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The activities of the Conservation Commission were many this year. Fifteen children and adults volunteered for the Town wide clean up day in May. Several barrels and a small truckload of trash were picked up. Beer and soda containers and convenience food wrappers/containers are the most frequent items picked up. The Commission has once again spent considerable time and effort on two continuing conservation initiatives this past year, The Antrim Woods Project and a formal conservation easement for Campbell Pond and the Town land surrounding the Pond.
Unfortunately, despite the enthusiastic support of many individuals and the Town, the Antrim Woods Project did not gain the hoped for LCHIP grant from the State of NH. Despite raising more than half the funding needed, including the most generous Town appropriation of $40,000, the project was terminated. The Town’s appropriation voted at the 2001 Town meeting lapsed back to the general fund on December 31, 2003. The Antrim Conservation Commission would like to take this opportunity to thank the Town and all the individual supporters for their support.
The Commission is continuing its efforts to formalize a permanent conservation easement for the Town owned land that forms the majority of the Campbell Pond watershed so that it may be kept for perpetuity as a managed resource in reserve for the Town in case it is ever needed as a supplemental Town water supply.
Several Commission sponsored hikes were taken to Campbell Pond and trail maintenance performed at the Lily Pond and Hurlin/Meetinghouse Hill Trails.
Two members, Peter Beblowski and Peter Moore continue to be active within the UNH Cooperative Extension Service and NH Fish and Game sponsored program called “NH Coverts”. A "covert" (pronounced "cover" with a "t") is a thicket that provides shelter for wild animals. The NH Covert Program trains volunteers to promote wildlife habitat conservation and forest stewardship. The goals of the project are twofold; first, to enhance, restore, and conserve habitat for the rich diversity of native wildlife in New Hampshire and second, to increase the amount of New Hampshire's public and private land managed with a stewardship ethic. More about the Program may be obtained at http://ceinfo.unh.edu/forestry/documents/nhcovrts.htm
Respectfully submitted by: Peter Beblowski, ACC Chairman 2004
Linda Bryer 2005
Melissa Chapman 2006
Peter Moore 2006
Pat Webber 2005
Rod Zwirner 2004
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