Halifax Conservation Commission
P.O. Box 127, West Halifax, VT 05358
Regular Meeting, Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 6:30 PM
Remote Participation ONLY
Zoom Location:
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Meeting ID: 781 449 0827 Passcode: 234
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MINUTES
Attendees: Stephan Chait (Chair; SC), Mary Horne (Member; MH), Lesley Pollitt (Treasurer; LP), Dov Towler (Member; DT), Laurel Copeland (Secretary; LC), Sue Kelly (SK), Marie Caduto (MC), Linda Huebner (LH), Penfield Chester (PC)
CALL TO ORDER at 6:34 pm
CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA – Add update on the pollinator plantings by Whitneyville Road in Hearing of the Visitors.
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES – Regular Meeting Minutes of April 25, 2024, were approved.
NEW BUSINESS
Water Quality Plan for the Deerfield River Watershed – Draft Plan for Basin 12
Presentation by Marie Caduto, Watershed Planner, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Overview of current status of water quality in Basin 12 – in Halifax, they are monitoring bugs and fish in 4 locations on the East Branch North River, and those locations are good to excellent, plus 3 locations on the Green River where conditions are excellent/good with one exception on Guilford town line where conditions are fair. To our west, Sadawga has invasives while other bodies of water are clear. Deer Park Pond and Blue Pond are monitored in Halifax for acidity. Wetlands (seeps, beaver ponds, etc.) are assessed non-randomly for quality. Per Vermont law, if water deemed A1 Excellent degrades to B1, then the state has to do something to fix the problem. The Green River is currently a B2. Typical causes of water degradation are sediment from erosion (land use, storms) and permitted discharges (wastewater treatment, industrial). To reclassify a river, someone in the community must request a petition for that. We have a Total Maximum Daily Load on dissolved oxygen-nitrogen because Long Island Sound has multiple problems. Sources of nitrogen we can control: roads, septic systems, agriculture. Halifax is pretty clean in this respect. Generally excess nitrogen is from where you have the most roads. Halifax is mostly forested which is best for water quality. Natural Resources has a Skidder Bridge program where the state rents out a skidder bridge to loggers to cross streams without degrading them Halifax has numerous clean water projects shown online on Clean Water Project Explorer website.
Impacts of 2015 Act 64 (Improving the Quality of State Waters/ Vermont Clean Water Act) on Town’s Dirt Roads – stormwater regulation expanded to all roads in Vermont. Roadside ditches filled with riprap seem hazardous but are required by the state. Municipality shall upgrade at least 7.5% of non-compliant road segments per year. Steepest roads are prioritized first. Rock-lining reduces maintenance demands. The ditches, check dams, and sediment basins trap eroding sediment before it runs into the stream. Half the road segments in Halifax don’t connect to a stream; 1/6 fully meets standards, 1/6 partially meets standards, and 1/6 does not meet standards. Halifax is a Tier 2 municipality, so it costs $1,350. Jacksonville Stage culvert: 2 feet wide but should be 5 feet wide.
If we have priority locations, tell Marie Caduto (marie.caduto@vermont.gov), and she will highlight them in the plan she submits.
Protection of the culvert on Jacksonville Stage Road at Gates Farm – Beaver Deceiver was installed after landowners and Road Boss agreed to it. Some alterations have been made to the area to reduce the beaver pond level; it is not clear what the usual level was.
OLD BUSINESS
Advocating for Prohibition of Hound Hunting & Trapping –
Update on Act Prohibiting the Hunting of Bear and Coyote with Dogs – H323. No movement.
Update on Act Relating to the Management of Fish and Wildlife – S258. Passed in the Senate. Did not come out of committee in the House.
OTHER BUSINESS – LC mentioned sending out an email to the committee about Wild Chervil abatement on Hogback Mtn.
HEARING OF VISITORS – Whitneyville Road Pollinator Plants. DT and granddaughter and LH planted many plants (wild bergamot; New England asters; etc.); LH scraped the paint off the sign which is rotten. Neighbor fenced it off to prevent driving on it. Lots of bees! There is a lot of ground ivy in there that needs work.
ADJOURNMENT at 7:39 pm.