Vassalboro Conservation Commission Meeting
April 19, 2017 at 7pm at the Vassalboro Town Hall
Attendees: Betsy Poulin (Chair/Secretary), David Jenney, Steve Jones, Holly Weidner, Dylan Dillaway, Matt Streeter (Alewife Restoration Initiative)
Absent: None
Meeting Proceedings:
- Matt Streeter notes that Aleta McKeage is a contractor hired by the Alewife Restoration Initiative to map invasive species at the East Vassalboro Water District. She is willing to do a workshop to show people how to map invasive species. The funding will only allow for work at that one property. A plan will be created for the Water District for removal and re-vegetation. Most of the mapping will be upland, not along the stream banks.
- Matt provided a list of tentative plants for different environments along the Outlet stream.
- Some native grasses are seeded in the spring and more plantings will be done later.
- The plan is to remove invasive species up from the water’s edge a bit and plant native plants ASAP to crowd out more invasives from appearing. Plantings will primarily occur next year, hope to use the Youth Conservation Corps. Education would be provided for how to maintain the plant material. ARI has a 5 year commitment along Outlet Stream as part of the dam removals.
- Holly talks about Invasive Species Lecture sponsored by the grange last year, where Judy Stone from Colby spoke. She can come again this year, as a Grange sponsored speaker. She has samples and talks about identification and eradication of invasive plants common in your backyard.
- Betsy will create and print out handouts to distribute around town. She will give some to Holly to deliver to stream abutters.
- Matt tells the Commission that the flow was 146cfm at China Lake’s dam yesterday. In 2012 there were times it was over 300cfm. The water has cut down over a foot in some places.
- Friday May 12: Potluck at 6:30pm. Judy Stone Lecture at 7:15pm. Grange Sponsored.
- Saturday May 13: 9:30am meet and greet/food (VCC). 10am break into groups for either mapping with ARI/Aleta McKeage or Invasive Species ID/Removal with Conservation Commission Members. 12:30 Pizza at Grange (provided by Grange/Country Store), chance to talk with others about the morning, etc.