The Eightmile River

Wild & Scenic Study Committee

Wild & Scenic Coordinating Committee

Meeting Minutes – August 28^th, 2006, East Haddam Grange

Present: Bernie Gillis, Eric Belt Gloria Fogarty Anthony Irving, Sue Merrow, Parker Lord, Linda Bireley, Nathan Frohling, Ralph Lewis, Damon Hearne, Sally Snyder, John Rozum, David Bingham, Randy Dill.

1. Acceptance of July 24th 2006 Meeting Minutes – Unanimous

2. The next meeting of the Study Committee will be September 25^th, 5pm in Salem.

3. Damon Hearne distributed descriptions of the subcommittees and finalized the subcommittee membership.

4. Bylaws were discussed and some revisions were requested.  Damon Hearne will incorporate these changes and send out prior to the next meeting.  It was decided that the committee will vote to adopt the bylaws and the next meeting if they are ready.

5. Officer elections were briefly discussed.  It was determined that officer elections will take place at the following meeting if the bylaws have been adopted.  Anthony Irving requested that members of the committee ponder their willingness to serve on elected positions with the committee.   The committee briefly discussed what the needs were for elected officers.  Gloria Fogarty stated that she would be willing to take on the Secretary duties as long as she felt she had the time.

6. Damon Hearne reported to the committee on the status of the Study Report and the Management Plan printing.  Final printed copies of the management plan were distributed to the committee representatives.  Anthony Irving stated his appreciation for the work that Damon Hearne put into writing and finalizing the Study Report.  A representative from each town was asked to help refine the number of management plans that each board or commission will need.  Nathan Frohling gave a brief update on the fact that it is unlikely that the designation will occur before the end of this congress.

7. Damon Hearne gave a brief summary of the status of the riparian setback implementation.  Lyme and Salem are both working on draft language.  East Haddam has started the public hearing process.  So far the East Haddam process has gone smoothly.

8. Nathan Frohling gave a brief update on the status of the funding effort.  He stated that the funding subcommittee has raised a significant amount of money but that additional funds will be required to make it through FY 2007 with the current budget.  Several representatives mentioned that the committee should pursue local granting organizations such as Essex savings bank, Middlesex Community Foundation etc. It was decided that these types of funders would be pursued after the initial effort for private funding was concluded.

9. John Rozum announced that the East Haddam Land Trust will be having a fundraiser to help buy a key property in the watershed.  Details of the fundraiser were shared and Damon Hearne stated that he would be supplying the display board and any additional support that the land trust required from the Committee.

The meeting was then adjourned.

Submitted D. Hearne

September 18, 2006