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Vassalboro Conservation Commission

Vassalboro Conservation Commission

Telephone	Term Expires	Name	Address
	2013	Mary-Ellen Johnston	191 Priest Hill Road, Vassalboro
923-3836	2013	Steve Jones	55 Quaker Lane, Vassalboro
923-3397	2011	Holly Weidner	320 Main Street, Vassalboro
	2011	Paul Mitnik	700 Cross Hill Road, Vassalboro
923-3483	2012	David Jenney	844 Cross Hill Road Vassalboro

Brochures on Land in Conservation in Vassalboro:

Kennebec Land Trust - Davidson Nature Preserve Brochure (pdf document)

Kennebec Land Trust - Vasalboro Wildlife Habitat Brochure (pdf document)

Report of the Vassalboro Conservation Commission, March 2009-February 2010
Prepared by Mary Ellen Johnston for the 2010 town meeting.

Vassalboro Conservation Commission members:
Mary Ellen Johnston, Chair
David Jenney
Steven Jones
Paul Mitnik
Holly Weidner

The Vassalboro Conservation Commission is now in its third year of operation. The members of the Commission include: David Jenney, Steve Jones, Mary Ellen Johnston, Holly Weidner and Paul Mitnik. The ordinance under which it functions allows up to seven members. If a Vassalboro resident is particularly interested in serving on this Commission, please call the Town Office and leave your contact information. The following is a summary of our monthly meetings. The minutes from each meeting are available on the town’s web site (www.vassalboro.net), at the link provided for Conservation Commission.

In March 2009, commission members were busy planning for the new Farmer’s Market in the Vassalboro Grange Hall on Fridays. A core group of farmers continues to show enthusiasm and determination, and welcomes any newcomers. Customers have been pleased by the selection of fresh produce, baked goods, and specialty foods. Other commission members continued to work on the Project Canopy Grant application for planting some street trees, and submitted it for review to the Town Manager.

In April, the application for Project Canopy was submitted. We turned our attention to the China Regional Lakes Alliance whose Executive Director, Peter Wilkins, came to our meeting to explain what they do. Vassalboro participates in the Alliance and benefits from the Conservation Corp work that takes place during the summer. We agreed that people in the community needed to be made aware of the good work they do for our lakes.

Other business in April included discussions with two landowners about the Seven Mile Stream boat launch site. Securing their permission to use their rights of way was not difficult, as they are both happy to allow people to have access to the water for non-motorized boats.

In May, we did a walking tour of the old Rancourt Farm, now owned by a non-profit organization called Maine Farms LLC. The new owners expressed an interest in permanently protecting the farm and insuring that it remains in agricultural use. The natural resource values of the property are significant, including river frontage/wildlife habitat, excellent soils and mature forests.

June came with the disappointing news that we did not receive a Project Canopy grant. We will apply again, in 2010. We spent more time with the CLRA who had been working with Vassalboro to create buffer strips on lakefront properties in order to reduce the run off and improve the water quality. The KVCOG is writing an ordinance for Low Impact Development, which would be helpful in locations where environmental degradation or water quality issues could occur due to development.

In July, we continued to look for opportunities to heighten awareness about the work CRLA was doing around the lakes in Vassalboro. We submitted an article to the TownLine that described their shoreland protection projects. We continued to work with the NRCS staff who provided maps that would be useful in the design of a boat launch site at Seven Mile Stream.

In August we began developing specific details of the boat launch project, including a parking area, a way to safely approach the water, what type of launch platform would work best, and the estimated cost of preparing the site. Another detail included getting the appropriate permits from DEP. Our technical assistance person, Josh Platt, who is on staff at the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation district, has been assisting the Commission in determining the likelihood of receiving a grant from the Kennebec River Initiative. One of the goals of the Kennebec River Initiative has been to improve access to the river for citizens of the communities along the corridor from Moosehead Lake to the ocean. Also this month, our student volunteer, Amanda Brackett, spent some time at the Farmer’s Market with information about the VCC and the RancourtFarm conservation project.

September was devoted to follow up with the DEP about the Seven Mile Stream boat launch and attending the Selectmen’s meeting to update them on the project. We discussed the need to join the Maine Association of Conservation Commissions so that we can network and learn more about what other commissions are doing in the state. We learned that only a Tier 1 permit from the DEP would be required for the boat launch. Our next step was to contact the landowner who had already agreed to deed the land over to the town for this purpose. The final transaction would need to be approved at town meeting.

In October, a meeting was held with the owners of the Rancourt Farm and interested parties to discuss the concept of permanent protection of the farmland as well as a long-term strategy for Vassalboro to protect farmland in multiple locations.

In November, volunteers improved the Town Forest trails and signage was put up to help people find the trails more easily. The Trails Committee is a sub-committee of the Conservation Commission. Volunteers are encouraged to help with these small projects that make a big difference!

In January, a guest speaker, Nate Gray with the Inland Fish and Wildlife Agency, spoke to us about the Alewives Restoration Project in China Lake. Through a NOAA grant, they are assessing the potential for passage of alewives at the 6 dams on the Outlet Stream. We discussed the importance of alewives to the health of China Lake. The Webber Pond alewives restoration project shows what can be done and how the lake improves when native species are allowed to spend the summer and leave in the fall to spawn upstream. We will work with Nate to continue to provide information and education to the town.

The February meeting was devoted to the final details of the boat launch project on Seven Mile Stream. Josh Platt came to up-date us on the requirements and the over-all process.

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2009 Update on the China Region Lakes Alliance

Doing Good Work

China Region Lakes Alliance, Summer up-date:

For anyone who is not familiar with this program, here is a brief background:

The China Region Lakes Alliance was founded in 1995 to preserve and protect the water quality of area lakes through education and erosion control work. The CRLA members include the Towns of China, Vassalboro, and Windsor, the China Lake, Three Mile Pond, Webber Pond,
and Three Cornered Pond Associations and the Kennebec Water District. The CRLA was awarded another E.P.A. 319 grant for the 2008/2009 construction seasons. The focus of this grant work has been on controlling erosion and NPS problems from agricultural lands and fields.
Not all projects are eligible for funding, but careful consideration is given to every request. The highest priority is given to erosion sites that contribute the most runoff to the lakes. Residents can seek advice on lake related issues or report problems by contacting the CRLA representatives.

Recent activities:
Since 2007 the CRLA has partnered with Kennebec County Soil & Water District for technical assistance on large-scale erosion control projects. This year they have completed projects on FR 37, 43 and S.China Boat ramp just to name a few. They also have work planned on FR 61, FR38, FR10 & 11, and Michaud Farm. This project should reduce sediment & phosphorus into China Lake considerably.

This summer, ten area students were hired to work on the CRLA Youth Conservation Corp (YCC), which is under the direction of Justin Hebert. The YCC completed work in the Three Mile, Webber and China Lake watersheds. The crews were focused on buffers and have many fine accomplishments of buffer work completed this year. The Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District has supported our Buffer Strip Initiative projects by designing fine solutions for gravel roads and other stormwater mitigation needs. The DEP has worked seamlessly to support these activities, projects, and helping to streamline the permitting needs.

All in all, the Youth Conservation Corp has accomplishing beneficial- and attractive- water protection projects around our member Lakes. We are very fortunate to have this team, and the organizations that support it, working to improve the quality of our water in central Maine. For more information and to report a potential erosion problem or invasive species issue, contact:

John Blais, Project Director
Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District
Central Maine Commerce Center, 21 Enterprise Dr., Suite #1 Augusta, ME 04330
Phone (207) 622-7847 ext. 3 Fax (207) 626-8196 www.KCSWCD.org

Board member include:
China Lake- David Landry 968-2856 david.landry@yahoo.com

Three Mile Pond- Seth Sweetser 445-5862 kimseth@fairpoint.net

Webber Pond - Bob Nadeau 873-2025 nadeau1@adelphia.net

submitted by:
Mary Ellen Johnston
Vassalboro Conservation Commission, Chairperson

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Click here for a link to the Conservation Commission web site.