More than 50 people attended the 2016 Annual Meeting at the Memorial Hall Library.  Steve Cotton opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. with an overview of the FPC noting this is our 77th year. [To view a slideshow of the business meeting, click here.]

Minutes.  Secretary Janet Kenney moved approval of the minutes of the March 16, 2015 Annual Meeting and the August 8, 2015 Summer Meeting, as posted on the web site.  The Minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report. David Brown moved approval of the Treasurer’s Report as posted on the web site.  The Treasurer’s Report was approved.

Election of Officers.  A motion was made, seconded and approved to elect the following officers:  Steve Cotton (President), Marty Rabinowitz (Vice-President), Dave Brown (Treasurer), and Janet Kenney (secretary) for a 1-year term ending December 31, 2016.   A motion was made, seconded and approved to re-elect the following Directors for a 2-year term ending December 31, 2017: Amy Janovsky and Martha Russell.

Program: "Andover Wildlife After Dark."  Steve introduced David Dargie, Andover Village Improvement Society's warden at the Goldsmith Woodlands. David presented his new movie incorporating clips shot with a night-cam he has been setting up for several years at Goldsmith and several other locations near Foster's Pond.

Program:  “Andover Wildlife After Dark.  Steve introduced David Dargie, Andover Village Improvement Society’s warden at the Goldsmith Woodlands.  David presented his new movie incorporating clips shot with a night-cam he has been setting up for several years at Goldsmith and several other locations near Foster’s Pond.

David mentioned the cost was $100.00 for the camera using a 2G or 16G card, 4 “D” batteries, and set 3 feet high on a tree.  The editing software he used was “Adobe Elements”.  The daytime pictures were in color and the nighttime pictures were in black and white.  David used apples for snacks.  Bob Dalton informed us that white tailed deer eat at night and when the deer’s tail is up, it is called “flagging.”  Deer smell 500 times what humans smell and don’t see colors.  When people approach, a deer will stand quiet and will sometimes bob their heads up and down.  “Scrapes” are made during the mating season by bucks scraping their antlers against a tree trunk, nibbling branches, and pawing and ground to attract does.  Breeding time is usually October to January.  A deer can eat 8 lbs of vegetation in a day and have been known to eat baby songbirds in their nest.

Some of the funny parts of the movies were a red squirrel chasing another red squirrel and eating an apple tied on a string suspended from a tree.  Coyotes cover a lot of ground and will eat chicken bones.  They make a short high shrill sound and are constantly leaving their scent.  Fisher cats are tree climbers and will also eat chicken bones.  A grey fox has no dark fur on his legs and is also a tree climber.  A beaver was building his dam in the Harold Parker site.  Raccoons can live in the top of pine trees and use their feet as “eyes”. Mallard ducks, Canada geese, a great blue heron, and a great egret all were by the water.  Residents of Foster’s Pond have recently sited 2 swans nesting on Foster’s Pond, 2 owls spotted at the end of Foster’s Pond Road, a red tail hawk, pintail ducks, black squirrels, and ospreys.

Dam Report.  We repaired sink holes last year, and there is currently a small one to fill.  Our dam will undergo a state-mandated safety inspection in the fall. We are required to have one every five years.

Weed Report.  Weeds have been a problem in the Pond for many years, and the cause traces back to the and  to the 1850s, when  the dam was first built and nutrient-rich sediments were flooded but not removed.  Last year, $41,765.00 was the cost for treating fanwort.  The cost was less  than in 2005 and 2011.  We also treated for blue-green algae.  In 2013 copper sulfate was used for algae problem.  In 2014 the levels went down on their own and we didn’t need to treat for algae.  In 2015 we used copper sulfate again.  Algae blooms can explode overnight.  Volunteers are needed for the picnic and help with controlling algae (testing).  Let Steve know.

New Business.  A very grateful acknowledgment for all of Steve Cotton’s hard work in all aspects of the Foster’s Pond Corporation.  A question about how to get rid of purple loosestrife .  Hand pulling helps.  The beetles worked for a while but appear to be gone.  Anyone for raising beetles?   Would it help Foster’s Pond if more people hydro-raked?  How about some goats???

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved.  The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Janet Kenney
Secretary