Conservation Commission Past Events

Saturday morning was perfect—full sun, light breeze, warm temps, but cool and refreshing in the Elmhurst Barn on the CREA land. Twenty-two attendees (6 of whom were scouts) sat on hay bales, listening attentively as Laura Deming, a wildlife biologist at Moosewood Ecological, an educator at Antioch, and a former senior biologist at NH Audubon, shared her observations about this Cornish educational and recreational resource.

The group’s two-hour walk and talk with Laura highlighted these points:

• The CREA wetland ecosystem is extremely diverse and supports an abundance of plants, animals, birds, fish and insects. Their life cycles are intertwined and interdependent not only on each other, but on the water, rich mud, surrounding soil nutrients, the forest, and the topography as well.
  
• The wetland and surrounding floodplain allow for a slower rate of water absorption, thereby ensuring snow melt and heavy rains contribute to groundwater recharge rather than becoming run-off. Water is cleansed through the wetlands natural filtration system.
  
• The area is dynamic and ever changing and worthy of protection, as well as use so that it continues to be inspiring and restorative to all the human residents who visit it too. We are fortunate that thus far, CREA users have been good stewards for the wildlife, their habitats and the land itself.

Over the course of the walk, many observations were made: the location of beaver baffles and how they work, a Canada goose on a nest, a pair of common mergansers flying off the pond, tree swallows catching insects overhead, indignant geese honking their displeasure at having to depart from their grazing on the field, invasives to be removed, reminders of Cornish Fair use of the fields, gifts to the property by Eagle Scouts (the wildlife viewing platform, trails, plantings and bird boxes). And the final bird count for the morning walk was 16 species.

After the walk, we gathered once again in the coolness of the shade under the barn for a Q&A and to share ideas for the future. Ideas for keeping the “community park”, as the CREA property was referred to in the 1991 dedication booklet, an active learning and growing environment for all, included suggestions for: continued work on renewing the bluebird house trail to guard against predation and competition with tree swallows, consideration of adding a pollinator garden, removal of invasives (in particular honeysuckle and multi-flora rose), increased use of the kiosks with educational information, conducting plant, amphibian and bird inventories on the property, active attraction of grassland birds, such as bobolink, more regularly scheduled group walks on the trails and, as always, participation in bridge repairs, trail maintenance, and beaver baffle placements. The scouts in attendance were enthusiastic about participation in any future projects!

A final added bonus was to hear the collective historical knowledge about the 1912 Elmhurst Barn shared by Larry Duval, Jim Barker and Bill Gallagher. How many know that the barn once housed a lobster trap factory? Hopefully there will be a future talk about this aspect of CREA’s rich history! As well as many more group walks, and enthusiastic volunteers to keep CREA an important and beautiful resource over its next 32 years.

If you have an interest in learning more about CREA, or about volunteering, contact any of the CREA Committee members, visit /https://www.cornishnh.net/crea/