Wolfeboro Conservation Commission 2019 Annual Report
Wolfeboro Conservation Commission
2019 Annual Report
The Commission manages multiple Town-owned properties for the benefit of the environment and for public enjoyment, including Front Bay Park, Bill Rae Conservation Area, Goodwin's Basin, and Ellie's Woodland Walk at Ryefield Marsh. To improve the Ryefield Marsh area a forest management plan was prepared and a sustainable logging operation to promote healthy forest growth was conducted. The boardwalk has fallen into disrepair, and fixing it (or replacing it) will be one of our priorities in 2020, along with improving access to the property.
We partnered with the Food Pantry Garden Committee, Lakes Region Technology Center, Wolfeboro Food Bank and Global Awareness/Local Action to productively use the Towns Garden property. Their efforts produced fresh seasonal vegetables for the Food Pantry. Invasive species such as Bittersweet remain an ongoing issue, as with Front Bay Park.
We have submitted a Warrant Article for the upcoming Town election, to see if voters will approve granting a Conservation Easement (CE) to protect a 45-acre landlocked parcel on Whiteface Mountain that was donated to the Town in 2012, to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. This land abuts other conservation properties and would result in roughly 160 acres of protected, unfragmented forest land that includes the summit of Whiteface Mountain, the highest elevation in Wolfeboro. The Commission holds conservation easements on 19 properties, which protect land in perpetuity. Two of these easements were acquired in 2019: the Bridger Wildlife CE and the Heath Brook CE. The former provides protection for privately owned land adjacent to Whiteface Mountain, the latter protects newly acquired land owned by the Wentworth Watershed Association (WWA) and includes a portion of Heath Brook. Being the “holder” of an easement entails monitoring for encroachments and working with landowners to identify and correct violations. We helped the WWA and the Public Works Department find the least impacting alternative during a major road construction project that necessitated encroachments onto the newly protected parcel.
The Commission completed the design and construction of multi-use trails on the Trask Mountain parcel.
The Commission sponsored a presentation by Russ Staples, who hiked to the Mount Everest base camp in 1967 and published a memoir in 2019.
Commission members continue to serve on other Town committees and regional boards, such as the Cyanobacteria Task Force, the Land Bank of Tuftonboro-Wolfeboro, and Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG). This facilitates partnerships and provides networking opportunities. Members engage in continuing education and networking by attending such events as the NH Association of Conservation Commissions annual conference, Cyanobacteria training led by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection, and MMRG's annual “Mixer” for town boards.
Recurring activities included providing advice to NH Department of Environmental Services for Wetlands Bureau applications. These applications include the construction and/or repair of docks, breakwaters, beaches, retaining walls, culverts, and for the dredging and filling of wetlands, among other issues. We reviewed 34 of these applications, and provided review and advice to the Wolfeboro Planning Board on five Special Use Permits.
I would like to thank the members of the Conservation Commission for their support and commitment to protecting Wolfeboro's unique character and resources. We also thank Matthew Sullivan, Director of Planning and Development, Dave Ford, Director of Public Works, and Lee Ann Hendrickson, Administrative Assistant, for their support, guidance and commitment, and the Board of Selectmen and other Town staff, departments and volunteers for their continued support and assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
Lenore Clark, Chair
Dan Coons, Vice-Chair
Ed Roundy, Member
Art Slocum, Member
Jeff Marchand, Member
Brian Gifford, Member
Warren Muir, Member
Sarah Silk, Alternate
Nancy Byrd, Alternate
David Senecal, Selectman’s Representative