12/9/2015 ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Minutes

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Environmental Oversight Committee Minutes December 9, 2015 Land Steward Pro am: Update from Kateln Cadoret Assistant Conservation Agent: (continued) Ms. Cadoret indicated the AmeriCorps volunteers are continuing to assist the Conservation Department in creating trails and building more kiosks. Volunteers will be assisting with the construction of bat boxes. The houses will help to mitigate habitat loss and create a safe haven for the bats to roost during the day. Ms. Cadoret noted that bat species have been severely affected in the country with white nose syndrome, an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has killed as many as 90% of some bat species. Populations of bats in Mashpee and Martha's Vineyard have been found free of the deadly white nose syndrome. The Conservation Department has recently applied for a Habitat Management Grant for the Simon Lowe Conservation Area—a rare, frost bottom habitat formed by the glaciers. With regards to the Land Steward program, reports are being regularly received from volunteer stewards. It is the plan of the Conservation Department to have a collective meeting to assess the current list of stewards for active involvement. The program has created a good presence in some conservation areas, offsetting activities such as illegal dumping and vandalism. Dog walkers have also provided awareness to these activities on a regular basis, especially in the John's Pond area. EOC member Michael Talbot offered to conduct a talk on a particular land management issue to be determined and as it pertains to the Land Steward program. Ms. Cadoret indicated the program is doing well on the land management aspect, and flyers are under development for the upcoming season. ACTION ITEMS UPDATE Pond & Estuary Water Oualitv Monitoring:_ Update: Although the 2015 water quality monitoring is in need of some further analysis and interpretation, it was reported that, overall, the ponds are in good condition. In particular, the clarity of the Santuit Pond has increased beyond the projections of the impact of the SolarBees. The level of improvement may even remove Santuit Pond from the eutrophic category. George Reichenbacher, who coordinates the pond monitoring program for MEC, recently wrote an article for the Mashpee Enterprise; MEC publishes a column on an environmental issue each month. Mr. York had some issues with the conclusions, so Mr. York was asked to use his expertise as a marine biologist to write this column on the condition of Mashpee's ponds in the Mashpee Enterprise. In response, Mr. York indicated his schedule is very demanding at this time, but it may be considered at a later date.