HORSE HILL NATURE PRESERVE

AD HOC COMMITTEE

Minutes of Monday, February 7, 2005

Courtroom at Town Hall

7:30 p.m.

 

Members Present: Debra Huffman, Jim Taylor, Janet Cormier, Connie Kreider, Harold Watson, Helynne Wenz, Newton Coryell, Denise O’Dwyer, Tim Tenhave

 

Call to Order: Tim Tenhave called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.

 

Announcements and Updates: Tim Tenhave made the following announcements:

*      The Budget Committee did not change the budget for Horse Hill.

*      Florence Brown told Tim that the Heritage Commission is moving forward with the Old Kings Highway trail.

*      Tim was the guest speaker at an Exchange Club meeting and discussed Horse Hill.

*      Tim met with Town Manager Tim Tieperman to talk about what the committee has been doing and what he can do to help.

*      The BOS will discuss the parking lot and continue the round table discussion at its February 17th meeting.

*      Debra Huffman announced that she attended a Fish and Game seminar on wildlife population trends. She also announced that she and Denise O'Dwyer will be leading a 4H group on Horse Hill to observe animal tracks. They will also be learning how to produce videos about Horse Hill for the Community Access Channel and asked if others would like to join in.

 

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of December 6th and January 3rd were approved with minor modifications.

 

Election of Officers: By a vote of 8-0-1, Tim Tenhave abstaining, Tim Tenhave was reelected Chairman of the Horse Hill Nature Preserve Ad Hoc Committee. By a vote of 8-0-1, Denise O'Dwyer abstaining, Denise O'Dwyer was reelected Vice Chairman of the committee.

 

Forest Management Walk: Tim Tenhave discussed the walk taken by himself, Andy Powell, Denise O'Dwyer, Chris Christensen, Debra Huffman, Tim Tieperman, Scott McPhie, and Ernie Buck with forester Dan Cyr. He reported that they examined the Burning Bush invasives off Naticook Road and discussed ways to handle the problem. The most effective control is to cut them down to the ground and apply a chemical control. The least effective is to rip them out.

 

The group then walked in from the Amherst Rd parking area. They discussed the invasives, the relocation of part of the trail, the creation of a woods access road, and how to best cross the stream. They also discussed the creation of athletic fields in this area, with the major concerns being ledge and water.

 

General forest management practices were described, such as how a Timber Stand Improvement cutting would encourage better growth of remaining trees, particularly in Stand #3 around the west side of Blodgett Hill. Dan stated that trees with a five to ten inch diameter should be pruned 17' up. In trees with more than ten inch diameter the scar does not heal properly. Little trees can be ignored if they are not affecting the canopy.

 

Janet Cormier asked what Dan's assessment was of field construction. Tim replied that the main consideration was money.

 

There was general discussion about the invasives, and the idea of controlling the spread by just controlling the edges of the patch was discussed.

 

Reports from Subcommittees:

 

Parking Subcommittee – Newton Coryell reported that on January 5th he met with Walter Warren, Ernie Buck, Ed Chase, Nelson Disco, and Andy Powell at the parking lot site. They walked the boundary and discussed general issues. They decided to retain the rock from the wall that will be dismantled near the road and use it to block the current trail head when the new trail head is built.  The DPW has marked some trees for cutting. The Town owns a chipper and they will chip the trees that are taken down. The stumps might be buried in the earth berm around the perimeter. Ernie Buck will pilot much of this work.

 

Newton found the water line and will mark it. It is a plastic line about two foot deep and the water is constantly running.

 

On February 2nd, Newton met with Walter Warren to define a timeline for the project. Completion date will likely be in May. Walter will apply for a minimal impact wetland permit for crossing less than 300 feet of wetland. Walter will present the parking lot plan to the BOS on February 17th.

 

Brad Knight, the developer building houses on the Ireland property, has committed to doing the heavy excavation work and building the parking lot. Newton is trying to get donated material for the top fill material. The 12' wide access road should be built at the same time and should be gated to keep cars out. The old trail should be blocked off.

 

The well was discussed. John Lastowka, whose family used to farm the area, will donate the restoration work on the well and Newton will build a grate similar to the one installed near Wasserman Heights.

 

There was discussion about whether the earth berm would be a target for abuse by ATVs. There was also discussion about the importance of publicizing the parking lot since it will be a solid sign of progress and will be welcomed by many in the community.

 

Funding Subcommittee – They did not meet this month but Shannon Barnes is putting together a grid of grant possibilities.

 

Historical Subcommittee – They did not meet this month but Connie Kreider spoke with Florence Brown and the two groups will be working together.

 

Athletic Fields Subcommittee – They did not meet this month. Debra Huffman asked if they were considering locations other than the northwest corner, and Janet Cormier said they were not.

 

Clean-Up Subcommittee – They did not meet this month but Tim Tenhave reported that the snow was not deep enough to pull out the items they hoped to get to. They will meet in March to discuss an April Earth Day clean up.

 

Trails Subcommittee – Debra Huffman reported that they met on January 10 to consider the feedback received from the last full committee meeting. They are making modifications to the Trail Master Plan based on the committee's input. They are still waiting for approval of the plan from Walter Warren before making any more progress.

 

Wildlife Survey Subcommittee – They did not meet this month but Helynne Wenz reported that they will meet on February 22nd.

 

Comments from Committee Members: Harold Watson reported that he is buying part of the Hazen farm on Wilson Hill Road that will include a half mile on the Souhegan River. He will donate an easement for a trail from Wilson Hill Road to the river, which matches up with the donated Ireland property across the river.

 

Janet Cormier made the point for those watching at home that everyone is welcome to join in any of the committee's activities, they do not have to commit to being part of the committee or attending lots of meetings.

 

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:43.