connected by wildlife corridors, critical for wildlife conservation and protection.
Hoyt Brook Monitoring and Data Collection: Three more volunteers have stepped forward for this long term stream study of Hoyt Brook, Susan Moss , Scott Morris and Patty Furness.. Monitoring will begin spring of 2023, and will be performed four times per year.
Budget Overruns: There was discussion regarding recent communication with Barbara Richter of the NHACC, about rolling over any unspent annual budget amount into the Conservation Fund, and the need for a yearly warrant article to be presented at annual town meeting for voter approval to do this. It was decided to continue as we have done in previous years with any unspent 2022 budget, and submit a warrant article to the Selectboard for the following year.
Erosion Into the Warner River: A three-inch rain event on 10/26 sent mud and sediment down a drainage ditch into the Warner River on property owned by Martyn Chivers on Breezy Hill Road. This runoff was due to prior alterations of a large area in the southeast boundary property, performed without a permit from NH Department of Environmental Services. The DES was notified of the issue by the Bradford town office. The owner of this property has until January 2023 to submit a temporary stabilization plan to DES as an initial step. The Merrimack River Watershed Council expressed interest in helping with restoration efforts following correction of the drainage problem.
Headwaters Project: LCHIP {80K} and Mooseplate {24K} funds were granted in full. Additionally, there was a partial amount from the Quabbin to Cardigan Partnership. Deep gratitude was expressed to all who contributed to this effort.
Champion Trees: George’s relentless quest for Big Trees has resulted in the discovery of four Champion Big Trees at the Bradford Bog. A state champ Black Spruce, a county Champ Tamarack, a county champ Balsam Fir, and a county champ White Cedar. Seth will be making signs to commemorate these majestic beauties.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:50pm. The next meeting will be held January 17,
2023, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Furness