HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Minutes 7/18/1994MANSFIELD CONSERVATION COMMISSION; �J(,r W
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JULY 18,1994 3 Fl 2: 01,
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MEMBERS PRESENT: Gregory Cauldwell, Jerry Cormier *, Marilyn Powers, Paul Sadowski, John
Smith, Kerry Weidner
The meering opened at 7:30 p.m.
Dick Lewis had received several new applications. The sites were Lot 5 Bird Road, 1180 East Street, and
West Street. The Commission scheduled site walks for Thursday, July 21, 1994,
MILL POND DAM
Mr. Phil Barske, member of the Easton Conservation Connuission has built, designed and dredged many
ponds. He is very interested in the water resources and conservation issues in the area. He regularly
attends meeting of the Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee (CRAAC).
Mr. Barske showed the audience and the Commission a map of the Mill Pond. He stated that he took a
canoe trip through the area. He observed that there was less than 6" of silt in the basic body of the pond,
he also noted that much of the silt had been deposited up stream. He had observed the depth of the silt to
be in excess of 10 feet. He theorized that the reason for the lack of silt in the basic body of the pond is due
to a natural shoal of gravel that acts as a dike, which should not be removed. He stated that the shoreline
is an extremely productive wild life area. ( *8:05 p.m. Mr. Cornier arrived) His opinion was it would be
beneficial to keep the shoreline vegetation, it is extremely beneficial to the habitat of the wood ducks. The
vegetation area was young and with some management it would be productive for many years to come.
Mr. Barske stated that he would increase the depth of the pond 12 -15 feet by going straight down. He
thought this would improve the fish stock - maybe some varieties would hold over the winter. The
Commission discussed flood control and maintenance of the area. Slopes of 4:1 should be maintained,
purple loosestr8ife should be kept under control to discourage spreading.
The Commission felt that Mr. Barske's talk was very informative and thanked him for his time. There
were no questions from the audience.
TRAIL DEVELOPMENT - ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Greg Cauldwell gave an overview of the trail development project. He stated that the purpose of
developing trails in our conservation areas is to encourage use and passive recreation. Colin Cauldwell of
Natural Resources Trust (NRT) stated that the goals of NRT and the Conservation Commission are very
similar. Commissioner Cornier will work with the NRT as the representative of the Commission. Mr.
Stephen Ouellette, a member of the AMC, will work on this project also.
The Commission discussed the different trail areas and multiple uses for trails. It was stated that trails
with multiple uses have a greater opportunity for State Aid. Some uses would be hiking, cross country
skiing, mountain biking, equestrian use and ATVs. There are some areas that would lend themselves to
be developed for persons with mobility impairment, some signage could be encoded in Braille.
It is important for the trails to be built on land that Ave own. There were several questions that need to be
answered such as parking issues, development plan, community involvement, Conservation policy and
enforcement and adopt a trail programs. The discussion included a start -up time, How do we get people
involved. Maybe a Great Woods Clean -up Day would be one idea? Mr. Rich George of Samoset Ave
stated that he is a Boy Scout Leader and his troop would be interested. This could be a good project for
Eagle Scouts.
With the number of questions that needed to be answered it was decided that Commissioners Cornier and
Sadowski, Colin Cauldwell, NRT and Stephen Ouellette, would meet as a subconunittee and report back
to the Conservation Commission in August. The subconunittee will develop a proposed policy for the trail
development project.
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, S
Maureen R. Doherty,
Secretary