The Eightmile River
Wild & Scenic Study Committee
Meeting Minutes – April 26, 2004, East Haddam Grange Hall
Present: Nathan Frohling, David Bingham, Sue Merrow, John Rozum, Anthony Irving, Sally Snyder, Linda Krause; NPS – Kevin Case
Absent: Brad Parker, Randy Dill, Jamie Fosburgh, Eric Belt, David Tiffany, Larry Reitz, Walter Smith, Bill Koch
1) Meeting called to order at 5:25 PM
2) Minutes of March 22, 2004 meeting approved unanimously.
3) Subcommittee Reports:
a. Outreach & Education –
Case reported for the Outreach Subcommittee. Planning for the May Community Meetings is in high gear. Postcards have been mailed to all households in East Haddam, Salem and Lyme. Extra postcards and small posters are available for distribution at town halls and other community information areas. The press contact sheet has been updated and press contacts have begun. Case and Irving met with the Lyme Times and the New London Day recently, and will be meeting with the CT Journal soon. Letters are being sent directly to all riverfront landowners along the Eightmile’s main stem and east branch, Harris Brook and Beaver Brook. Road signs will be posted a week before the meetings to provide further promotion. In other news the website has undergone a major content upgrade. Sue M. reported the permits for the road signs have been signed for all but two in Lyme. The Committee agreed the signs should be ordered and installed. The bumper stickers have been printed for the Community Meetings and were distributed to Study Committee members to display proudly on their vehicles. Also, the Eightmile Coalition is working to revisit all the groups that supported the original study legislation to gauge their interest and willingness to continue their support of the process and the possibility in providing volunteer outreach support in some capacity.
b. Management –
Frohling reported the subcommittee has been focused on developing the appropriate content for the Community Meetings, the most important component being a focused discussion with attendees regarding their preferences of management/protection strategies. The Committee agreed the presentation should clearly and simply identify all the possible management options that may be considered, to gage community reaction and preference. Frohling also noted that the subcommittee has completed its threats assessment of potential outstanding resource values. They will be starting an analysis of current levels of resource protection to determine any potential gaps in desired protection levels.
c. Cultural/Historic/Recreational –
Merrow reported for the subcommittee. The UMASS intern Lauren Todd has finished drafting the workplan for her assessment and it has been distributed to subcommittee for comment. Contract paperwork has been submitted by UMASS to NPS. She plans to begin in May and be done in October. Comments on the draft archaeology report have been submitted to the archaeologist for incorporation.
d. Natural Resources –
Irving reported for the subcommittee. The subcommittee has reviewed the draft biodiversity report from Michael Klemens, LLC and has found it incomplete. Comments are being developed to respond to the contractor. Frohling noted how important this document is to our overall arguments regarding outstanding resource values and the uniqueness of the Eightmile area. Frohling made a motion “The Natural Resource Subcommittee has a consensus opinion that the draft biodiversity report from Michael Klemens LLC is inadequate based on meeting the requirements of the signed RFP in form and content. The subcommittee asks the report be made adequate per its comments summarized in a memo by Case to be developed and submitted to Michael Klemens, LLC” Bingham 2nd. Unanimous. Case noted the instream flow study was underway. David Bingham was generous enough to spend a day with the researchers showing them the watershed and installing temperature probes at bridge crossings. Air photos were taken last Saturday for the entire watershed, at a cost of $3,400. The volunteer vernal pool survey continues to go well, although some volunteers are finding many more vernal pools than what our mapping indicates. Irving noted a need to further review the results rapid bioassessment work led by the CT River Coastal Conservation District in the Eightmile Watershed last fall. The results of the assessment appear to be mediocre, a result possibly of collection techniques. The next Natural Resource Subcommittee meeting will be Monday, May 10, 3pm in Salem.
4) Other Old Business
a. Lyme/Beaver Brook Gravel Pit Application –
The Lyme Inland Wetlands Commission denied the second gravel pit application. The applicant decided to continue the process and filed with the Lyme Planning & Zoning Commission who will likely have to deny the application without prejudice due to the actions of the Inland Wetlands Commission.
b. Colchester/Lake Hayward Subdivision Proposal – A letter will be sent to the Inland Wetlands Commission in Colchester just as a courtesy to let them know the study is occurring, similar to the letter sent to the Lyme Inland Wetlands Commission.
5) New Business – none
6) Next Meeting dates –Tuesday, June 1, 2004, Lyme, and Monday, June 28, Salem.
Meeting adjourned 6:40 PM
Submitted K. Case