About 65 people attended the 2019 Annual Meeting at the Memorial Hall Library.  Steve Cotton opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. and welcomed guests with a brief introduction to the FPC. [To view a slide show of the Annual Meeting, click here.]

Minutes.  Secretary Janet Kenney moved approval of the minutes of the May 30, 2018, Annual Meeting and the August 19, 2018, Summer Meeting, as posted on the web site.  The Minutes were approved.

Treasurer's Report.  Dave 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, 2019.  A motion was made, seconded, and approved to re-elect the following directors for a 2-year term ending December 31, 2020: David Adilman, Steve Ellis, and Dorothy Tyler.

Program: For Peat’s Sake: Bogs, Fens and Peatland Habitats of Foster’s Pond. Featured speaker, Andover botanist Richard Barry.

Before introducing Richard, Steve underscored the importance of Richard's advice about protecting the Pond with rain gardens and native planting. Steve noted the increasing frequency of blue-green algae in the Pond, and the importance of trying to limit phosphorous, which algae need in order to grow. He pointed to the FPC's Watershed-Based Plan, which found that a relatively small reduction in stormwater run-off within the Pond's 1.5-square-mile watershed could significantly reduce phosphorous loading in Foster's Pond, and that each of us can help. He pointed to a one-page list of suggestions on the FPC web site, noting that the two two tie directly to Richard's talk this evening.

Steve introduced Richard, noting that Richard has a degree in Forest Ecosystem Science from the University of Maine. He interned in the Fern Valley Native Plant Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington D.C., has worked for landscaping and nursery businesses, and spent 16 years with the federal government as an agriculture inspector in the port of Boston. For the last 2 years he has been designing and planting native landscapes throughout Northeastern Massachusetts, including his own house on Clark Road. He and his family will be relocating to southern California later this month. He plans to do similar work designing native plant landscapes in California.

Richard presented a slide show explaining peatlands, bogs, and fens, with a map showing their locations around Foster's Pond. The slide show also includes photos of white cedar and black spruce in and around the Pond, and advice on planting rain gardens to protect the Pond.

Dam Report. Steve reported that this year the Corporation would be preparing an Emergency Action Plan outlining what first responders should do in case of a catastrophic failure of the Dam. He said the EAP was a new State requirement, and that it would cost several thousand dollars to prepare, since it had to be written by an engineering professional.

Pond Report.  Steve reported that our 2018 spiny naiad treatment was successful in eliminating this invasive weed from the five acres that were treated. We also treated 15 acres of the Pond to control fanwort. Our annual vegetation survey in late summer found fanwort in only one of the five areas we treated - at the mouth of the Mill Reservoir, where the Pond experiences its greatest internal flow. As a result, that area will be targeted in 2019 with our first-ever attempt to use SCUBA divers to hand-pull fanwort. We will also employ Sonar to treat fanwort in a few other scattered locations where fanwort was detected in the survey.

The Pond was treated for blue-green algae in 2018, will be treated for blue-green algae this summer if conditions warrant. Steve also reported that 10 shoreline owners participated in hydro-raking this spring.

Volunteers Needed.  Steve asked for volunteers to help with deploying portable barriers to smother small stands of invasive weeds.  He also said that volunteers are needed to assist with collecting water samples to take to the Water Treatment Plant during the warm weather.

New Business.  Steve said that nearby residents had expressed interest in clearing the path at the end of Pomeroy Road which leads to “The Point,” a small patch of land on the shore of the Main Pond owned by the Corporation.  He noted that at one point this served as a community beach.

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

Janet Kenney
Secretary