{"id":733,"date":"2016-05-12T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/?p=733"},"modified":"2016-05-12T06:00:43","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T10:00:43","slug":"lt-volunteer-charges-forward-with-cleaning-out-town-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/?p=733","title":{"rendered":"LT: Volunteer Charges Forward with Cleaning Out Town Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From the\u00a0Londonderry Times <!-- IE6-8 support of HTML5 elements --> <!-- [if lt IE 9]>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/londonderrytimes.net\/wp-content\/themes\/ifeaturepro5\/inc\/js\/html5.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script>\n\t<![endif]--> <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v3.1.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. --><script id=\"twitter-wjs\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script><script src=\"\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js\" 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class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span><\/span>,s,o,g,r,a,m){<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>['<span class=\"hiddenSpellError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">GoogleAnalyticsObject<\/span>']=r;<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>[r]=<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>[r]||function(){\n  (<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>[r].q=<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},<span class=\"hiddenGrammarError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">i<\/span>[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),\n  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)\n  })(window,document,'script','\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js','ga');\n  ga('create', 'UA-48507496-2', 'auto');\n  ga('require', '<span class=\"hiddenSpellError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">displayfeatures<\/span>');\n  ga('send', '<span class=\"hiddenSpellError\" pre=\"\" data-mce-bogus=\"1\">pageview<\/span>');\n\n<\/span>\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n<div id=\"single_page\" class=\"container-full-width\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"container-fluid\">\n<div id=\"container\" class=\"row-fluid\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\" span8 content-sidebar-right\">\n<article id=\"post-32593\" class=\"post-32593 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-news\">\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<p class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/londonderrytimes.net\/2016\/05\/volunteer-charges-forward-cleaning-town-forest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Volunteer Charges Forward with Cleaning Out Town Forest<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-meta\"><time class=\"entry-date updated\" datetime=\"2016-05-05T16:18:55+00:00\">May 5, 2016<\/time> <span class=\"byline\"> by <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" title=\"View all posts by Kaitlyn G Woods\" href=\"http:\/\/londonderrytimes.net\/author\/kwoods\/\" rel=\"author\">Kaitlyn G Woods<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n<div id=\"single_page\" class=\"container-full-width\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"container-fluid\">\n<div id=\"container\" class=\"row-fluid\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\" span8 content-sidebar-right\">\n<article id=\"post-32593\" class=\"post-32593 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-news\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p class=\"p1\">It has been about a year since Londonderry volunteer Kent Allen started working to clear litter and natural debris from the floor of the Town Forest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Countless hours and 40 substantial piles of debris later, about a third of the Town Common has been cleared for recreational use and Allen has his sights set on the section of the property along Mack\u2019s apple orchards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">As the floor of the Town Forest has become increasingly groomed, Allen said he has seen an increase in the area\u2019s use by residents.<span id=\"more-32593\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cThere are a lot more people walking their dogs,\u201d he said. \u201cEspecially because of the target shooting in the Musquash \u2013 it has scared a lot of people out of the woods and they came over here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Allen has focused his efforts on removing dead debris and pulling out invasive plant species, leaving small understory plants to continue regenerating the forest. He has also built and installed several benches along the trails, including benches at the Orchard Overlook, which offer visitors a place to rest and enjoy a scenic view of Adams Pond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The area he plans to clear next spans from the edge of the Town Common along Mammoth Road, about halfway back into the Town Forest toward Glenwood Cemetery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Allen said he is motivated to push forward with his work in the Common when he sees the area he has finished clearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cThe reward is seeing the people out here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Town Manager Kevin Smith, who assumed responsibility for management of the Forest when voters approved a warrant article transferring responsibility from the Conservation Commission, said management of the forest has had no cost impact to the Town, so far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Crews from the Department of Public Works have been slowly removing Allen\u2019s debris piles as time permits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cGoing forward, we will have to determine if there are cost items for maintaining the Town Forest and how to pay for them,\u201d Smith said. \u201cKent has been unbelievable. He\u2019s an amazing volunteer and he has done a wonderful job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Members of the Conservation Commission have said they are not opposed to the Town Common\u2019s being used as a recreational area, as long as the property is under management of the Town Manager; but Chairman Marge Badois said there are concerns with removing large amounts of debris from the floor of the Town Forest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">And while the \u201cfrog pond\u201d near the bandstand is not a vernal pool, Badois said \u201cit is a sensitive area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cThey should leave a buffer along the edge of the pond because it serves as a natural filtering system for runoff and it gives wildlife that live in the pond shelter from predators,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Of the substantial clean-up of the forest floor, Badois said, \u201cyes, small animals will have to move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cSnakes and salamanders, people forget about the small animals and critters. Everyone thinks of deer, but most animals are too small to really notice,\u201d she said. \u201cThose animals will suffer. They will need to move or perish. Fortunately, the pace they\u2019re clearing at gives the animals time to migrate. If they make it across the apple orchard towards Adams Pond, that could be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">As long as Allen continues to take the lead on maintenance of the Town Forest, Smith said he will support his efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cIt will evolve over time,\u201d he said, noting Allen\u2019s work has significantly increased accessibility to the Town Forest for all residents. \u201cThis fall I\u2019d like to see if we can put in an ice skating rink just behind the rock wall. It\u2019s not very costly and it\u2019s something people have been saying they want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">According to Smith, additional volunteers in town have said they would help with installing the skating rink, and the Town may be able to find funds in the Recreation budget to subsidize the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Compared with the Master Plan\u2019s vision for a more urbanized Town Common, Smith said he thinks the improvements Allen has made in the Town Forest are more in line with the traditional look and feel residents have said they would like the property to have.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the\u00a0Londonderry Times Volunteer Charges Forward with Cleaning Out Town Forest May 5, 2016 by Kaitlyn G Woods It has been about a year since Londonderry volunteer Kent Allen started working to clear litter and natural debris from the floor of the Town Forest. Countless hours and 40 substantial piles&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"From the Londonderry Times: \nVolunteer Charges Forward with Cleaning Out Town Forest","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townunderground.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}