Harrisville Conservation Commission
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Meeting Minutes
Members present: Harry Wolhandler, Andrew Maneval, Don Scott, John Sandri
Attendees: Paul Merrill, Richard McDonald
Agenda and Minutes of June 5 – Members approved the agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting.
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Amelioration / Laricobious Beetle Update – Ralph Zingaro and guest attendee Richard McDonald reported on their work in North Carolina, where Dr. McDonald shared with Mr. Zingaro his years of work studying the Laricobious beetle and its effects against Wooly Adelgid, which has been killing off vast numbers of Hemlock trees. The Laricobious beetle is native to Washington State in the pacific northwest, but has been transported, its population augmented, and beetles released with success in the east. Three beetles have been sighted in Harrisville from previous releases in Antrim.
HCC members learned additional details about the lifecycle of the beetles, optimal conditions under which to release them, and considered the required permissions and potential funding sources for instituting a program in this area to help mitigate damage from the Wooly Adelgid. Dr. McDonald noted the beetles become active in the fall, which is the best time for release. He further noted that they only eat Adelgids, and that they’ve been shown to improve the health of the entire conifer forest, not just hemlocks.
Recommendations shared by Dr. McDonald include creating a database of trees and beetles, setting up 3 insectories in which to increase the beetle population, conducting an inventory of potential sites and trees, and select 12 sites, including public and private locations, and releasing 300 beetles per site.
On potential funding of the program, private donors have come forward. The HCC chair confirmed through a conversation with the state that the HCC can accept donations and is also authorized to allocate Conservation Fund monies for the project.
On permitting of the project, the HCC will confirm if the HCC can operate under the permit of Ryan Crandall, NH Forest Health Manager at DES.
Mr. Wolhandler and Mr. Zingaro will put together a program budget. The Chair will review Mr. Zingaro’s expenses from his research trip to North Carolina. Fuel, room and board totaled approximately $1,100.
McDonald offered additional assistance to the HCC if needed.
Japanese Knotweed Removal Efforts – The HCC reiterated it has scheduled a Community Conversation for Monday, August 12, in the Granite Mill to discuss Japanese Knotweed Removal as well as the Laricobious Beetle project. The HCC also will draft an article for Common Threads. The board will invite Eric Masterson of the Harris Center, which has expressed support of the beetle program
Old Home Days Booth – Saturday, July 20 – The HCC will prepare Old Home Days materials and photos for the Knotweed Mitigation and Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Mitigation programs. HCC members will be available to rotate in the booth.
Recycling Center Program – The HCC noted that visitors to the facility are adapting to the new system, altered traffic flow and requested pre-sorting of recyclables for disposal in the recycling building.
Rainwater Impacts from Recent Storms – Don Scott shared a map depicting all culverts within the town, an outgrowth of the Culvert Inventory and mapping project undertaken by Southwest Region Planning Commission. Included in the inventory files are data sheets with detailed specifications and maintenance information for each culvert. A state map now contains all the town’s data as well. Mr. Maneval noted the Select Board would discuss the availability of the information and how the town can continue working to update it.
The next meeting of the Conservation Commission is Wednesday, August 7, at 7:00 pm.