Conservation Commission Projects 2002 - 2006

Londonderry Water Wells
The Londonderry Conservation Commission has initiated a study of drilled water wells in our town. Recent drought periods have brought into focus problems that can occur with domestic and commercial wells, namely they can run dry and new wells need to be drilled. It is normally assumed that one can always find water if you drill deep enough, and in this area of Vermont that is usually true. But how deep is "deep enough"? And how does the number and location of nearby wells affect the sub-surface water supply?

To get answers to these questions, the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation was contacted. With their help, we have acquired a database locating wells in Londonderry, together with a lot of valuable information about these wells, such as depth, age, etc. (If anyone is interested in seeing this data, contact the Conservation Commission.) In the next several months, we will attempt to expand this database, and try to determine what actions, if any, might be needed to best conserve our sub-surface water.

Wind Energy Project
The Conservation Commission agreed to participate, as one of the concerned parties, in the collaboration process which will be seeking agreement on various terms and conditions with respect to the proposed Glebe Mountain Wind Turbine Project. In a statement presented at the first meeting of the collaboration, the Conservation Commission outlined some of its requests. These included protection of all wildlife habitats and corridors, and review of proposed roadways and power line routes. In addition, the Conservation Commission is requesting that open space taken away by the construction and presence of the wind turbines be replaced in kind at locations to be determined by the Conservation Commission.

Open Space Preservation
Large (100 acre) land parcels are becoming a rare commodity in Londonderry; there are only about 35 such large parcels. However Londonderry (like many Vermont towns) still has a significant number of  "open space areas" if one takes into account areas composed of several contiguous open land parcels owned by separate land owners. The Conservation Commission is considering a project to assist adjoining property owners in developing methods to conserve their contiguous open spaces. Initially we will be looking at a similar (successful) project in the Town of Newfane, as well as identifying candidate areas here in Londonderry.

Stream Mapping
Conservation of our town's water resources is a major concern of the Conservation Commission. Recently the Windham Regional Planning Commission issued a map of Londonderry's "year round" streams. There were several questionable stream routes shown on the map. In view of the importance of having an accurate mapping of our streams, the Conservation Commission has begun a project to verify the stream mapping. This verification involves walking the stream routes in the dry season.

 

Conserving Jointly Owned Open Space

Overview:
One of the objectives of the Londonderry Conservation Commission is the conservation and protection of open space and woodlands in our town. One of our projects is directed towards advising and assisting large (100 acre or more) property owners with information that will foster conservation of their properties through proper woodland management, and appropriate legal programs that will discourage future property fragmentation. There are fewer than forty such large properties in Londonderry.
Fortunately Londonderry still has a significant amount of open space and woodlands that are comprised of contiguous land holdings owned by smaller (10 to 90 acre) property owners. The open space formed by these multiple properties is a very important resource, and the Conservation Commission is considering a project to assist owners of these contiguous properties in management and conservation of their jointly owned open spaces. Similar projects have been successful in other towns, notably in Newfane, VT.

The Proposed Project:
The Conservation Commission would identify appropriate lots and owners as potential area for a multiple property owners cooperative program. Once identified, the appropriate group of property owners wold be contacted and an attempt made to gauge interest in forming a local land owners group for the purpose of conservation of their contiguous woodland and open space. Once a cooperative owners group is formed, the Conservation Commission would provide information and advise on the best methods to conserve their woodlands and open space. Such advise and information might include a plan for forest management, a plan for prevention of fragmentation through sale of development rights, etc.

Reilly Road, a Possible Pilot Project:
The properties along the west side of Reilly Road (including the Spruce Hill Road area) are typical of the sort of area of interest. The region is composed of lots ranging from 70 acres down to 10 acres. The houses associated with these properties are located relatively near the roads (Reilly and Spruce Hill) and have a common woodland area bounded on the west side by the Landgrove (Bennington County) town line. This common woodland is primarily upland area with some nice views, much wildlife, and at its eastern side drains into Flood Brook. There are one or two abandoned roads, and some sections have been logged recently. (The properties on the east side of Ridge Road in Landgrove have a similar characteristic and a common boundary with the Reilly Road properties.)

We are interested in other areas where the cooperative efforts of joint landowners would result in open space conservation. If you and your neighbors are interested in working together to conserve jointly owned open space, please contact the Londonderry Conservation Commission (conservation@londonderryvt.org) or contact the Town Clerk's office.

To Open Land Property Owners of Londonderry

The Londonderry Conservation Commission plans to maintain a list of open areas (fields and woodland) which property owners wish to conserve as open areas, and for which they would like to find an affordable means of so doing. Periodically, as this list is compiled, a search will be made for "agricultural Alternatives". Examples are: sheep pasture, deer farming, gardening, burning, haying, etc.

The Londonderry Town Plan, under the heading of Agricultural and Forest Resources, states: "Help to preserve and maintain farms, agricultural lands and services to ensure a continuing viable agriculture for the community."  Also, available open areas are useful for, and important to wildlife conservation.

Open land in Londonderry is very scarce. The Land Use map shows only about 12% open land. If one accounts for housing areas, ski areas, bodies of water and wetlands, and working farm land, there may be less that 2% open land left for expansion of agriculture.

If you are the owner of one acre or more of open land and would like to have your open lands included on this list, please contact the Londonderry Town Clerk's Office (802-824-3356).

Some Insect Issues

Londonderry's land is mostly forest, so we need to be concerned about insects that threaten our trees. The USDA has issued a pest alert on the Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB). This insect is not native to the United States; it is an Asian species that probably traveled to the USinside solid wood packing material from China. The ALB has been intercepted at ports and found in warehouses throughout the US.

The ALB larvae tunnel into living wood and can eventually kill a tree. The ALB in the US prefers maple species (box elder, Norway, red, silver, sugar, and sycamore). There are other hardwood hosts such as horse chestnut, black locust, elms, birches, willows, poplar, and green ash. The ALB doesn't attack conifers or evergreens. Because the ALB spends much of its life cycle deep inside the tree, it can't be controlled by traditional insecticide methods. Removal and burning of infested trees is the only eradication method at this time.

The ALB should not be confused with the White spotted Sawyer. The latter are drawn to dying or recently felled conifers. The ALB is generally glossy black; the Sawyer is a bronzy-black color. The accompanying illustration compares these two species. If you suspect ALB infestation, collect an adult beetle in a jar and freeze it. Then contact the USDA Forest Service, county extension agent, or the VT State Agency of Natural Resources.

On a different note, the Monarch butterfly depends on common milkweed (and perhaps other varieties) for its survival. In our area, common milkweed is often found growing alone roadsides, where it is often cut down as a result of routine roadside mowing. If you have milkweed on your property or along the roads near you, try to preserve it. The Monarch butterfly will thank you

This is the Asian Longhorn Beetle	This is the White Spotted Sawyer