Woodlands & Wildlife Committee Meeting Minutes Thursday, November 17, 2022 @ 7:00 PM via Zoom

Attendance •

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Present: Bruce Altobelli, Brad Truax, Craig McArt, Dave Wood, Jack Van Hoff, Jeff Russell, Ruthann Eastman, Heidi Wrighton, Maynard Wheeler Excused: Irma Graf, Peter Hope, Pam Grace Volunteers: Dottie and Larry Brown, Bob Herrick, Michael Cronin, Mark Fields, Tom Hermanson, Julie Brasell, Mark Hill

Liaisons: Susan Meyer (Board) Judi Dixon (Council)

Approval of October 13, 2022 minutes Accepted with author added.

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Welcome Marty Gearhart as a new volunteer

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Thanks to all who helped clear trails of trees and debris o Thanks to Chris Curwen for clearing glossy buckthorn in upper Heath Forest o Thanks to Mike Cronin for building the new bridge on the Yellow Trail in Health Forest o Thanks to Ruthann, Dave, Jack, Bob Herrick, and Brad for restoring flow of the stream on the Pink Trail in Heath Forest.

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Grantham Garden Club: “Black Bear Happenings in New Hampshire” rescheduled for December 9 at 10:00AM to noon. request the Zoom link via email to: [email protected] .

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Bears still active in Eastman Some residents on Hummingbird Lane have been feeding them. No known incidents here with humans, though one instance a child separated from parents by a bear and another where group of children at South Cove saw bears. Putting one ounce of ammonia in the garbage bag helps. The bear rips the garbage bag out, gets a sniff of that ammonia, and runs away sneezing. Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for Florida Fish & Wildlife, said that using ammonia, bleach or mothballs are suggestions. The FWC does not actively recommend these items because they are generally only effective against younger, less experienced bears. She said residents should secure trash in a sturdy shed, garage or a wildlife-resistant container, and put household garbage out on the morning of pick-up, rather than the night before. Beware: ammonia can blind a bear if it hits its eyes so don’t put ammonia in a balloon or other popup item. Airhorns effective, but “bear bells” may attract curious yearlings.

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NH Fish & Game recommends bird feeders not go out before December 1. Usual recommendation is do not put them out between April 1 and December 1. However, given the impact of climate change (shorter winters, less snow cover) that time period may need to be extended.

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Should we create a Bear Task Force? Marty suggests using a school-based session

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Acorn boom and bust cycles https://www.nhpr.org/show/something-wild/2022-10-21/something-wild-tracking-the-acorn-boom-andbust Paucity of acorns and other hard “mast” this year. Likely a prime reason for our bear issues this year. Some bears may not survive the winter.

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Bear attacks rare but there was one in Vermont https://www.mynbc5.com/article/vermont-fish-and-wildlife-investigating-bear-attack-instratton/41854913?mc_cid=f05c5db842&mc_eid=a66f106da5#

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State of the Birds 2022 reports – https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/ https://www.audubon.org/news/2022-us-state-birds-report-reveals-widespread-losses-birds-all-habitatsexcept?ms=policy-adv-email-ea-xengagement_20221014_advisory&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign =engagement_20221014_advisory Half of all bird species are declining. Bad news: birds in the United States are declining overall in all but one habitat—declining in forests, grasslands, deserts, and oceans Good news: strong increases where investments in wetland conservation made

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Beavers From Mary Holland: Quote about beavers from Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun state in “The Beaver”: “a beaver pond is a highway, canal, escape route, hiding place, vegetable garden, food storage facility, refrigerator/freezer, water storage tank, bathtub, swimming pool and water toilet.” Nature.com: Beaver dams overshadow climate extremes in controlling riparian hydrology and water quality.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34022-0

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Loon behavior video (Vermont Center for Ecostudies) https://vimeo.com/420702867 This is a nice complement to the CornellCast and Loon Project sites The best indicator of declining insect population – your windshield

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/10/21/dead-bugs-on-windshields/

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Muskrats https://www.mass.gov/news/meet-the-muskrat

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Suzanne Simard’s work on mycorrhizal fungal networks challenged https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/science/trees-fungi-talking.html

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New England’s forests underutilized in climate fight? https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/08/science/new-englands-forests-are-an-underused-toolclimate-fight-study-says/ Trees across New England are already absorbing roughly 27 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. That’s equal to 14 percent of the planet-warming pollution New Englanders emitted by using fossil fuels in 2020. Allow trees to grow old: the older a tree is, the greater its potential to store carbon Conservation easements Plant more trees in urban areas Use less wood in construction

Report of Board Liaison: Susan Meyer o Board received feedback on bear issues. No rules re: bears. Could security help with bear issue. Budget sessions heating up soon.

Report of Council Liaison: on demand None. 1. Old Business a. Budget FYE 2024 updated for phragmites mitigation on Wellfield. Requested $2000 (.5 acre) but Wellfield is a full acre. The owner of adjacent property is OK with spraying. b. Sustainable Eastman – Dave Wood Sustainable Eastman considering a Forest Master Plan or Inventory. Best plan is one from Dode Gladders: encouraged diversity. It is inevitable that some species will be endangered by pathogens, invasive insects, etc. So, need to ensure there are many other species to take their place. c. Trails for bikes Craig McArt put up 10 signs covering every intersection. Consider promoting trails with guided tours in summer? Should we post trails to protect vernal pools by allowing hikers only? Consider restricting bikers in Spring until risk of damage to vernal pools passes? Further discussion needed on whether bikers should be allowed on any trail used for hiking. d. Gamecams – Currently on Wetlands (Winding Wood) on Village District land. Gamecam on Yellow Trail at beaver dam had lots of deer. Amazing how they can walk on the dam. e. Trail keepers comments Ruth Ann suggested blazes on Yellow Trail near origin of the alternate loop may be needed to avoid confusing new hikers. 2. New Business a. Wood available from Marty Gearhart. She has pressure treated wood available. b. Trail work needed anywhere. o Ruth Ann suggested evaluating Yellow Trail to avoid ice in the winter. o Dave suggested an update to Ash tree survey he previously did o Bruce noted that the Recreation Task Force had ideas including: More walkable trails in Eastman? Maybe using unpaved roads to walk to Center or South Cove? Adding trails for non-mountain biked? o Improve walking trails for people possibly with steps, hand rails, water control and evening out trails (roots). o Lake Trail – some work needed. Could use fill above roots. It is a nice trail but difficult. This would involve significant expense. Could ranking trail as difficult be useful? o Bruce put budgets in for Lake Trail bike/walkway. c. “Did you know….” columns. d. Discussed date for next meeting. Decision: cancel December meeting Date for next meeting Janiuary 12, 2023 @ 7:00 PM by Zoom Respectfully submitted. Jeff Russell, Secretary