Rock Meadow Maintenance Article 13

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Rock Meadow MaintenanceArticle 13

• NRCS WHIP Proposal

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ROCK MEADOW HISTORY

• 70 acre parcel of land west of Mill Street and
  south of Concord Ave.
• Has been owned and mowed by Belmont since 1968
• The land is under the supervision of the Belmont
  Conservation Commission
• Maintained as a grassland since the 1600s.

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Rock Meadow Uses

• Open space used for hiking, birding, biking,
  picnicking, gardening, cross-country skiing, tai
  chi, group educational programs and more
• Significant habitat for many species of plants
  and animals that are rapidly disappearing as
  forests and development encroach upon meadows and
  former farmland

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Rock Meadows Unique Attributes

• Largest expanse of publicly owned open space
  managed by the Conservation Commission in Belmont
• Varied ecosystems vernal pools, forest, meadows,
  Beaver Brook and wetlands
• Link to the Western Greenway adds to recreational
  and habitat value

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Most Urgent Adverse Impacts

• The meadow is shrinking
• Invasive and non-native species are proliferating
• Vegetation is encroaching on paths and meadow

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The Meadow is Shrinking 1985 and 2005
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Vegetative Encroachment
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Rock Meadow Funding

• Until 2005 Belmonts Rock Meadow budget was up to
  about 1100/year, used for mowing
• Costs for annual mowing in 2005 and 2006 averaged
  3000.
• With former Rock Meadow budget insufficient,
  Conservation Commission (CC) searched for
  alternate funding to conserve Towns operating
  budget
• First, CC obtained USFWS grant that funded a land
  management expert from Mass Audubon to develop a
  Management Plan with the steps and cutting needed
  to restore and maintain Rock Meadow
• Next, CC applied to USDA Wildlife Habitat
  Improvement Program (USDA/WHIP) and has been
  accepted, contingent on evidence of Towns
  commitment
• USDA program will pay 51,855 over the next 10
  years

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Funding Sources Acronyms Definitions

• USDA/NRCS
• United States Department of Agriculture
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• WILDLIFE HABITAT INCENTIVES PROGRAM (WHIP)
• WHIP is a cost-share program that will reimburse
  participants up to 75 percent of USDA/NRCSs
  estimated cost of the project
• Contracts are from five to 10 years in length
• At least one cost-shared practice must be started
  within the first 12 months after signing a
  contract. Applications are funded on a
  competitive basis statewide and dependent upon
  available funding.

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USDA Estimated Costs and Payments

• Year USDA Cost Est. 75 - USDAs Reimbursement
• 2007 33,588 25,191
• 2008 11,208 8,406
• 8,768 6,576
• .
• . _______ ______
• 2007-2016 69,140 51,855
• 2007 30,000 appropriation needed up front to be
  able to pay the 07 bill. The Town will then
  be reimbursed 25,191by USDA. At the end of
  07, an estimated 22,000 will be in the Towns
  account.
• 2008-16 Money left over each year can be used for
  contractor expenses for follow on year, and
  USDA funds are reimbursed each year at 75 of
  USDAs cost estimate.

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Cost Share Overview

• First Year With the initial 2007 30K
  appropriation, the CC pays for the 2007 work and
  then receives the federal USDA reimbursement.
• Ten Years Over the ten year period, USDA will
  contribute 51,855 and Belmont will be
  responsible for 17,285 based on USDA cost
  estimates. This is an average of 1728.50/year
  which is less than the cost of a single year of
  mowing, which would not restore the meadow.
• In addition, private donations to the Rock Meadow
  maintenance, volunteers, and Town Departments
  will be encouraged to further offset the towns
  funding, reducing the 17,285 estimate.

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Advantages of Articles

• Rock Meadow is the Towns significant and
  historic open space resource, and it is suffering
  from neglect and change
• This is a cost-effective way for the Town to
  fulfill its responsibility for Rock Meadow
  maintenance
• The federal government pays up to 75 of the cost
  of the work
• The average annual Town expense over the ten
  years is  less than the cost of a  single year of
  mowing
•  

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Conclusion

• Town Meeting is encouraged to approve Article 13
  so that
• Another growing season is not lost to invasive
  vegetation
• We can preserve this precious Town resource
• We can fulfill our maintenance obligations
• We can take advantage of this cost sharing
  program

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KNOWN WILDLIFE(PARTIAL)

• Red Fox
• Eastern Coyote
• Muskrat
• Pheasant
• Red Tailed Hawk
• Great Horned Owl
• Turkey Vultures
• Fisher Cats
• Great Blue Heron
• Opossum

• Woodcock
• Blue birds
• Snakes
• Mink
• Beaver (?)
• Deer
• Coopers Hawk
• Kestrels
• Rabbits
• Snapping Turtles

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Invasive Species in RM

• 1. Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus Rhamnus
  frangula). Shrub.
• 2. Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus).
  Vine.
• 3. Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria). Herbaceous
  ground cover.
• 4. Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora). Shrub.
• 5. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).
  Herbaceous garden plant.
• 6. Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.). Shrub.
• 7. Winged euonymous (Euonymous alatus). Shrub.
• 8. Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii).
  Shrub.
• 9. Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Tree.
• 10. Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Tree.
• 11. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). Shrub
  like perennial.
• 12. Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis
  brevipedunculata). Vine.
• 13. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus carthartica).
  Shrub.
• 14. Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris). Shrub.
• 15. Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata). Shrub.
• 16. Black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum).
  Vine.

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