Lincoln Conservation Commission
MINUTES
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Lincoln Town Offices
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Toby Feibelman, Mary Lincoln, Jim Meadors, Jim Henderson, Peter Von Mertens, Sara Silverstein & David Katsuki. STAFF: Tom Gumbart, Angela Kearney.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
LLCT & Neighborhood Input on Dogs at Mt. Misery
Sue Klem presented a summary of concerns pertaining to the overuse of Mt.Misery and the open fields adjacent to it from a neighborhood meeting at Old Concord Road on February 28, 2004. Primary concerns included safety hazards from cars parked along Old Concord Road and limited control of and too many dogs. Also, neighbors are seeing excessive dog waste, including waste left in plastic bags, near the parking lot and trailheads. Excess noise and limited respect for private property was also a concern of neighbors. Ari Kurtz, owner of Linden Tree Farm and Richard Nichols, neighbor, expressed their concerns regarding the detrimental environmental effects of increased dogs and people in areas around Mt. Misery. The understory plants are being trampled, nesting ground birds have decreased, and pond edges and steep slopes
are being eroded by dogs.
The Commission agreed there is an increasing problem with over-use and safety at Mt. Misery and fields adjacent to it. They have received several letters concerning dog/dog and dog/human conflicts and increasingly see owners not picking up after their dog’s waste. The Commission understands there are many people in the community (Commissioners included) who feel their dogs need an open space to run free. However, it was the decision of the Commission to require dogs to be on leash at all times. The Commission will also encourage dogs to be on leash in other sensitive conservation areas in town. A policy will be drafted and placed into effect with posted signs and increased ranger presence at some point this winter.
Red Rail Farm Easement
Doug Adams presented a plan proposing additional management guidelines on Town of Lincoln owned Land adjacent to the Common Easement. The Commission felt the management of their land is irrelevant to the agreement under consideration with the Beerels; it will be maintained and managed as a functional horse operation and such management procedures will be agreed upon by the Town and its Lessee, Kim Johnson. The Commission remains in agreement with the proposed fence relocation and grading shown on the plan C1.2. A revised plan showing only the Common Easement Area should be included with the signed management plan.
Operating Budget 2006
Tom Gumbart presented an estimated ‘no-growth’ budget and a ‘preferred’ budget to the Commission. If the no-growth budget goes into effect, existing staff would remain the same with standard salary raises, leaving an operating budget 60% less than that of 2005. Though significant increases in the operating budget are not anticipated, ranger presence is a growing need and could ideally become a full time position. Also, beaver and other wildlife activity is an increasing concern and may require management funds. These costs have been figured into the preferred budget. The Commission was curious to know if they could review accumulated wetland filing fees, as they were recently increased, in the chance that these fees could justify the preferred budget.
Community Preservation Committee FY2006 Request
Sara Silverstein and Peter Von Mertens represented the Conservation Commission with their request for a $500,000 contribution toward the purchase of the Harrington/Row property acquisition. The Community Preservation Committee asked how the Conservation Commission spent the $160,000 they received last year. Ms. Silverstein explained that $50,000 is currently committed to the Harrington/Row purchase, $50,000 went toward the Heck property, and $50,000 is committed to the Fitz property. Ms. Silverstein also explained the uniqueness of this opportunity and that parcels of this size and ecological importance are unlikely to come up in the near future.
Heck Project Funding
The Conservation Commission committed $50,000 from the Conservation Fund toward RLF’s purchase of the Heck property.
Natural Resources Commission
Mary Lincoln will represent the Conservation Commission in the Natural Resources Commission. They will explore water conservation needs and feasible action items.
Linden Tree Farm Site Visit
Ari Kurtz, Tom Gumbart, Sean Hale and several Commissioners walked Linden Tree Farm to examine the loss of production fields from local beavers. One entire field, one-half of another and the trail from St. Anne’s church and fields on that side of the pond were flooded. Mike Callahan from Beaver Solutions provided a report summarizing the potential actions to manage the area. Because of the terrain and nature of the ponds it is unlikely that the beavers will live with decreased water levels if lowering pipes are installed. It is also likely that Beavers will return and multiple trappings will be necessary.
During the meeting Mr. Kurtz presented an aerial photo overlayed with a GPS survey of the fields and flooded area. Approximately 25% of the fields have been lost due to flooding. The Commission is faced with a difficult situation because the area has been flooded for over two years and a valuable wooded wetland habitat has formed. Also, if the beaver are trapped and/or water level lowered the area will become prime territory for invasive plants which could then spread into areas of Mt. Misery that are virtually untouched with invasive exotic plants.
On the other hand, the Commission feels strongly that it is within their charge to support local farming and recreational opportunities. They discussed opportunities for leasing other fields to Mr. Kurtz but several factors would make this costly and economically challenging for the farming operation: the Town is currently in the middle of a lease cycle making it difficult for a crop-land swap; land farther away from the current farm would incur significant time and expense for running irrigation lines or transporting equipment; new fields are likely to have had chemicals on them in the recent past and would require a three year period before they could be certified organic. Also, new fields require a 50-foot buffer to any fields using chemicals and accounting for organic and non-organic crops would need to be kept
separate. This is essentially a model property for dealing with increasing beaver/human conflict because small-scale farming is as important to the town as wildlife and their habitat. Because beaver can only be trapped in the winter if it is an emergency, no action will take place until next spring. The Commission~discussed the idea of~placing a 50-foot pipe at the bottom of the dam to lower the water levels with the hope that the beaver~would move to a new home. If they did not move, the Commission would then have to decide whether or not to trap the beaver.
ACTION ITEMS
Meeting Minutes approved from 11/03/04
Bills & Payroll signed
Respectfully submitted,
Angela Kearney
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