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BBC Annual Report 2015BROAD BROOK COALITION ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION: 2015 In its 27th year, Broad Brook Coalition (BBC) continued its stewardship of the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area (FLCA) on a number of fronts, including invasive plant control, trail maintenance, land acquisition and educational Walks & Talks. In addition, funding was obtained for refurbishment of the bridge, boardwalk and dock near the North Farms Road entrance. The semiannual BBC Newsletter was sent to over 300 members and friends in April and October, and the BBC annual meeting, held in in November, featured a talk by ecologist Scott Jackson on a new ecosystem-based approach for assessing the ecological integrity of lands and waters (CAPS) that he and his colleagues developed at the University of Massachusetts. Also at this meeting, Brigid Glackin was elected to a vacant position on the BBC Board of Directors. Restoration of the Bridge, Boardwalk and Dock BBC has developed a plan to replace the Bridge-over-the-Brook, and to rehabilitate and extend the boardwalk and dock, near the North Farms Road entrance to the FLCA. After 20 years of good service, the bridge supports have deteriorated to the point where replacement of the bridge is the best option for maintaing this important link in the FLCA trail system. Similarly, a number of sections of the boardwalk have sunken and need to be raised, and the dock, which has been submerged for much of the past three years owing to blockage of the dam outflow drain, is in poor condition. Moreover, the accumulation of silt has made it difficult to launch boats from the dock in its present location. Designs for a new bridge, repairs to the boardwalk, and re-siting of the dock have been drawn up by Conservation Works, LLC. Conservation Works estimated the cost of the entire project to be $80,000. Application for a grant to fund much of the restoration work, submitted to DCR's Recreational Trails Program in February, was successful, resulting in an award of $50,000. Support for the balance of the project was sought from the City's CPA fund in September; our application was subsequently funded at $30,000. We therefore have the funds necessary to proceed with the project. An application for a Student Conservation Association/AmeriCorps volunteer team to assist in the construction work has also been submitted and approved. Bids for the project will be solicited in February 2016, followed by a request for wetlands permitting to the Conservation Commission soon thereafter. Assuming that we keep to this timetable, we anticipate that construction of the new bridge and rehabilitation of the boardwalk and dock will take place in the summer of 2016. Fitzgerald Lake Dam Keeping beavers from blocking the outflow drain at the Fitzgerald Lake dam has proven to be a frustrating enterprise. All involved hoped that the installation of a new chain-link fence around the dam drain in 2013 would keep the beavers out. As luck would have it, they soon found a way to burrow under the fence and once again packed the drain with sticks, mud and other debris. Each iteration of this process led to a rise in lake water level of 12-18 inches, inevitably flooding the dock and boardwalk at the opposite end of the lake. This summer, Mike Callahan (Beaver Solutions) hit on an ingenious solution: pack the bottom of the chain link fence with a wall of rock to seal the gap between the fence and the lake floor. Accordingly, the City had several tons of trap rock brought to the dam and on August 14, Mike and a team of 10 volunteers placed the rock around the chain-link fence by hand. Though our fingers are crossed, the beavers have not yet found a way to evade the new barrier and the water level in the lake remains normal. Trail Management In the spring, the Trails Committee planned and built a new bridge for the Halfway Brook Trail to replace a bog bridge whose supports had washed out during heavy rain earlier in the year. The new bridge, 16 feet in length, was designed by Alex Ghiselin. Later in the year, committee volunteers cut tree limbs overhanging Boggy Meadow Road to facilitate the delivery of trap rock to the dam, finished replacing approximately 25 split-rails on the 600-foot long fence on the Halfway Brook Trail, installed two new bog bridges over perenially muddy portions of the emergency spillway at the Fitzgerald Lake dam, and built a 10-foot bench overlooking the lake from trees cut in a clean-up two years ago. Routine maintence tasks such as removing downed trees from trails, repairing bog bridges and rehabilitating trail signs were carried out throughout the year. The Year-end Report of the Trails Committee is attached. Land Preservation The FLCA grew by 46 acres in 2015 to a total of 852 acres. The City purchased a 25- acre parcel from the Derouin-Anciporch family on the west side of Boggy Meadow Road and closed on a 21-acre parcel owned by the Vollinger family on the west side of the conservation area. Both acquisitions contribute to the diversity of habitats within the FLCA, including a red maple swamp and upland forest. BBC contributed $9,300 to these purchases. Walks and Talks Our program of educational Walks and Talks at the FLCA in 2015 included Birding for Children (Marcia Merithew and Bruce Hart, May), Birding (Bob Zimmermann, May), Wildflowers (Janet Bissell, May), The Delta Blues, or Why are there Springs at the Spring Grove Cemetery? (Laurie Sanders and Fred Morrison, June), Water Color Sketching (Betty Wolfson, July), Dragonflies, Damselflies, Butterflies,Beetles and Bugs (Josh Rose, July), Autumn Ducks (David Pritchard, November) and Trees and Forest Ecology (Bob Leverett, November). As ever, these programs continue to be very popular among those interested in the natural history of the FLCA. Invasive Plant Control As in the past several years, BBC devoted substantial efforts to the control of invasive plants in the FLCA. We carried out our annual hand removal of invasive plants at the North Farms Road entrance in June. The prevalence of garlic mustard has been greatly reduced, and we made good progress in pulling and digging multiflora rose, along the path to the bridge and boardwalk. In July and August, sorties were made into Fitzgerlad Lake to remove water chestnut. We believe that we are at least keeping abreast of the water chestnut infestation, preventing the explosive proliferation that has occurred in other ponds and waterways of our region. Although we have made good progress in suppressing buckthorn and knapweed in Cooke's Pasture and on the dam, a small number of plants continue to reappear each year owing to resprouting from persistent root systems in the former case, and of germination of long-lived seeds in the latter. Targeted herbicide treatment of these invasives was once again carried out by Polatin Ecological Services (PES). A previously heavy infestation of Japaese knotweed on a lot with frontage on Marian Street has been reduced to a small number of stunted plants, which were treated with herbicide by PES in September. Most of the two dozen native shrubs planted in this lot in 2014 are in good condition and a number of other native plants have become established of their own free will. PES also continued to treat a very small amount of residual Phragmites in the Broad Brook Marsh. A fourth stand of Phragmites, further downstream from the original three, responded well to a systematic herbicide application in 2014, and residual stems were treated once again in August 2015. South Pasture For the first time in seven years, South Pasture--which had become overgrown with autumn olive, speckled alder and multiflora rose--was cleared of unwanted trees and underbrush in May by Rich Jaescke (RCW Landscape Construction) who used a skid steer equipped with a powerful hydraulic rotary mower to accomplish the job. This was the first step in restoring the three-acre parcel to grassland. By summer, native plants such as goldenrod and Joe-Pye weed were thriving in the pasture and a second mowing in December left the pasture ready to re-seed with grass in spring 2016. Water Quality Assessment Water samples from the Broad Brook, Fitzgerald Lake and the marsh downstream from the dam were monitored for pH and alkalinity, and for the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate in May and November. All parameters were within normal ranges except for nitrate levels in the Broad Brook at North Farms Road; the source of the nitrate has yet to be determined. The results of the water quality analysis are attached. Northampton Conservation Alliance Stewardship of Northampton conservation areas and greenways is splintered among a number of volunteer organizations, each responsible for keeping up trails, combating invasive plants and providing information in its own area. Last May, BBC organized an informal meeting of these groups to discuss topics of common interest, the potential for mutual assistance, and possibilities for joint collaboration. Besdies BBC, participants included Friends of Mineral Hills, Meadow City Conservation Coalition, Leeds Civic Association and Mill River Greenway Initiative. The idea behind the meeting evidently struck a positive chord as the group, provisionally known as the Northampton Conservation Alliance, decided to meet again in the fall. The second meeting, held in November, focused on best practices for controlling invasive plants and was led by Cynthia Boettner (US Fish & Wildlife Service) and Chris Polatin (Polatin Ecological Services). This time, representatives from Aracadia Wildlife Sanctuary and Saw Mill Hills joined in. While the latter area has no "Friends" group at present, efforts are underway to identify someone interested in heading up such a group. Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group One outcome of the Conservation Alliance meeting in May was discussion among participants from the Leeds Civic Association and the Broad Brook Coalition about the stewardship of the Broad Brook/Beaver Brook Connservation Area (BBBBCA) which has languished since its acquisition by the City in 2010 because no group stepped forward to assume responsibility. Beginning with a meeting of interested parties in June, plans for rehabilitating and improving the acccssible, six-acre strip between Haydenville Road (Rte 9) and Beaver Brook have taken shape during four subsequent meetings over the past summer and fall. Although the construction of a bridge to allow access to the back 100 acres of this parcel seemed beyond reach at present, the front six acres offer good opportunities for recreation and wildlife viewing. Our preliminary plans encompass the following components: the central portion, in a grove of old maple and walnut trees, has been partially cleared for a future picnic area; trails to the northern and southern boundaries have been laid out; and a site for a wildlife blind on the Beaver Brook has been chosen. Invasive plant control and parking are under consideration. At least two pieces of old farm equipment--a sawmill and a hay tedder--have been located and will be highlighted with interpretive signs. Our next step is to seek the approval of the Northampton Conservation Commission for several modest alterations of the site and its riverine habitat via a Notice of Intent. Plans for 2016 • The Bridge-over-the-Brook will be replaced and the boardwalk and dock will be rehabilitated and extended. • Trails projects for 2015 include refurbishment of kiosks at North Farms Road and Cooke Avenue, and improvement of the support system for the wildlife blind. • Invasive plant control will focus on non-native plants in Cooke's Pasture, Japanese knotweed in the Marian St. lot, and further suppression of Phragmites in the Broad Brook marsh. Water chestnut control in the lake will continue in the summer. • South Pasture will be planted with grass in the spring and, after the grass has taken hold, will be maintained as early successional habitat. • BBC is prepared to assist the City in acquiring more undeveloped land for inclusion in the FLCA • Routine maintenance tasks will be carried out as in the past. • The BBBBCA Working Group will continue to develop plans for rehabilitating the 6- acre tract adjoining Haydenville Road. • Plams are underway to hold a: Hands-on invasive Plant Control Workshop for members of the Conservation Alliance Robert A. Zimmermann President, Broad Brook Coalition February 10, 2016 BBC STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE YEAR-END REPORT: 2015 TASK ACCOMPLISHED Recreational Trails Program 02/03/15; Grant application to the DCR Recreational Trails program for bridge replacement and boardwalk rehabilitation and extension submitted. Dave Herships, Bill Williams, Bob Zimmermann Volunteer Day: Shrub Island Maintenance 05/09/15; cleared undesirable weeds, shrubs, etc. from around plantings in islands 1, 2 & 3; entered from NFR due to flooding of BMR. Brigid Glacken, Yamila Irizarry-Gerould, Diego Irizarry-Gerould, Mike Murphy, Amy-Louise Pfeffer, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann (3 hr) Total effort: ~21 hours Clearing South Pasture 05/09/15; Richard Jaescke cleared ~2 acres, South Pasture using skid-steer; much debris on ground, but most small trees gone Water Quality Assessment 05/11/15; 6 stations Bill Williams, Bob Zimmermann Volunteer Day: Invasive Plant Control and Cleanup at North Farms Road Entrance 05/30/15; macadam path to boardwalk swept; garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose, barberry, etc. along path removed by hand; particularly good progress made on multiflora rose removal (~2+ hours) Blaise Bissailon, Megahn Carberry, Sara Crawley, Deb Jacobs, Lucy Lomax, Jill Mendez, Lynn Parda, Pat Rae, Lani Stutz, Rachel Tremaine; Dave Herships, Dave Pritchard, Bill Williams, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann Total effort: ~30+ hours Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group 06/17/15: Meeting at Bread Euphoria to discuss possibilities and set preliminary goals. Jason Johnson, Matt Verson, Deb Jacobs, Laurie Sanders, Bruce Hart, Bob Zimmermann Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group 07/08/15: Site visit at Beaver Brook/Broad Brook to determine how and in what ways the area can be improved. Jason Johnson, Matt Vreson, Deb Jacobs, Bruce Hart, Bob Zimmermann Volunteer Day: Invasive Plant Control 07/19/15; Water Chestnut Removal Stewart Clark, Keith Davis, Steve Harding, Bruce Hart, Scott Hasan-Taber, Ken Howard, Dave Herships, Jason Jonson, Peter Maleady, Mary Moriarty, Dick Wynne, Bill Williams, Bob Zimmermann. Collected 40 x 5-gal buckets from 8 boats Total effort: ~40 hours Invasive Plant Control: Treatment of Phragmites Stand #4 on Broad Brook 08/06/15; Jon O'Gara of Polatin Ecological treated surviving Phragmites in Stand 4 with Rodeo by hand-wiping with 8% Rodeo; also treated residual growth in stands 1 and 2 (stand 3 eliminated). Invasive Plant Control: Treatment of Knapweed and Buckthorn in Cooke's Pasture 08/13/15: Crew from Polatin Ecological conducted foliar spray of knapweeds, buckthorns and other woody invasives with Garlon 3A and Milestone; seed collected from black swallowwort Fitzgerald Lake Dam; Placement of Rocks at Base of Beaver Fence 08/14/15; Moved approximately 10 tons of trap rock from edge of dam to base of beaver fence in order to block beaver entrance into outflow drain. Mike Callahan, Brigid Glackin, Stephen Harding, Dave Herships, Michael Murphy, Dave Pritchard, Jim Reis, Virginia Sowers. Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann Volunteer Day: Invasive Plant Control 08/15/15; Water Chestnut Removal Bruce Hart, Dave Pritchard, Peter Maleady Collected <2 x 5-gal buckets from 2 boats. Total effort: ~12 hours Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group 08/23/15: Laid out trails, blind, picnic area; some clearing of paths, picnic site at Beaver Brook/Broad Brook (~3 hrs); Deb Jacobs, Jason Johnson, Mart Verson, Laurie Sanders, Dave Pritchard, Bob Zimmermann Invasive Plant Control: Treatment of Japanese Knotweed on Marian Street 09/02/14; Jon O'Gara of Polatin Ecological treated mostly stunted Japanese knotweed on Marian Street lot by foliar spray or hand-wiping using 8% Rodeo; also pulled a few multiflora rose and bittersweet seedlings Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group 09/09/15; Site visit at Beaver Brook/Broad Brook with Sarah LaValley and Conservation Commission members Kevin Lake, Mason Maronn and Jack Finn to discuss proposed layout, its implications for wetlands alteration, and permitting requirements. Deb Jacobs, Jason Johnson, Mart Verson, Laurie Sanders, Bruce Hart, Bob Zimmermann Mowing BB Gap Field 11/8-19/15; Scott Harlow mowed the ~3-acre field at the south end of the Broad Brook Gap parcel Water Quality Assessment 11/02/15; 5 stations Bill Williams, Bob Zimmermann Beaver Brook/Broad Brook Working Group 11/04/15: Planning meeting at the home of Peter Flinker to determine how to move forward with map preparation, wildlife blind design, parking, invasive plant control, state- listed species, acquisition of historical information, etc. Peter Flinker, Deb Jacobs, Jason Johnson, Matt Verson, Laurie Sanders, Dave Pritchard, Bob Zimmermann Mowing South Pasture 12/01/15; Richard Jaescke mowed South Pasture with a conventional brush hog; looks in very good shape, though there are a few trees that should be cut and hauled to side. 2.5 hours Mowing Dam and Cooke's Pasture 12/03/16; Richard Jaescke mowed the dam and Cooke's Pasture (north and east lobes).; requested that cut loags be removed from spillway. 5 hours BBC TRAILS COMMITTEE YEAR-END REPORT: 2015 SPECIAL PROJECTS April-May. The Trails Committee planned and built a new bridge for the Halfway Brook trail to replace a bog bridge whose supports had washed out during heavy rain earlier in the year. The new bridge was 16-feet in length, 36” wide, had three 2x10” supports, and a railing. It rested on cribbing at both ends. The bridge was designed by BBC volunteer Alex Gheslin. July-August. Trail Committee members assisted in the clearing of brush overhanging Boggy Meadow Road so the vehicles could safely carry some 20 tons of trap rock to the dam. Later, Trail Committee members volunteered to place the trap rock around the drain at the dam to block beavers from burrowing under the fence around the drain and blocking the it with debris thereby raising the water level of the Lake. October. Trail Committee volunteers finished replacing approximately 25 split-rails on the 600- foot long fence on the Halfway Brook Trail that had failed over a period of years. Maintenance of the split-rail fence in good standing is one of the conditions required under the rental agreement between the City of Northampton and the owner of the property that authorizes an easement from Coles Meadow Road into the FLCA over the Halfway Brook Trail. If the split-rail fence (and other conditions such as no signage and no parking) is not maintained by BBC, the owner of the property can revoke the easement. Trail Committee members built two new 10-foot long bog bridges for the spillway at the dam at the Lake. While there were already four bog bridges crossing the spillway, the additional bog bridges were needed during wet conditions, particularly in the spring, fall, and winter. In the absence of the bog bridges, hikers were placing dead tree branches across wet spots, which not only were unsightly, but didn’t accomplish the objective. November. Trails Committee volunteers moved the bog bridges from the spillway to allow it to be mowed when the dam was mowed after Thanksgiving and then replaced them after the dam and the spillway was mowed. After careful planning and design work, Trail Committee members built a 10-foot long bench at the dam. The new event sign at the North Farms Road parking lot was stained. YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITIES Downed Trees.Downed trees were removed from various trails, including the Lake, Marian St., Middle Path, and Swamp Forest Trails. Bog Bridge Maintenance. Trails Committee volunteers made repairs to bog bridges at various locations in the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area. Most of the repairs were to add 2x6” supports underneath the planks. This is needed because when hikers walk on the bog bridges, the screws and nails loosen over the years and putting new supports on helps hold the planks together. In a few cases, the pounding has loosened the nails, causing the planks to break which then need to be replaced. Trail Sign Maintenance. New trail signs were installed in two phases and now are present at some 28 locations at the FLCA, including four entrances and at most trail junctions. The first set of trail signs were installed in 2010 and the second set in 2014. The signs put up in 2010 used ⅜” lag bolts and, and if attached to trees, need to be loosened at least annually. If the lag bolts are not loosened, the bolts are pulled through the signs as they grow, eventually damaging the signs. In a few instances, trail signs have been damaged by falling trees or branches and the stain touched up. Most of the 2010 vintage trail signs that were attached to trees were loosened manually in 2015 and one trail sign (at the Marian Street trailhead) was lowered so it could be more easily reached. The trail signs put up in 2014 were attached with Timberloks and springs so they do not have to be loosened every year, but it is expected that they will have to be loosened every several years. WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS AT THE FLCA: 2015 May 11, 2015 (Wiliams, Zimmermann) Location T (ºF) Dissolved 02 (ppm) pH Alkalinity (ppm CaCO3) Phosphate (ppm) Nitrate (ppm N/NO3) Ideal Range >6 6-7.5 100-200 <0.1 <0.1/<0.1 Brd Brk, E of NFR 55-85 9 7.3 27.4 0.06 0.14/0.62 Brdwlk/Dock 55-85 9 6.6 27.4 0.30 0.04/0.18 Dam, downstream 55-85 8 6.8 20.5 0.04 0.01/0.04 Marsh, beavr ldge 55-85 7 6.6 13.7 0.02 0.01/0.04 Marsh, Gessing Pt. 55-85 6 6.6 20.5 0.04 0.01/0.04 Vernal Pool, Post 4 55-85 4 5.6 6.8 0.50 0.01/0.04 Notes Weather: cloudy to sunny, 55-85 ºF; no rain in since 04/20-21/2015 (i.e., no rain for ~ 3 weeks) Brd Brk at NFR: beaver dam downstream has backed water up to lower third of NFR culvert Boardwalk/Canoe Launch: flooded; water level of lake ~15" above normal due to obstruction of dam drain; sample taken from marsh adjoining boardwalk, ~200 feet from dock Dam: sample taken from below dam; water level high due to obstruction of dam drain, lake level about 4" below drain grate Marsh (beaver lodge): beaver lodge flattened, water level low in marsh; sample from main channel of stream (north side of marsh Marsh (Gessing Pt.): water level normal; a dozen Phragmites stalks November 2, 2015 (Wiliams, Zimmermann) Location T (ºF) Dissolved 02 (ppm) pH Alkalinity (ppm CaCO3) Phosphate (ppm) Nitrate (ppm N/NO3) Ideal Range >6 6-7.5 100-200 <0.1 <0.1/<0.1 Brd Brk, E of NFR 50-60 12 7.2 20.5 0.08 0.23/1.01 Brdwlk/Dock 50-60 11 7.0 20.5 0.04 0.02/0.09 Dam, downstream 50-60 11 6.9 13.7 0.04 0.01/0.04 Marsh, S of Cooke's 50-60 10 6.8 13.7 0.04 0.01/0.04 Marsh, Gessing Pt. 50-60 6 6.5 13.7 0.04 0.01/0.04 Notes Weather: sunny, 50-60 ºF; no rain in past 24 hr; water temp at dock 48 ºF Brd Brk at NFR: beaver dam downstream has backed water up to lower third of NFR culvert Boardwalk/Canoe Launch: water level normal; sample taken off dock Dam: sample taken from below dam Marsh (south of Cooke's Pasture): beaver lodge has disappeared, water level has significantly risen since spring (beaver dam repaired?); sample from main channel Marsh (Gessing Pt.): water level normal; ~two dozen Phragmites stalks observed upstream 11/02/2015