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2 Wild & Scenic River Study Committee March 13, 2002
Halifax Town Hall Meeting Minutes

3 The meeting of the Wild & Scenic River Study Committee was called to order at 7:10 p.m. at the Halifax Town Hall on March 13, 2002. The following members were in attendance:

Francis Pereira, Rose Correia, Bill Taylor, Middleboro Jack Traynor, Halifax Aria Brissette, Maryon Nowak, Jasmine Tanguay, Taunton Jim Ross, Ray Brierly, Steven Cote, Raynham Kitty Doherty, Frank Bibbins, Bridgewater Joan Kimball, Riverways Program Pat Rogers, EOEA Jamie Fosburg, National Park Service Bill Napolitano, SRPEDD Mary Vigeant, Bridgewater State College

4 1/Review Minutes: There were no minutes to approve as the February 13 event had been a public presentation by Bill Taylor on the culture, history and archaeology of the Upper Taunton River. The group briefly discussed the event. It was reported that 92 people from several towns, and as far away as Mashpee, attended Mr. Taylor's presentation.

5 2/Election of Officers: The election of officers, for one year terms, was completed. The committee unanimously endorsed the nominating committee=s slate of: Jim Ross, Raynham, Chairperson; Aria Brissette, Taunton, Vice-Chairperson; Scott MacFaden, Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Secretary.

6 3/Updates from Committee Members: Jamie Fosburgh gave the NPS update. He discussed the potential for inclusion of tributaries in the final report as well as the committee deciding on the level of detail to be presented in the mapping and text. Jamie said that most of the committees that he has assisted have opted for a more generalized approach, focusing on the outstanding attributes of the river rather than volumes of data and maps that may not even be reviewed by some.

Joan Kimball gave an update on the upcoming March 16 Taunton Heritage River Visioning Workshop to be held at the Bristol County Agricultural High School. There will be a Native American speaker, environmental artists and design consultants and discussions of the various TRHP projects. All Wild & Scenic Committee members are welcome to attend.

7 Pat Rogers gave an update on the EOEA Taunton River Watershed Teams' upcoming events. There will be a meeting of a proposed Lower Taunton River Study Group at the Dighton Town Hall on March 14 at 7:00 p.m. This group may wish to undertake a similar Wild & Scenic Study on the Lower Taunton (from the City of Taunton to the Mount Hope Bay) in the near future.

8 Several committee members reported browsing the new website and were very impressed. Some used the events/calendar section and directions option for tonight=s meeting. Maisy McDarby-Stanovich is continuing to construct several sections of the site and has a target date of the April Committee meeting for completion. Maisy encouraged continued browsing and comments from committee members.

9 4/Work Plan Updates: Aria Brissette summarized the GIS sub-committee meeting. There is a great deal of data that has been collected with the corridor previously voted on by the committee. While parcel level data is possible within the corridor and mapping has begun, the task and timing could potentially double by including the previously discussed tributaries. The Chair asked for a report by the GIS sub-committee at the May or June meeting on what could realistically be accomplished during the study, allowing for significant time for public education and local review.

Bill Taylor gave an update and hand-out on his February 13 presentation. He said that several people had contacted him with questions or requests for information.

10 5/New Business: Bill Napolitano reported that local naturalist and educator Karen Holmes had volunteered to work on the natural resources sub-committee. Karen is currently reviewing all of the reports originally given to committee members. The Chair, along with several committee members, suggested that we try to get a presentation from the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program on the Bio-Map for the May meeting (prior to Bio-diversity Days in June). Bill will contact Lynn Harper of NHESP about a May presentation.

11 Several committee members reminded Bill about the potential for conflicts with Spring Town Meetings when scheduling May and June committee meetings. Committee members will find out about these dates for the next Wild & Scenic meeting. Known Town Meeting dates include: Middleboro, June 2; Bridgewater, May 6.

6/Next Meeting/Adjourn: April 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bridgewater Academy Building, 64 Central Square (basement meeting room). The meeting adjourned at 9:13 p.m.