Bradford Conservation Commission Secretary’s Draft Report
June 20, 2023, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library
Present: George Beaton, J Ann Eldridge, Meg Fearnley, Patty Furness, Scott MacLean, Brooks McCandlish, Doug Southard. Also present Ben Wallace (Executive Director Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust) and Andy Deegan ( ASLPT Land Protection Specialist).
Secretary’s Draft Report: The draft minutes of 5/16/23 were reviewed. Meg made a motion to accept the report as read, George seconded, followed by unanimous approval.
Treasurer’s Report: Account activity included reimbursement of Doug for the UNH Coverts Program, and hemlock planks purchase from Pine Tree Lumber for the Bog boardwalk. Brooks made a motion to allocate $100 to Bill Duffy for updating the Bradford trail map. The motion passed with unanimous approval.
Bradford Conservation Plan: Andy Deegan presented long-term goals of ASLPT conservation in Bradford, and members gave feedback and input.
Chivers Property Erosion Concerns on the Warner River: Ann has filed a request for information about the Chivers property from the Department of Environmental Services (DES). It was noted that more erosion into the Warner River occurred with the most recent rain event.
Hoyt Brook Monitoring: A date needs to be set in early July for monitoring. Carol Meise will coordinate the effort.
Volunteer River Assessment Program (VRAP): George reported on the 6/15 monitoring activity day. The group visited 14 sites to collect assessment data. This VRAP monitoring will continue on a monthly basis through September.
493 Center Road Wetland at Four Corners: Ann submitted a records request to NH DES, which was sent. A restoration plan is in place, which entails removing piles of stuff and replanting areas with native plants. There is no timeline in place.
Deer Valley Road Culvert: The deadline for the culvert replacement grant on Deer Valley Road has passed.
Bradford Pines Natural Heritage Area: The NH Dept of Natural and Cultural Resources is looking for a long term volunteer group to be stewards of the Bradford Tall Pines area, and the offer was made to the BCC. After discussion, it was decided that we could provide support, not leadership, if needed.
Wetland Rules Change: Ann briefed us on several current bills being proposed in the legislature affecting wetlands.
Coverts 2023: Doug recently attended the 2023 NH Coverts workshop, and related a valuable 3 day learning experience. He is looking forward to applying some of the ideas presented in stewarding his own land, in context with the surrounding area, for habitat and wildlife.
Adopt-a-Road: Doug stated the reports are in, he is aggregating information, and will be preparing the draft for our next meeting to submit to the Select Board. Doug related that there was extensive logging on Blaisdell Hill Road (Class VI), and there may be possible building in the future. Also, Doug noted there is continued erosion observed on Class VI roads, and it is notably worse in areas where new work has been done to maintain a road.
Shoreline Protection Overlay: There was much discussion regarding a response to the Planning Board’s request for input into the Shoreline Protection overlay. This is a worthwhile effort, as Bradford has no regulatory protection for surface water in smaller bodies of water and perennial streams such as Hoyt Brook. However, the consensus followed that the overlay is still in the early stages, and there is a need for simplification and clarity as it relates to the purpose of the regulations.
58 Davis Road Shoreland Permit: The shoreland permit for this 0.3 acre property was approved for a house rebuild and addition of an offsite septic. The owners of the property are aware of the need for Zoning Board approval.
Public Programs: Barbara Richter (NHACC) gave Ann a list of possible programs available through the State.
French’s Park Cleanup: George attended the recent workday at French’s Park. He suggested monitoring the activity next year, with education on the use of and need for plantings and vegetation to control erosion.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:20pm. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday July 18, 2023, 7pm at Brown Memorial Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Patty Furness, Secretary