The Eightmile River
Wild & Scenic Study Committee
Meeting Minutes – January 26, 2004, (A Cold) East Haddam Grange Hall
Present: Nathan Frohling, Sally Snyder, Anthony Irving, David Bingham, Eric Belt, Sue Merrow, Walter Smith, Randy Dill, Jon Morris, Linda Krause; NPS – Jamie Fosburgh, Kevin Case; Guest – Ethan Carr, UMASS
Absent: David Tiffany, Larry Reitz, Bill Koch, Brad Parker
1) Meeting called to order at 5:05 PM
2) Minutes of December 15, 2003 meeting approved unanimously.
3) Cultural/Historic/Recreational - The agenda order was changed, swapping item 4a and item 3 to allow guest Ethan Carr time to speak. Mr. Carr, an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture from UMASS, was invited to tour the Eightmile Watershed (which he did just prior to the meeting) and provide some input to the Study Committee on how to approach an assessment of the area’s cultural landscape. Carr described an effort he has been involved with on the outer Cape that has assessed the components that define the character of the outer Cape and how they have changed or eroded over time. A draft copy of this report was left with the Committee. It was noted that one of the challenges of addressing changes in the character of an area is that it happens relatively slowly and incrementally, in turn making it more difficult to understand what specific actions can be taken to conserve character over time. Features in the Eightmile Watershed that struck Carr as interesting include the 19th century pattern and dispersal of houses based on agrarian land use patterns, and a 19th century circulation system of narrow, windy roads. He mentioned that in doing a cultural landscape assessment you want to focus on the things that matter to you – this is flexible based on the features that you care about and feel are key in conveying the character of the area. The Massachusetts Dept. of Recreation and Conservation has a recent publication, “Reading the Land – Massachusetts Heritage Landscapes: A Guide to Identification and Protection” that Carr recommends as a good guidance document for undertaking a landscape analysis. Case will order copies for the Committee. Carr noted that while he did not get the sense that there are exceptional or outstanding examples of cultural landscapes in the Eightmile Watershed, the process of inventorying and understanding the landscape can be very beneficial to supporting the concept of an intact watershed system. Fosburgh noted such information can be very helpful in engaging the public with information they can relate to. Bingham added that while many town plans of conservation and development recognize the importance of “rural character” none have done a good job of describing what that means. This type of inventory could be very helpful. The Committee agreed it would be helpful for the Study to undertake such an inventory for the Eightmile. Carr offered to look into identifying a student at UMASS who could assist with such a project, with faculty oversight. Such an effort was estimated costing $10 -$12,000.
4) Congressman Simmons Meeting Follow-Up – Overall the Committee was pleased with the event and very appreciative of the Congressman taking the time to meet. It was noted a positive editorial ran in the New London Day soon after the event. No one was aware of other press articles. Rep. Simmons willingness to participate in future community meetings was welcomed and the Committee looked forward to including him in such meetings. It was recognized that the Committee needs to make an effort to engage state representatives and senators in the study. It was agreed Committee members will work with local selectman to set up informational meetings with the state representatives and senators. It was also noted that Rep. Simmons encouraged engaging the local schools in the study. The Committee discussed approaches to reach out to schools, recognizing such work can be challenging. The best way to be effective is through working with educators who are already interested in the Eightmile Watershed. Efforts are already underway in East Haddam at the High School. Smith noted the Outreach subcommittee can take the lead on this but it will take a local leader in each town for such efforts to be successful. Fosburgh noted that he felt Rep. Simmons two main messages were to produce a solid, well-documented, professional product and clearly showed strong community support for the study outcomes.
5a) Outreach & Education Subcommittee – Smith noted the Subcommittee still needs representation from Salem, and could benefit from more members from the other towns as well. Case will follow-up with Larry Reitz to discuss. Irving mentioned he has another Lyme resident for the Subcommittee. The plan for community meetings in April was discussed. Some were concerned we don’t have adequate content yet to hold meetings. Smith noted it is of critical importance that we have a well-developed strategy for encouraging and receiving community feedback and discussion. Merrow noted out outstanding resource value findings could certainly be a hook to attract interest in the meetings. Case suggested that ample content will be available for meetings in April and felt it was very important to meet this timeline, both because it will be an important incentive to complete the eligibility piece of the Study Committee’s work, and it will get us back out into the public after almost a year without community meetings. It was recognized by many that we need to attract the residents of the Eightmile Communities that normally would not be interested in this information. They will have an opportunity to vote on the final designation recommendation and therefore we need to be sure they have had ample opportunity to learn about and be involved in the study process. Smith noted this will take a robust outreach network and reminded the Committee that the subcommittee is moving forward on hiring staff support. Frohling noted we also need to better develop our relationships with the press. He, Irving, Case and Smith will be working on this.
5b) Management Subcommittee – no time for report
5c) Natural Resources Subcommittee – no time for report
6) Old Business – none
7) New Business – none
8) Next meeting date Monday, February 23, 2004 at the Lyme Town Hall. Note: the Management Subcommittee will meet just prior to the Study Committee meeting at 3:45 pm.
Meeting adjourned 7:07 PM
Submitted K. Case