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Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

              by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #106, August, 2001
Dancing Flowers

Mother Westwind and her family of Merry Breezes have yet to wake up but the flowers in the garden are dancing. Some sway and bow, others just quiver as if waiting to be asked to waltz. Swooping in and out amongst the garden colors, an echelon of gold finches are setting the plants in motion. The climber of birches in Robert Frost’s poem "Birches" ascends the birches along the farm lane to ride them downward in a sweeping arc. In the same way the wild canaries alight on the limber cosmos stems and ride them in a semicircle downward while seeking minuscule insects amongst the sepals.

Two humming birds are plucking nectar from the bee balm setting it quivering with the breezes off their oscillating wings. And then an encounter and zip, off they go into a dog fight over the garden. I’m sure they know, but I can’t tell if it’s an amorous or territorial frame in their high speed lives.

We met a lady the other day who was all aquiver over some flowers. She had just seen a field of beautiful purple flowers and, how could she get some. Try as we could, I don’t think our pleas were heard that purple loostrife is a very aggressive invasive plant that overtakes native species. It should not be transplanted or encouraged. Loostrife is a real gate crasher at the garden party.

If you are landscaping this Fall, focus on native species. Avoid using invasives like loostrife and bittersweet. With regard to the latter, it would be best to burn before using. But if you must use it in Fall decorations, please burn after using. Lists of desirable native species and invasive culprits to avoid in home landscaping are available at the Extension Service office in Milford. [And on the ACC Backyard Conservation web page. - ed.]

ACC Property Uses

Recently a reporter queried us on recreational use of ACC-managed land. ACC Chair John Harvey replied:

Land is donated, bargain sold and bought by the Amherst Conservation Commission for conservation purposes. "Conservation" spans animal and plant wildlife preservation, maintenance of wetland and water quality, forest management, preservation of hayfields and meadows, and open viewsheds. We emphasize the re-creation of our lives by placing trails and other facilities for people to enjoy these things through walking, observation, hunting, scientific study, occasional non-motorized riding and especially through environmental education.

A large percentage of our townspeople participate in the use, maintenance and acquisition of these lands. The ACC operates under state laws (RSAs), that fund and organize our activities to these ends. Active recreation is managed by the Amherst Recreation Commission which is organized and funded under different mechanisms with different aims.

Goals

At its August meeting (2nd Sunday, every month) the ACC reviewed its ongoing programs. Our goals are to complete the following activities by year-end, all of which relate to the mandates under which we serve the Town.

• Complete agreements for the management and protection of at least three out of four properties currently in stages of acquisition. Each of these is an important stepping stone in our effort to create a greenway/conservation way across town.
• The response to the Peabody Mill-based environmental education programs including the Hartshorn Program continues to exceed expectations. The challenges of programming, facility space, and neighborhood impacts lead us to lay the groundwork for an ACC education master plan. This effort will involve educators, users and community representatives.
• Work under a major Trails Bureau grant will be started in Pond Parish Town Forest while at the north end of town, improvements to the Bicentennial Trail will be made. Other projects to make trails more interesting and user friendly are scheduled for completion.

Bragdon Farm

Even as we do summer things in 90 degree temperatures, we met with Chief Macguire to see what improvements could be made in the Bragdon Farm parking arrangements. Three conclusions were reached: 1) use of the parking area by sliding families must not obstruct the Paquette’s driveway, 2) the safety of tunnel users must be improved, possibly by extending the tunnel away from highway shoulders, and 3) enlarging the parking area is not recommended since that is seen as possibly leading to overuse of the hill and even more risks to drivers and recreationists alike.

When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy’s been swinging them…
… One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
            Robert Frost

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