04.16.26 Conservation Commission Meeting Notes

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 Conservation Commission Notes

April 16, 2026 5:30 pm at Town Office and on zoom The Guilford Conservation Commission did not have a quorum at our meeting on Thursday; therefore the following are NOTES, not official minutes. Attending commissioners included Linda Hecker (Chair), Steve Soszynski (Treasurer), Susan Bonthron (Acting Secretary), Alex Lacy, and Tara Cheney (by Zoom, Selectboard Liaison to the GCC). Absent were Anne Montgomery, Katie Shea, Bill Jewell, and Joshua Farr. Three visitors (Tammy Sargent, Debbie MacNeil and Dolores Clark) also attended.

The meeting was called to order at 5:35, and the agenda was adjusted due to the lack of a quorum (we could not approve February minutes, nor review Action Steps, appoint new officers, etc.). We did informally discuss the following:
1. Linda reminded us about the Beaver forum at 7pm on Wednesday April 22 at the BBCC, and encouraged us to help set up at 6:30 and bring beaver questions and problems to discuss. Dave Eastman and Patti Smith will lead the discussion.
2. The GCC was invited to attend a regional meeting of the Conservation Commissions next month; but it occurs on the same night as the Special Meeting in Guilford on May 6.
3. Linda brought up the “City Nature Challenge” , a worldwide project initiated by iNaturalist, which the Brattleboro Conservation invited us to co-sponsor with them. The Challenge (to discover and report on flora, fauna and fungi in our backyards and townscapes) will last from April 24th – 27th, with a kickoff on Saturday morning, April 25th at the Brooks Library in Brattleboro. There will be a training on confirming IDs in iNaturalist on the evening of Tuesday the 28th. To find out more, see: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-windham-county-vt
4. Linda mentioned that it is our turn to check in with the Select board at their meeting on April 27th; we need a volunteer presenter.
5. GreenUp Day is May 2nd this year. GreenUp bags will be available at the BBCC or beforehand at the town office.
6. Act 181: Our main item of business was to have been the creation of a position statement on Act 181 by the GCC for the Selectboard, but at the last minute, the Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC) emailed a notice that the current draft of Act 181 (especially with regard to Tier 3 and the “Road Rule”) had been sent back for reconsideration. We had a lively conversation with our guests about the former version of the Act and how it was being interpreted by various groups.
7. Although we could not officially plan the monthly walks sponsored by the GCC, we did set the following tentative dates: May 17 (Green River Watershed); June 14th (Lisa Barry); Saturday July 18 (Linda Hay); September 20th (Josh Farr); October 11th (Steve Soszynski).
8. Reports on Evans, Franklin Farm Conservation initiatives (Steve, Linda Lembke, & Mary Woolsey) were postponed until next month.
9. NRI sales (70 more have sold, leaving 30 remaining copies.)
The meeting ended at 7:00pm.
Respectfully noted, Susan Bonthron