Where Do We Meet?

Some Commission Activities in 2001

• Renewed LCC commitment to Adopt-a-Highway.
• Helped L. Planning Board update zoning ordinance 1200: Wetlands Conservation Dist. which was approved by voters in March. It used current federal and state wetland definitions and increased wetland buffers based on scientific knowledge in the "Buffers for Wetlands and Surface Waters" by the NH Office of State Planning, 1997.
• Took part in an ongoing statewide study sponsored by NH’s Dept. of Agric. and DES to determine the viability of biological controls for the exotic, invasive wetland plant, Purple Loosestrife. A European beetle that feeds on the flowers was tested.
• Worked with several developers during site walks and public meetings to provide for naturally vegetated buffers around wetlands.
• Installed historic and ecological information in the kiosk and along the trails of Parker Park.
• Hosted its 20th anniversary Children’s Fishing Derby for about 80 kids.
• Gave presentations about responsible riding of ATV's as it pertains to trail integrity and wetland conservation. at ATV Workshops hosted by the Litchfield Police Depart. and sponsored by NH Fish and Game.
• Worked on management of MFCA including signs, kiosk information, and trail work.
• Provided monetary and technical help to the Aaron Cutler Memorial Library Board of Trustees in the acquisition of a 20-acre parcel abutting the library. Using the Conservation Land Fund, the commission has obligated $29,000 of the fund balance over three years for this purchase. This will allow future expansion of the library as well as water resource and open space conservation .
• Continued to encourage NH to develop a car top boat ramp on the Merrimack River.
• Enjoyed sharing events and information about many local and regional issues.

     Fishing Derby

Open Space Is Important To NH

Open space is one quality that Litchfield is known for. Open space includes farmlands, forests, wetlands, and conservation easement areas. Visitors and residents alike often comment on the beautiful farms and tree-lined roadways of Litchfield. Residents use open space by gardening, walking, jogging, swimming, skating, hunting, fishing, biking, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and even hot air ballooning. Studies in NH by SPHNF highlight the compelling economic aspects of open space. They found that " Open Space in NH generates over $8 billion annually or 25% of all economic activity." The studies showed that developments require more taxes for town services, actually costing more than they generate. Therefore Preservation of Open Space is essential for life quality and economic reasons. 

Wetlands have many functions such as flood control, protection of water quality and quantity, control of erosion, nutrient recycling, sediment trapping, wildlife habitat, and aesthetic values. Wetlands and the water they contain provide for people and all fauna and flora. We need to learn to work with the natural requirements of wetlands during the pursuit of our daily activities.

New Hampshire has been one of the best states so far in terms of protecting wetlands. Presently wetlands are protected by state and local laws such as the Dredge and Fill Permitting process with the NH Wetlands Bureau. The review works best for the environment before a project starts, rather than after an irretrievable damage is created. Please call the Conservation Commission or the Wetlands Council before starting a project. The future of your children is in your hands and in your yards.

"We are too close to ourselves, much of the time, to see our proper relation to the natural world, on which we depend for survival. Watching birds and other animal seems to clarify my perspective."
by Roger Tory Peterson

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water...  For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

from "The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry

"Every scrap of biological diversity is priceless, to be learned and cherished and never surrendered without a struggle."

by E. O. Wilson