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Conservation Commission

Conservation and More

              by Bruce B. Beckley

Issue #85, June, 2000
Just under the wire?

This is one of those Spring cleaning articles to clear the desk of collected miscellany. Speaking of cleaning, as the number of canine trail users increases we would appreciate owners removing the Gravy Train detritus from the trails. Also, an 80-pound man's best friend can be pretty intimidating to a less-than-80-pound youngster. Please have your four-legged friends under control by voice or leash.

We are not trying to run you off out trails, but if you are looking for variety, we have found some nice walking nearby in Milford and Mont Vernon. The Mont Vernon CC has developed a system of attractive trails along Purgatory Brook. These are accessible at the upstream end from Purgatory Road in Lyndeboro. The stream was full and the laurel around the beaver ponds was stupendous when we visited. A round trip using different trails can be in the order of four miles long.

The Milford CC and Beaver Brook Association trails up Burns Hill provide another comfortable walk. The trail leaves from a parking place on Burns Road and travels through magnificent shagbark hickory, pine and hemlock trees, many over three feet in diameter. At the top of the hill, the walker has limited views to the west and south.

The mail we receive keeps emphasizing two things - maintaining biodiversity and the related theme of habitat protection. Here in our near-urban setting these themes can sometimes seem remote or too large a scale to apply in our town. New Hampshire has an area of 9,304 square miles. Amherst accounts for 36 of that. Last year in NH 32 square miles (not much less than the size of our town) of forest and farm land went under the developer's blade. Quoting from a Forest Society letter: That's right: Every day, 55 acres of New Hampshire's beautiful forests, farmland and natural areas are converted to development. In fact, the current rate of loss - 20,000 acres a year, or about the size of the average NH town - is 25% greater than estimates of just one year ago. The wonderful place we call New Hampshire is slowly vanishing - or ending up like, well, every place else. And Amherst is fueling that development surge.

There are things we can do. We can support new measures for land and water protection locally, nationally and in state. We can support organizations that actively provide the focus for protective action. Last year the NH chapter of The Nature Conservancy was able to protect an additional 11,000 acres or about 0.17 percent of the state's area. In Amherst, the ACC has a goal for this year to protect with you and for you 400 more acres of our town or 1.7 percent of the town's area.

Baboosic Lake's water quality is a continuing concern as the lake is a battle zone between natural cleaning forces and the effluents of an affluent society. Fertilizers, septage and boats are placing increasing pressures on the town's largest water body. On June 29 at 7 PM in the Amherst town hall, the Nashua Regional Planning Commission and the NH DES will host an educational program on non-point threats to the lake's water quality, aesthetics and property values. The program is based on geographic information (GIS) and remote sensing, the www and PowerPoint. You are invited to attend.

Planning ahead? The ACC and Peabody Mill Environmental Center will be glad to help your group, organization or class with programs designed for and with you. Visit our large display on the Green July Fourth.

Bruce

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