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Thorndike Pond
Conservation Association
Annual Meeting - 1990
THORNDIKE POND CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION
Minutes of Annual Meeting
Camp Wa-Klo, Dublin, N.H.
August 4, 1990
The Association's president, Peter McGowan, called the meeting to order at 7:55 p.m. There were 61 members and guests present. As Ted Ernst noted, it was the 30th anniversary of the TPCA's first meeting.
The minutes of the 1989 meeting were approved.
The treasurer reported that there had been income of $3,337.02 during the year and expenses of $1,940.57. As of July 31, 1990, the TPCA had $8,322.19 in checking and savings accounts and in a $5,000 CD. Sixty-eight property owners, two fewer than the previous year, had joined.
Those present approved dues of $40 for the 1990-91year.
The slate recommended by the nominating committee – Ted Ernst, Herb Grant, Ted Sawyer
-- were elected.
· Peter McGowan re-elected president.
· Gillian Whalen re-elected vice president.
· Henry Schulte re-elected secretary/treasurer.
· Ethel Kloberg and Laura Gehrung elected to two-year terms on the board of directors. (They replaced Nathan Hurl in and Cheves Walling.)
· Bob Karlsberger and Tom Mansfield are the carry-over directors.
Ray Kruse introduced Jody Connor, a water specialist from the state's Department of Environmental Services. Connor described the scope of the department's operations. He discussed problems facing some of the state's lakes and urged members of the TPCA to serve a "watch-dog" function, checking constantly on the quality of water in Thorndike Pond. The pressure caused by people, he said,causes lakes and ponds to putrefy as they age. Connor said that phosphorus speeds up the aging process. Two measurers of water quality, he said, are water transparency and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. The oxygen keeps fish alive and its absence encourages undesirable growth. Phosphorus creates algae which decrease water clarity which encourages the growth of organic matters on the bottom of the body of water which, in turn, uses up the desirable oxygen supply. Connor said there were three classifications of lakes and ponds -- oligotrophic, very clear with high water quality; eutrophic, shallow with a soft bottom, colored water, abundant plant growth, and the presence of algae; mesotrophic, the intermediate stage. Thorndike Pond was last officially categorized in 1982. It was then oligotrophic. He warned, however, that "lakes do not normally get better." Connor made a series of recommendations for those living on Thorndike Pond:
· Pump out septic tanks regularly, every two or three years for seasonal residents, annually for year-round residents.
· Minimize the use of lawn and garden fertilizers which have a high level of phosphorus.
· Do not bathe or shampoo in the pond.
· Do not wash cars or boats with soap near the pond.
· Use no-phosphates soaps in clothes and dish washers.
· Do not clear land near the shore. Keep a "buffer area" in front of buildings. Roots absorb phosphates.
· Do not urinate or defecate in the water.
· Do not burn leaves near the pond. Phosphates are left after burning.
· Do not feed or make pets of water birds.
· Avoid powerful outboards -- above 50 horsepower --which churn up the bottom and cause deterioration.
· Do not fill or dredge. Lakes and ponds do that without human help. Adding sand to shoreline causes a build-up on the bottom and may introduce foreign matter which can contribute to water deterioration.
Connor was asked about the impact of golf courses on bodies of water. He said chemicals used on golf courses could cause damage to a small lake or pond.
Those present voted to have an expert appraise the condition of the dam. (That was done after the meeting. The dam is in "stable" condition but needs repairs. The
expert will check again in October, after the water level has been lowered, and subsequently provide a detailed description of the repairs that will be necessary.
It was suggested that at times parking of autos and boat trailers at the boat launching site represents a hazard to drivers, creating, as it does, a one-lane situation. It was moved, seconded and passed that the TPCA ask the town to better regulate parking there.
The president raised the question of the Shattuck Inn development, noting that it had been discussed at the 1989 annual meeting. Based on the sentiment expressed at that meeting, he investigated and sent a letter to the members reporting on the goals of the Shattuck Inn partnership. He noted that more than 50% of TPCA's members had contributed to the Concerned Citizens for Jaffrey --
$21,000 in all. He said a spokesman for the Concerned Citizens had been asked to report on its activities and that the resident partnership in the Shattuck Inn development was present as the guest of Tom Raleigh, who had questioned the
contribution of $100 made by the TPCA to the Concerned Citizens. There was agreement that both the Concerned Citizen representative, Tricia Strauss, and the Shattuck Inn representative, Ed Pittman, should be asked to speak, limiting their presentations to 10 minutes each. Ten minutes would be set aside at the end for questions or comments from the audience.
$21,000 in all. He said a spokesman for the Concerned Citizens had been asked to report on its activities and that the resident partnership in the Shattuck Inn development was present as the guest of Tom Raleigh, who had questioned the
contribution of $100 made by the TPCA to the Concerned Citizens. There was agreement that both the Concerned Citizen representative, Tricia Strauss, and the Shattuck Inn representative, Ed Pittman, should be asked to speak, limiting their presentations to 10 minutes each. Ten minutes would be set aside at the end for questions or comments from the audience.
Mrs. Strauss spoke first, noting that the goal of the Concerned Citizens was to insure that new "developments were sociologically and ecologically beneficial." She said the group was dealing with problems never before confronted in Jaffrey. She cited the group's role in preventing the creation of an asphalt factory in Jaffrey and in the landfill closing. She then detailed some of the activities of the group in relationship to the Shattuck Inn development. She
noted that mercury was among the chemicals being used on the Shattuck Inn golf course.
Mr. Pittman spoke next. He said that herbicides and fertilizers did not run off if properly applied. His organization, he said, had a moral and legal obligation to avoid polluting the watershed of which it is a part. He noted that his group had made compromises in its plans at the behest of Jaffrey officials. "We will use the best management practices and monitor the environment to prevent problems," he said.
Mr. Pittman was asked if he planned to buy property on Thorndike Pond to be used as a swimming club and/or marina. "It would not make sense to do that," he said.
Fred Gehrung asked for the floor when Pittman had finished. He read a two-page statement about the possible impact of the Shattuck Inn development on Thorndike Pond. The statement said that the TPCA's concern should not be the golf course but the impact of "more than 400 family units nearby." More than 1,000 persons would inhabit the development which would have a non-beneficial impact on the pond. He said those who live on the pond must join others "in preserving our environment."
The next action was a motion to approve the actions of the officers during the year since the last annual meeting. Tom Raleigh and Ray Kruse questioned the proprietary of the $100 contribution to the Concerned Citizens. The vote was 20 to approve, three to disapprove
and one abstention.
and one abstention.
The members thanked Ethel Kloberg for playing host to the meeting, which adjourned shortly after 10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Henry F. Schulte, Secretary/Treasurer