Rock Meadow Maintenance Article 13

1. Rock Meadow MaintenanceArticle 13 NRCS WHIP Proposal

2. ROCK MEADOW HISTORY • 70+ acre parcel of land west of Mill Street and south of Concord Ave. • Has been owned and mowed by Belmont since 1968 • The land is under the supervision of the Belmont Conservation Commission • Maintained as a grassland since the 1600’s.

3. Rock Meadow Uses • Open space used for hiking, birding, biking, picnicking, gardening, cross-country skiing, tai chi, group educational programs and more • Significant habitat for many species of plants and animals that are rapidly disappearing as forests and development encroach upon meadows and former farmland

4. Rock Meadow’s Unique Attributes • Largest expanse of publicly owned open space managed by the Conservation Commission in Belmont • Varied ecosystems: vernal pools, forest, meadows, Beaver Brook and wetlands • Link to the Western Greenway adds to recreational and habitat value

5. Most Urgent Adverse Impacts • The meadow is shrinking • Invasive and non-native species are proliferating • Vegetation is encroaching on paths and meadow

6. The Meadow is Shrinking 1985 and 2005

7. Vegetative Encroachment

8. Rock Meadow Funding • Until 2005 Belmont’s Rock Meadow budget was up to about $1100/year, used for mowing • Costs for annual mowing in 2005 and 2006 averaged $3000. • With former Rock Meadow budget insufficient, Conservation Commission (CC) searched for alternate funding to conserve Town’s operating budget • First, CC obtained USFWS grant that funded a land management expert from Mass Audubon to develop a Management Plan with the steps and cutting needed to restore and maintain Rock Meadow • Next, CC applied to USDA Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (USDA/WHIP) and has been accepted, contingent on evidence of Town’s commitment • USDA program will pay $51,855 over the next 10 years

9. Funding Sources Acronyms & Definitions • USDA/NRCS • United States Department of Agriculture • Natural Resources Conservation Service • WILDLIFE HABITAT INCENTIVES PROGRAM (WHIP) • WHIP is a cost-share program that will reimburse participants up to 75 percent of USDA/NRCS’s estimated cost of the project • Contracts are from five to 10 years in length • At least one cost-shared practice must be started within the first 12 months after signing a contract. Applications are funded on a competitive basis statewide and dependent upon available funding.

10. USDA Estimated Costs and Payments YearUSDACost Est.75% - USDA’s Reimbursement 2007 $33,588 $25,191 2008 $11,208 $ 8,406 • $ 8,768 $ 6,576 . . _______ ______ 2007-2016 $69,140 $51,855 2007 $30,000 appropriation needed up front to be able to pay the ‘07 bill. The Town will then be reimbursed $25,191by USDA. At the end of ’07, an estimated $22,000 will be in the Town’s account. 2008-16 Money left over each year can be used for contractor expenses for follow on year, and USDA funds are reimbursed each year at 75% of USDA’s cost estimate.

11. Cost Share Overview First Year: With the initial 2007 $30K appropriation, the CC pays for the 2007 work and then receives the federal USDA reimbursement. Ten Years: Over the ten year period, USDA will contribute $51,855 and Belmont will be responsible for $17,285 based on USDA cost estimates. This is an average of $1728.50/year which is less than the cost of a single year of mowing, which would not restore the meadow. In addition, private donations to the Rock Meadow maintenance, volunteers, and Town Departments will be encouraged to further offset the town’s funding, reducing the $17,285 estimate.

12. Advantages of Articles • Rock Meadow is the Town’s significant and historic open space resource, and it is suffering from neglect and change • This is a cost-effective way for the Town to fulfill its responsibility for Rock Meadow maintenance • The federal government pays up to 75% of the cost of the work • The average annual Town expense over the ten years is  less than the cost of a  single year of mowing

13. Conclusion • Town Meeting is encouraged to approve Article 13 so that: • Another growing season is not lost to invasive vegetation • We can preserve this precious Town resource • We can fulfill our maintenance obligations • We can take advantage of this cost sharing program

14. Red Fox Eastern Coyote Muskrat Pheasant Red Tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl Turkey Vultures Fisher Cats Great Blue Heron Opossum Woodcock Blue birds Snakes Mink Beaver (?) Deer Coopers Hawk Kestrels Rabbits Snapping Turtles KNOWN WILDLIFE(PARTIAL)

15. Invasive Species in RM • 1. Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus = Rhamnus frangula). Shrub. • 2. Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). Vine. • 3. Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria). Herbaceous ground cover. • 4. Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora). Shrub. • 5. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Herbaceous garden plant. • 6. Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.). Shrub. • 7. Winged euonymous (Euonymous alatus). Shrub. • 8. Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). Shrub. • 9. Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Tree. • 10. Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Tree. • 11. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). Shrub – like perennial. • 12. Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata). Vine. • 13. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus carthartica). Shrub. • 14. Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris). Shrub. • 15. Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata). Shrub. • 16. Black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum). Vine.