September 6, 2023 Breakfast Meeting Notes

 

 

Greg Knnoettner of the Plymouth Conservation Commission, today's speaker.

Tony was absent so Sharon gave some comments on club members. First, she congratulated Mike and his wife on their 35th wedding anniversary. She then noted that Susan and Braden have birthdays this month.

 

Bill won the 50/50 and donated the money to Tom.

Card game: Beth drew 5 of clubs so the hunt for the ace of spades continues.

Mike and Lora had happy dollars.

 

Styrofoam project notes: We have ordered styrofoam bins for Plymouth, Campton/Thornton and Holderness. Explore Plymouth NH will be placing a promotional video about the styrofoam project on their website. Ken Evans noted that we have 5 people signed up to volunteer to carry materials to the densifier in Gilford. The first opportunity is next Wednesday morning after our meeting. Anyone else who wants to come can still sign up. We have received a check for $1000 from the town of Holderness towards the cost of the bins. Bill noted that the state has given $54,000 to Gilford towards the densifier so it is now paid for. Ken and Mike will be picking up styrofoam this morning right after the meeting in Plymouth and could use some help loading the truck. (This local contractor generates 2 bags of styrofoam per month!)

 

Steve noted that if we use Give Butter for our annual fund, we will need to create a new account; we need someone to start this and do the accounting. This would let us do mini-fundraisers for things like the styrofoam project and should allow us to raise money more easily.

 

Braden has sent Beth the Penny Sale information. Beth will be getting this information to club members shortly. We have reserved the high school for the event on November 4 as well as 2 Wednesdays before for setup.

 

Our speaker today is Greg Knnoettner of the Plymouth Conservation Commission. He is on the board of the PCC and is one of the founders of the Pemi Baker Trail system. He has a BA in economics and an MS in environmental science. He joined the PCC in 2017 and is former trails chair for the commission. Currently he serves as Land Stewardship Chair and treasurer. Today he discussed conserving a Community by providing natural resource conservation and enhancing outdoor recreation.

 

Note: For those who would like a copy of Greg's entire slide show, please contact Lora and she will email a PDF.

 

Natural Resource Conservation: This means preserving the elements of community that are vital to the community’s identity, which is in turn a big source of civic pride. Plymouth’s vital characteristics include a healthy downtown, a strong tradition of education and civic engagement, initiatives that enrich citizens’ lives, and opportunities for recreational activities.

 

Plymouth has many agents of action for the social landscape, including PAREI, LFB, Common Man, PVHH, the Restore and so many more. We have fewer agents watching out for the natural landscape. Towns need to have an NRI or Natural Resource Inventory inn order to protect their land. This document describes the important natural resources in the local area, including historic, scenic, and recreational resources. Having an inventory is necessary for getting grants for conservation; NRIs provide building blocks for land use and conservation planning, and allow natural resource information to be included in planning and zoning for proactive decision making.  An NRI includes maps, supporting data, and a narrative report that summarizes everything and makes recommendations for the future. 

 

NRIs should be updated every 5 to 10 years. Ours was last done in 2005. PCC is working on a 2024-25 revamp of our NRI. We now have storymaps on the town website that look at forest patterns, soil types, etc. The PCC will seek bids from regional environmental consulting firms to redo the NRI. Such firms have experience in analyzing patterns of land ownership and use. The report will focus on areas of high conservation value: water, habitat, forestry and agriculture, scale, connectivity and development. 

 

An NRI is typically $20,000-$40,000. The PCC’s annual budget is $6450 in general operating funds (tools, materials, dues for conferences etc). Leftover money goes into a savings account for conservation. Currently the PCC has $50,000 in this account so the cost of the NRI will eat into this. The commission wants to use this money to help people get a conservation easement on their property, as obtaining easements can be quite costly. The commission will introduce some warrant articles in town to fund the NRI. 

 

Outdoor recreation conservation: opportunities here are ample, including on town lands along Glove Hollow Brook, Fox Park, and Tenney Mountain. In 2022, a few friends decided to create Pemi Baker Trails as a subcommittee of the PCC. They also advocate for nonmotarized recreation on trails on private land.  The core beliefs of Pemi Baker Trails are that access to private property must be earned and maintained and can be revoked by the landowner at any time. Central responsibility promotes trust and reduces unauthorized use. Human powered travel promotes community through spatial and social connections. 

 

The Pemi Baker Trails have a new initiative with the Smarts Brook conservation up in Campton/Thornton so as to expand regional impact. Both NRI and the PBT show the importance of connectivity to natural resource and recreational opportunities.. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Lora Miller, secretary