03/21/19 Minutes
HOLLIS CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 21, 2019
Present: Joanne Toone, Catherine Hewitt, John Mattor, Chris Jones, Amy Farwell, Doris Luther and guest State Representative Don Marean
1. Minutes from February 17, 2019 approved.
2. Website Review: Chris is working on it.
3. Update on the American Chestnut project. John and Joanne have ordered 10 trees from FEDCO. Our trees were grown at UNE. Joanne spoke with a member of the Maine American Chestnut Association. They have about 600 trees growing at UNE.
4. State land west of Killick Pond: John invited Rep. Don Marean to attend this meeting to talk about this underutilized and unmanaged piece of land. Discussion ensued about who actually owns the land. Part of it was used by the Army National Guard. Amy reported her husband seeing a sign for the Army National Guard, but she also said that Land for Maine's Future recently bought some of the parcel. Don believes it is under the jurisdiction of the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW.) They don't manage it because it is considered a wildlife habitat. It appears to be several different parcels with different designations. John has brought up this matter because it is a unique wildlife area with Pitch Pines, a rare butterfly, and the rare Small Whirled Begonia. It needs to be preserved and people need access to it. Right now, there are no-trespassing signs, and boulders block cars from entering. Off-road vehicle riders and dirt bikes can get around them. There is a lot of vandalism and littering and environmental damage. And, the people who want to appreciate the area and understand its value are not allowed legal access.
-John envisions opening up the piece off of Hardscrabble Road to hikers, walkers, and naturalists. There would be no camping, no hunting, and no fires. Don will do some research and find out what he can. He will talk with our State Senator Justin Chenette. Two of them approaching the division of Land Management at the IFW will have more weight than just one of them. Don believes that there must be some conditions between the IFW and the National Resource Protection Act because some Federal money was used to purchase part of the property. This may restrict what we're trying to do. Don will check into that.
-Amy found a reference on line to the ecological significance of the area partly because of the Pitch Pines.
-John passed around some beautiful photos of the Killick Pond area.
5. Martha Turner Report: absent
6. Doris had sent out an e-mail about an upcoming conference: Native Plant Conservation in the 21stCentury on April 12, from 10-5 at Maine Audubon Society in Falmouth.
7. Browntail Moth Caterpillar Conference being held on April 4, from 5-6:30pm at Rising Tide Co-op, 323 Main Street, Damarascotta.
8. MEACC (Maine Association of Conservation Commissions) Annual Conference April 19 at 9:30 at Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. John and Joanne plan to attend.
9. Other: Catherine talked about the Beginning With Habitat maps that have been updated to include a concentration of selected environmental assets. She pointed out that these would be a great asset for the town planning board, particularly for Open Space planning. She is going to order the new maps and suggested we could use our own GIS system and create our own maps. Catherine and Chris are going to a GIS mapping session in conjunction with the Saco River Corridor Commission.
Respectfully submitted,
Doris Luther