I. Minutes were distributed at beginning of meeting: Minutes were approved
II.
The brochure
(5000) will
be ready in the middle of next week.
III.
Stream
Team updates:
Nancy reported that we finished the first draft for the Segregansett; the first
draft of the mainstem is written. We had
an action planning meeting for the Three Mile and Segregansett—it was perfect.
There was only one segment on Taunton—from Long Meadow to the Weir—that has not
been completed. Nancy suggests that we
send out thank you notes to all the volunteers. Jim recommended that the note
mention designation and include the brochure.
Nancy also mentioned that we hold an event for all the stream teams --maybe
have a pot luck supper—where they could interact with each other and hear about
W&S. Part of the evening could be
spent on how to keep stream teams together.
Bring AAS tools and materials –such as the “how to do clean ups” to the
supper.
Nancy
asked how we can support Stream Teams when we finish with the surveys so that
we can help them follow through with actions.
Suggestions included technical assistance (staff), small grants,
Adopt-A-Stream support and because the tributaries will be included in the
management plan—the same support would go to the tributaries that go to the
mainstem. Bob Rak, professor at Bristol Community College has a series of 10
educational videos on specific uses that have come up on every stream team: native plants, how to be a good steward to
river; septic system maintenance, etc. It would be great to get them out on
cable. They videoed the speakers at a
series of workshops.
Jim
suggested that all the sections of the management plan include a focus on the
stream teams and on their roles. A stream team member suggested that we build
the structure of the stream teams so that they become self-sustaining. Each could have a chair or co-chairs. Kitty
said that the Town River Stewards (a new name for the stream team) is now under
the land trust. They are now planning a
second clean up; they post the minutes on the land trust web page. They are autonomous with support from the
Land Trust.
III. Update of Projects
funded:
Macroinvertebrate: Fred St. Ours and Tim
Watts started the macroinvertebrate surveys.
The next one is August 17th.
Stream Team Kiosk on the Forge is going well
Heritage Landscape Survey: Bill will be meeting with Jessica next week
for planning.
Water Quality and Flow: Winnetuxet, Matfield; Town, Nemasket and
Raven Brook.
All sites up and running; data on the web; Margaret will be working on the data to give us rating curves to see discharge. There are also rotating tributaries.
Consolidation of data: We need an update on progress.
IV. STEWARDSHIP
PLAN
· Joan suggested that we have a glowing introductory sentence. Jamie suggested that all introductory sections should have headings so that they draw the reader in. There should be very short two or three paragraph heading. We could base the paragraphs on different types of habitat: unfragmented wetland habitat; threatened and endangered species; fish and wildlife. There are some globally rare ecosystems in the Taunton River Watershed. The TNC selected the Taunton for study and protection because of its national –and in some cases global significance. It is one of the most intact coastal rivers in the Northeast and as such provides a refuge for many species; the freshwater marsh exists because there are no dams.
Objectives:
#3 is wordy. Would like to see an objective very specific to habitat fragmentation. We should have two objectives instead of one:
· Prevent habitat fragmentation by protecting riparian corridors
· Rare and endangered species have its own bullet
Actions balanced by
threats: objectives at the top
Environmentally insensitive development (in place of unplanned development)
We seem to have threats balanced by actions with the exception of “Environmentally insensitive development.
Joan suggested having either a section with suggestions for landowners and residents of things they can do to protect biodiversity, habitat, or in other sections, historical or scenic resources. Otherwise this information could be intertwined within the actions in each section
Kitty recommended that the plan affect every single person; make it personal and connected.
Can we relate each action to ecology and biology: Bring the wording back to the focus.
Look at each action to ensure that they are specific to biology and ecology.
New suggestions include:
· Promote biodiversity days
· Naturalist walks could also promote importance of linked corridors
· Overlay district: several local people suggested removing it. Some one suggested changing the words to “ consider the potential of a development of a TR model overlay district that would create a protective riparian corridor.” We all acknowledged that passing a bylaw takes work. Bill suggested that we encourage more board of health regulations; planning board design standards.
· Support natural resource inventory to get a sense of what is there now and protect through design standards
· Maintain streamside buffers and edge habitat
· Stormwater design
· Make sure that Open Space Plans and Master Plans include a focus on riparian corriors and preventing fragmentation of habitat
· Inform communities that have cluster zoning or open space zoning that the land chosen to be set aside for open space should be chosen with knowledge of the rare and endangered species and linked riparian corridors.
Agriculture:
Alex suggested that the long-term use of the river corridor for farming should be highlighted. The Native Americans have used this corridor for farming for 1000s of years ad the land is still fertile and productive. Then emphasize settlers. Bill suggested that we mention the outstanding efforts in SE MA (such as Agricultural Commissions) that are expanding to the rest of the state.
“I can raise anything on this kind of soil” is a comment often heard in the Taunton River Watershed. There is a lot of bottom land. Soil is deep, rich— (Get the number) % of the farms in the corridor is prime agricultural land. Some of the prime agricultural lands have more than six feet of soil are already lost to development.
Jim asked if we could we narrow the figures for MA to Taunton. The only thing that could be stated are crop values. $6000 is the agriculture value of this land. This is the higher end of what the APR program will pay per acre. Several people felt it was very important to protect our agriculture. Protect agricultural ability of corridor to sustain ourselves if loss of transportation: if we need to be self-sufficient, we could be. If all possible land were agricultural how many people could we feed? Bill T. pointed out that we were lacking farmers to lease fields as well as work the land.
We should have an inspiring first sentence about agriculture in the Taunton so that it paints a word picture of the agriculture the river. Farming is so important in the Taunton that we have one of the 2 agricultural schools in the state. The school owns 224 acres of prime agricultural land on the river.
New ideas:
· Community Gardening: all communities could have community gardens and we need some muscle and TA center: Could Bristol Aggie serve as this?
· Bristol Aggie has done aquaculture with Save the Bay
· Encourage partnership with Future Farmers of Am and Natural Resources Department and 4-H and Bristol County Farm Bureau and BC Con District to have local projects in the communities such as Community Gardens and see if we can find land on the rivers or tributaries.
· Combine problem of needing farm labor on the farms with Bristol Aggie resources. In 1980 not enough farms to work on; they moved poultry out of the curriculum because there were no chicken farms. Someone suggested that organic emphasis could be a new movement.
Bill N. will look up Executive Order 193: Support state no net loss of farm properties. They had to replace with land that will remain in perpetuity.
Rachel asked if there are special actions that would make the top ten
· Theme: lower Taunton as a nursery habitat: at certain life stages, fish are dependent on estuaries suchas the Lower Tauton River. Winter flounder, Tautaug, Rainbow Smelt; lobsters, clams, and marine species.
· Protect riparian corridor
John said that we must add importance of nursery for marine fish. We will incorporate it in the fishery section as well as putting it in the beginning of his section. This should be added as one of the Outstandingly Remarkable values in the beginning of the document. John was pleased to see hands on active strategies form the community workshop.
Are there hooks: estuary that is particularly exciting or rare that we want to accentuate. The estuary; salt marsh. Assonet largest continuous estuary in Taunton.
Economics should be added: scallop fishery, gone; clams, conditionally closed; what would we have to do to restore it?
At least 15,000 bushels of seeds are collected for depuration elsewhere.