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BBC Annual Report to ConsCom_2022.pdf 1 BROAD BROOK COALITION ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION: 2022 Broad Brook Coalition completed its 34th year of stewardship of the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in 2022. With the threat of Covid waning, the number of visitors remained high, trail maintenance and invasive plant control continued on schedule, and a limited number of informational Walks & Talks were presented. In addition, further effiorts were made to encourage dog owners to observe city leash and waste regulations. Finally, the appearance of the parking lot at the end of Cooke Ave. has been enhanced by the city's demolition of the former Moose Lodge building. Work at the Beaver Brook Greenway, carried out together with the Leeds Civic Association, focused on invasive plant control. At our annual meeting in November, once again virtual, Joan Milam, Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, presented a talk on The Diversity and Natural History of Bees in New England. Joan's specialty is the study of the complex roles that bees play in pollination and in the environment. She pointed out that Massachusetts alone hosts 400 species of bees with a remarkable assortment of colors, sizes, shapes, and lifestyles. She emphasized the importance of many of these species for pollination and described the stresses that impact bee health in the environment. At the meeting, Richard Baker was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors, replacing Bob Adams; Tina White and Dick Wynne, continuing Board members, were also elected to three-year terms. Trail Management The Trails Committee continued to carry out routine maintenance tasks during 2022, aided by seven volunteer trail stewards who periodically walked all of the trails at the FLCA to trim branches, pick up trash and alert the leadership about any larger problems that needed to be addressed. Among the tasks undertaken were: sweeping debris from the boardwalk and paved path at the North Farms Road entrance; cutting back shrubs that encroached upon the boardwalk; removing over a dozen large trees that had fallen across various trails; improving drainage on the Marian Street and Middle Path Trails; replacing broken rails in the split-rail fence bordering the Halfway Brook Trail; cleaning the wildlife blind of trash and graffiti; and replenishing mutt mitt and map dispensers at the main entrances to the conservation area. Committee members also re-blazed several trails, installed new benches on the Pine Brook and Fishing Place Trails, and repaired benches at the dam and on Boggy Meadow Road. The BBC trail camera was placed at several locations throughout the conservation area and captured a variety of wildlife videos that are available on BBC's YouTube site. Walks & Talks Our educational Walks & Talks at the FLCA continued on a limited basis. Participants were asked to register beforehand but attandance was not limited and masks were no longer recomended as the threat of Covid had greatly diminished. The program included Vernal Pool Ecology (Brad Timm, May), Spring Bird Walk (Lesley Farlow and Steve Winn, May), Beavers at Sunset (Laura Beltran, June) and Late Spring Wildflowers (Janet Bissell, June). There was a good turnout for all of these events. A talk on 2 woodland mushrooms by Peter Russell, scheduled for September, was postponed till 2023. Land Acquisition In summer 2022, the City completed acquisition of a 25-acre parcel that extends from the western boundary of the conservation area to just east of Broad Brook, filling the final gap in City-owned property between the northernmost part of the conservation area and the main body of the FLCA. This addition brought the total area of the FLCA to 936 acres. BBC contributed $15,000 to the purchase price of approximately $50,000. Mowing South Pasture and the north lobe of Cooke's Pasture were mowed with a rotary mower in the fall by Richard Jaescke of RCW Landscape Construction to prevent overgrowth by shrubs and small trees. The total cost of $555 was covered by the BBC. The Fitzgerald Lake dam was mowed in September, with costs covered by the city. Invasive Plant Control Several routine tasks were scheduled during the spring and summer as in past years. In early May, a volunteer crew cleared invasive plants from the shrub islands in Cooke's Pasture and pumped water into two 50-gallon barrels for watering the blight-resistant American chestnuts planted in the pasture in 2017. Later that month we carried out our annual cleanup and invasive plant removal along the paved path from the North Farms Road entrance to the boardwalk. Our annual removal of invasive plants along Boggy Meadow Road was canceled due to poor turnout. Water chestnut pulls on Fitzgerald Lake were once again an important feature of the invasives program. Now in the sixth year of our "pull early, pull often" approach, crews in kayaks and canoes scoured the lake for water chestnut at three-week intervals from mid-June through mid-September. The volunteer crew size averaged seven people who spent a total of 87 hours on the lake, pulling 140 lbs. of water chestnut--somewhat more than the 100 lbs. harvested in 2021. We will continue our surveillance and pulling regime in summer 2023. In September, Jon O'Gara of O'Gara Landcare carried out a follow-up treatment of Phragmites in the Broad Brook marsh. Residual plants were hand-wiped, and occasionally sprayed, with Rodeo. Most of the previously treated stands required very little attention though Jon reported a few new patches which he also treated. In general, the Phragmites infestation is under good control. At the Marian Street lot, Jon found a small amount of stunted Japanese knotweed, which he treated with herbicide; he also pulled a small amount of bittersweet and multiflora rose by hand. Land Stewardship, Inc. was unable to carry out their usual invasive suppression regime in Cooke's Pasture and on the dam in 2022. As a result, the buckthorn, knapweed, black swallowwort and other invasives remained untreated in 2022. We have since contracted with Lincoln Fish of Bay State Forestry to continue this work in 2023. 3 Dog Issues Over the past few years, we have made a concerted effort to improve the behavior of dogs and dog owners visiting the FLCA and to make the public aware of city ordinances regarding leashing and waste disposal. (1) We have published a brochure explaining the impact of dogs on conservation land, wildlife, and other visitors which is mailed to Northampton dog owners each year along with dog license renewals and is also available in dispensers at the main FLCA entrances. (2) We have posted trail signs throughout the FLCA reminding visitors of the need to keep their dogs leashed and dog waste picked up. (3) We have placed bags for waste collection--and trash cans for the bags--at the North Farms Road and Boggy Meadow Road entrances and contracted with Pedal People to pick up the bagged waste once a week. Despite these measures, 65% of visitors still do not leash their dogs according to a day- long survey conducted in May. The problem was discussed at a meeting of the Conservation Commission over the summer. Afterwards, Commission chair Kevin Lake contacted the Northampton police to see if the Animal Control Officer(s) could play a role in enforcing the relevant regulations. Chief Jody Kaspar recently replied that the Police De[artment would be able to help now that full- and half-time ACOs were on staff. At the same time, several members of BBC and the Leeds Civic Association met with City Counciler Rachel Maiore to explore the feasibility of hiring a Conservation Steward to monitor all city conservation areas, advise visitors about dog behavior, and enforce existing regulations. Beaver Brook Greenway The 7-acre section of the Beaver Brook Greenway between Rte. 9 and the Beaver Brook was subject to routine maintenance in 2022. A group of volunteers spent an afternoon in May removing garlic mustard from the site and a crew from Bay State Forestry carried out a foliar spray of Japanese knotweed and other invasive plants in September. The cost of the latter work, $440, was covered by CPA small grant awarded jointly to the BBC and the Leeds Civic Association. Trails were mowed as needed. Plans for 2023 The following are some of the projects planned for 2023: -Routine maintenance tasks at the FLCA will continue as in the past. -A number of trails will be re-blazed and trail signs refurbished as needed. -Educational activities for area school children that were postponed as a result of the Covid pandemic will be initiated -Walks & Talks on various topics will be scheduled during the spring and summer months. -Invasive plant control in Cooke's Pasture and on the dam will be resumed. -Brush-hogging and invasive plant control will continue at the Beaver Brook Greenway. February 20, 2023 Robert A. Zimmermann 4 President Broad Brook Coalition BBC STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE YEAR-END REPORT: 2022 EVENT ACCOMPLISHED Volunteer Day: Shrub Island Maintenance 05/07/22: Removed invasives and other unwanted plants from shrub islands. Honda water pump set up in Broad Brook marsh; water pumped to 2 x 50-gal barrels for watering blight-resistant American chestnuts and shrubs. Dave Pritchard, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann: ~16 hrs. Beaver Brook Working Group: Garlic Mustard Pull 05/13/22: Workday on site; cleared garlic mustard from entrance, south end, picnic area, north end and along Rte. 9. Peter Flinker, Bruce Hart, Deb Jacobs, Jason Johnson, Heidi Stevens, Matt Verson, Bob Zimmermann; total effort: ~15 hrs Cleanup and Invasive Plant Control at North Farms Road Entrance 05/21/22: Details unavailable Control of Water Chestnut in Fitzgerald Lake 06/18/22: Water chestnut growth in full swing; most rosettes small and easy to pull with nuts attached. Hilary Caws-Elwit, Bruce Hart, Norma Roche, Kim Weeber, Andrew Wernin,Tina White, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann Harvested ~360 rosettes weighing ~33 lbs; 8 people; total effort: ~21 hrs. Control of Water Chestnut in Fitzgerald Lake 07/09/22: WC rosettes exhibited range of size from small to very large; very few came up with nuts; no mature nuts were observed. Alma Bartnik, Adam Caldwell, Hilary Caws-Elwit, Steve Harding, Dave Pritchard, Diana Riddle, Norma Roche, Andrew Wernin, Bob Zimmermann. Harvested ~175 rosettes weighing ~52 lbs; 9 people, total effort: ~25 hrs. Control of Water Chestnut in Fitzgerald Lake 07/30/22: Very few mature nuts observed. Bob Adams, Steve Harding, Dave Pritchard, Andrew Wernin, Bob Zimmermann. Harvested ~114 rosettes weighing ~50 lbs; 5 people; total effort: ~14 hrs. Beaver Brook Working Group 09/23/22: Crew from Bay State Forestry treated residual Japanese knotweed and other invasive plants with foliar spray of Rodeo. Lincoln Fish (Bay State Forestry). Control of Water Chestnut in Fitzgerald Lake 08/20/22: Very few mature nuts observed. Bob Adams, Rich Baker, Bruce Hart, Patricia Jung, 5 George Kohout, Dave Pritchard, Andrew Wernin, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann. Harvested ~30 rosettes weighing ~14.4 lbs; 9 people; total effort: ~13.5 hours Control of Water Chestnut in Fitzgerald Lake 09/10/22; Steve Harding, Andrew Wernin, Dick Wynne, Bob Zimmermann. Harvested: 1 rosette weighing 1.1 lb.; 4 people; total effort:~ 10 hours Control of Japanese Knotweed on Marian Street lot 10/03/22: Follow-up treatment of Japanese knotweed: stunted plants treated by hand- wiping with Rodeo (glyphosate) solution; some bittersweet and multiflora rose pulled by hand; Jon O'Gara (O'Gara Landcare). 6 Broad Brook Coalition 2022 Trails Committee Report (Feb. 2022) In 2022, the Broad Brook Coalition (BBC) Trails Committee activities consisted of a number of new projects as well as several recurring maintenance projects and monitoring tasks at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area (FLCA). All of this work was completed by the very loyal support and hard work of BBC volunteers. The new projects this year were completed by Michael Kesten, Steve Harding, and Jim Reis. Also contributing were the FLCA Trail Stewards (duties outlined below) Mike Murphy, Brigid Glackin, Chris Schmidt, Beth Powell, Jon Steinberg, Judy Hyde, Ami Jean Nature Medicine, Kelly Sholunas, and Yamila Irizarry-Gerould. New Projects in 2022: • Repaired – several boards on North Farms Rd entrance bridge; bench at the dam and on Boggy Meadow Rd.; 2 Nature Trail Posts and handicap sign post at the North Farms Rd. entrance parking lot. • Built and Installed - a bench on the Pine Brook Trail, and on the Fishing Place Trail • Removed – 14 large trees that fell across FLCA trails • Re-blaze trails – several trails were re-blazed this year, and the rest will be completed in 2023. • Trail Camera - The BBC trail camera was positioned in several locations throughout the year. The interesting videos were edited and uploaded to the BBC's YouTube channel. Reoccurring Work Completed in 2022 • Trail Stewards Monitoring - During 2022 seven BBC volunteer Trail Stewards were recruited to walk the trails at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area (FLCA). The stewards “adopt” a specific trail for a year and walk the trail at least every few weeks to trim branches, pick up trash, and observe conditions. When necessary, the Trail Stewards inform the Trails Committee of fallen trees or large branches blocking the trail or areas where trail improvements are needed. The Trails Committee is then responsible to clear any large trees or organize a work day to make trail improvements. • Maintaining Trail Drainage – Several areas on the Marian Street, and Middle Path trails were worked on. This involved digging structures that channeled rainwater and snowmelt away from the trail. 7 • Maintaining Boardwalk and Dock – Several times a year tree branches, multiflora rose, and other plants were cut down to allow for unobstructed walking on the board walk for visitors and those with canoes and kayaks. In the fall the surface of the boardwalk and dock were blown free of natural debris to keep it walkable and improve drainage to preserve the wood. • North Farms Rd. Paved Path - Volunteers blew and swept the leaves and pine needles on the path in the fall to keep it clear and to preserve it. • FLCA Map Dispensers - There are 5 map dispensers located at several of the entrances to the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area that were refilled regularly. • Maintaining Wildlife Blind - including removing graffiti, sweeping the floor, removing trash, and placing new maps of the FLCA. • Maintaining Split-rail Fence on the Halfway Brook Trail - The maintenance of the split- rail fence is a condition of the easement that has been granted to the City Conservation Commission by the private landowner to gain access to the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area via the Halfway Brook Trail from the Coles Meadow Road entrance. Several railings were replaced this year. • Maintaining Mutt Mitt Dispensers - the Mutt Mitt dispensers located at 3 entrances to the FLCA (North Farms Road, the Moose Lodge, and Coles Meadow Road) were regularly refilled. The BBC has placed the Mutt Mitt dispensers at the FLCA pursuant to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Conservation Commission and the BBC. • Maintaining Parking Lots - The two main parking lots at the FLCA--at North Farms Road and the Moose Lodge--were regularly cleaned including removal of trash, removal of invasive species (performed jointly with the Stewardship Committee), removal of graffiti, trimming of the grass on the berm at the North Farms Road parking lot.