Treasurer's Report: None. Dues to NHACC, $275, have been submitted to the Board of Selectmen for payment.

Election of Officers: Debby Hinman nominated Sue Paton as chair; seconded by Rob De Valk; unanimously approved. Helen Frink nominated Debby Hinman as vice chair; seconded by Rob De Valk; unanimously approved. Sue Paton will ask whether Shawn Bowman would like to move from serving as an alternate to become a regular member. Others should forward to the selectmen names of any townspeople interested in serving as alternates. Carole Wallace expressed an interest.

An LCHIP letter informs us that a new grant round opens July 1, with a due date of August 20 ^th for proposals. There is a mandatory grant-writing workshop on June 16 ^th ; Sue will ask whether more than one member can attend. Sue, Debby, and Helen are interested in participating.

Publications received: SPNHF Monitor; UNH Cooperative Extension Newsletter; New Hampshire Municipal Conservation Fund Guidebook. The latter may be useful in preparing the LCHIP grant, or finding other funding sources. It can be downloaded from: http://www.clca.forestsociety.org

On Saturday May 15 ^th there will be a workshop for Conservation Commission members in North Woodstock, NH. The workshop will be repeated on May 22 ^nd at the Conservation Center in Concord: details at the NHACC (New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions) website.

The joint boards meeting held Tuesday April 20 ^th was attended by a dozen people. Topics discussed included second residences, rental units, or mobile homes on homeowner lots, dumpsters, and storage trailers. Also the question, should Acworth have a statutory budget committee? Sue Paton gave an update on the Desbiens conservation project. As alternate to the Planning Board, Debby Hinman also represents the Conservation Commission there.

Intents to Cut:

One from Donald Clifford to cut 20 acres of a 134-acre lot on the Duncan Road (Reed Farm Road).

Water Quality:

Rivers and Streams: Debby noted that a pile of gravel dumped by the NH DOT near Deep Hole is now sprouting Japanese knotweed, and will be difficult to remove because it is blocked by a new guardrail. She will telephone DOT to ask them to remove the pile, and will speak with landowners Henry and Sue Boudreau.

Debby Hinman reported that the sale of 50 acres from the former Oswald farm in Keyes Hollow (Lempster) which would have been bought for conservation and protected from development did not come to fruition.

Rob De Valk noted the presence of two rusted metal drums, apparently full, embedded in an embankment near an inlet on the south side of Crescent Lake Road. At Saturday’s meeting for volunteer lake assessors, Sue Paton will ask how they can best be removed without leaking into the inlet and the Lake.

Rob De Valk questioned the selectmen’s approval of an addition over a deck at the Smith residence across the road from Crescent Lake: does that constitute an encroachment? Applications for CSPA (Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act) permits now go through the selectboard rather than the Conservation Commission, which appears to have caused a break in communications. Sue Paton, finding no record of a CSPA application in the Smith’s file, will seek clarification from Kathi Bradt.

Forestry:

Rob De Valk noted there is still a large pile, perhaps 20 truckloads, of gravel and mud which the Acworth highway department dumped on the Gale lot near the town forest on Gove Road. Japanese knotweed is growing there too. Sue Paton will contact Kathi Bradt to request that the highway department clean up the site.

Rob has contacted forester Peter Rhoades, who will be invited to our July meeting. We will receive another check for timber that can now be hauled out of the Gove forest, since roads are passable for heavy trucking. The recent windstorm felled some large pines. The Northern Woodlands company will salvage the timber and negotiate the price through Peter Rhoades when it goes to market. An Intent to Cut for this job will come to us in the near future.

Conservation Easement Monitoring:

Debby Hinman will call Chester Thibault to schedule a Saturday morning walk through the Raymond Roy easement property in the near future. She will ask Brian Hotz at SPNHF if the new owners received a packet of information about their easement.

Debby will also schedule a walk soon to view the East Acworth wetlands, the gravel pit area, and the trail through the lot given to the town by John Tuthill and Peter Wotowiec. We will also check out the trail along Dodge Brook, now obstructed by several downed trees.

Land Protection:

Fred Ernst sent a letter and map to Debby Hinman outlining his plans for logging his property in Black North. Sandy Brewer will review it.

Desbiens Project. Without a selectman present, we were unable to clarify what amount the town is permitted to raise from taxes for this purchase. However, we will proceed with another LCHIP grant application. Sue Paton has spoken with the landowners, who are willing to wait while we continue to pursue funding. Debby will contact Carol Andrews at NHACC to seek recommendations for a real estate appraiser. We voted to authorize Sue Paton to spend up to $2,000 for a preliminary appraisal of the Desbiens property which will be needed for the LCHIP grant. The motion was made by Rob De Valk, seconded by Helen Frink, and passed unanimously.

Sue Paton will also contact Brian Hotz of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to discuss how to most effectively communicate with landowners the process and possible tax benefits of conservation easements.

Education and Outreach:

Debby Hinman presented a report on Green Up Day, May 1 ^st and a bill from the Village Store of $15.64 for treats for the litter gatherers. Rob moved that we pay this bill; Debby seconded and the motion for payment passed unanimously.

Helen has written the state Department of Transportation to request that they post "$250 fine for littering" signs along Route 123A. We also mentioned the possibility of posting other signs, such as "Don’t Trash Acworth!"

At several points in our meeting we discussed the invasion of Japanese knotweed along our roadsides and streams. At our June meeting Sandy Brewer will bring information about combating this invasive species, including procedures for obtaining a permit from the state to attack it with herbicides.

The meeting adjourned at 8:48 PM.

Respectfully Submitted, Helen Frink