NNNAAATTTUUURRRAAALLL RRREEESSSOOOUUURRRCCCEEE IIINNNVVVEEENNNTTTOOORRRYYY PPPHHHAAASSSEEE IIIII for the Town of Enfield, NH Report Prepared for: The Enfield Conservation Commission July, 2005 Report Prepared by: Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. Elise J. Lawson and John C. Severance 107 Glessner Road Bethlehem, NH 03574 www.watershedtowildlife.com Natural Resource Inventory – Phase II TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES……………………………………………....... 3 METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………………….. 3 Field Work………………………………………………………………………... 3 Refine and Improve Existing Digital Data………...……………………………… 4 Project Training Workshop and Public Meeting………………………………….. 4 Discussion of Future Applications and Benefits………………………………….. 4 RESULTS………………………………………………………………………………... 5 Area 1: Mascoma River and Adjacent Wetland Complex…...…………………... 5 Area 2: Mud Pond and Adjacent Wetland Complex……………………………... 8 Area 3: Wetland Complex North of Spectacle Pond……………...……………... 9 Area 4: Drainage Patterns and Connectivity into Crystal Lake..………………… 11 Area 5: Methodist Hill Wildlife Habitat…………………………………………. 13 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………………..…………….. 16 Overall Land Conservation Possibilities for the Identified Areas………………... 16 Enfield Conservation Commission and Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. 2 Natural Resource Inventory – Phase II INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The Town of Enfield, New Hampshire is in Sullivan County and is just over 43 square miles in area. Lebanon (also located in Sullivan County), a regional commercial and population center, borders Enfield to the west, the Sullivan County towns of Plainfield, Grantham and Springfield border Enfield to the south, the Grafton County towns of Canaan and Hanover are to the north, and Grafton is to the east. There are several large lakes and ponds found throughout the town, some which extent into neighboring towns. Interstate 89 travels through the relatively undeveloped southwestern portion of town. US Route 4 and NH Route 4A form the major roads through Enfield. Mascoma Lake is Enfield’s lowest elevation at 751 feet above sea level. The highest elevation in Enfield is over 2,000 feet in a small area near Halfmile Pond in the south-central portion of Town. In 2002 to 2003 The Mascoma Watershed Conservation Council conducted a watershed-wide Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) for the Mascoma River Watershed. That project provided towns within the watershed with coarse digital data GIS format. In 2003 and 2004, building upon information gathered from the initial watershed project, another, more detailed NRI study (called NRI Phase I) was conducted by the Enfield Conservation Commission (ECC) to field verify and refine the initial watershed study. Data from that project was compatible with existing GIS GRANIT data being continually developed by UNH Complex Systems. At the completion of the Phase I study, this third study began in 2004 to further refine data at five selected locations throughout the Town. The major goal of this project is to provide more detailed inventories of the five selected areas highlighted from the 2003/2004 NRI. Additional goals of this project are to identify areas in need of protection or conservation in order to preserve the small-town atmosphere. Measurable objectives of this project include the following: 1. Provide the ECC with the ability to integrate existing GIS coverages with those developed in previous studies, in a compatible format stored and retrievable as one comprehensive database. 2. Verification through field work of selected sites for better understanding of their value and connectivity to the region 3. Increase an understanding of how overall aquatic connectivity is maintained in Enfield 4. Provide a method for the ECC to continue to build upon, refine, and update the digital database and NRI 5. Incorporate additional attribute databases of the natural resources, so information, when queried will be more useful for Enfield 6. Enable the ECC to provide hardcopy printouts of spatial data, on standard 8½” x 11” paper, as requested or needed, and display MS-Word/PDF documents on the Town web site. This written report has built upon the NRI done in 2003 and 2004 by the ECC, partnering with Watershed To Wildlife, Inc. Therefore it will be helpful to refer to the previous report for details and additional background from the base NRI information. Enfield Conservation Commission and Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. 3 Natural Resource Inventory – Phase II METHODOLOGY Enfield Conservation Commission Chair, Leigh Davis and former Chair, Celie Aufiero, were the project officers. The ECC partnered with Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. (WTW) in a contractual arrangement for technical assistance, and integration of existing data with new field assessment and inventory data throughout the Town, in GIS format. Members of the Commission volunteered time to work with WTW. Throughout the project WTW gave regular updates as the work progressed. Field Work Based on the NRI done in 2003/2004, specific areas were highlighted by ECC members and WTW for more intensive field work, and are illustrated in the map below. Descriptions of each of the five areas highlighted for more intensive inventory are described below. The numbers correspond to those numbers shown on the map. 1. Mascoma River and adjacent wetlands, floodplains, and riparian habitat 2. Mud Pond and adjacent wetland complex 3. Wetland complex north of Spectacle Pond 4. Drainage patterns and wetlands draining into and east of Crystal Lake 5. Class VI road on Methodist Hill and adjacent to the former Whaleback Ski Area The fieldwork was also used to refine data available digitally from the previous NRI work. This work included identification of unique places reviewed digitally, focusing on numerous areas of special interest to the ECC. Global Positioning System (GPS) locations were collected at points of interest including wetlands, view-sheds, and diverse wildlife habitat. Enfield Conservation Commission and Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. 4 Natural Resource Inventory – Phase II In addition, photographs were taken along points of interest at the five sites. During fieldwork sessions, hydrology, vegetative species, invasive species, observed wildlife signs, and wildlife habitat were noted and located on a map. Refine and Improve Existing Digital Data New or updated themes which have become available through GRANIT, NRCS, or other sources were retrieved and incorporated into the existing GIS database. One example of changed data is the stratified drift aquifers in Enfield. Many of the aquifers in the previous NRI studies were missing from the database. The updated data was incorporated into this phase of the NRI. In addition, the statewide bedrock geology map was obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey and incorporated into the digital database as another data layer. Throughout mapping analysis, work from the Mascoma Watershed Study and Phase I NRI were checked for quality control and improved where necessary. For example, the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) used in the previous NRI analysis did not have a database associated with it. Although the display on the maps looked fine, when queried, the databases were incorrect or lacking. Therefore NWI was re-entered into Enfield’s GIS with the corrected database for future queries. For each of the NRI data layers in ArcView, total areas were calculated, so when queried total areas for each of the polygons will be given in square feet and acres. Any additional wetlands, primarily forested wetlands identified during field work, were GPS located and incorporated into ArcView. Project Training Workshop and Public Meeting At the completion of the fieldwork, GIS integration, and the written report, an onsite training session in use of the GIS data was held in April, 2005 to review project results to Enfield Conservation Commission and Planning Board members. The goal of this training was to ensure that the Town continues to use the project data in accessing information pertaining to riparian habitat buffers, wetlands, dense softwood stands, and associated wildlife habitat. Applications of the data and future projects were also discussed with workshop participants. In addition, work done from this project will be available for public viewing, including 8½ X 11 paper handouts, as requested through proper venues. At the completion of the Phase II NRI, ECC and WTW held a public meeting to show results from the project as educational outreach to Town Officials and Enfield residents. Discussion of Future Applications and Benefits Based on results from integration of existing data, NRI phase I data, and discussions with members of the Enfield Conservation Commission, Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. made recommendations for continued inventory work. In addition, WTW addressed future applications for the data that had been collected. Enfield Conservation Commission and Watershed to Wildlife, Inc. 5 Natural Resource Inventory – Phase II RESULTS Area 1: Mascoma River and Adjacent Wetland Complex The Mascoma River from the Canaan town line to Westcott Road Bridge in Enfield was inventoried and assessed for productivity, diversity and functionality. In 1992 this portion of the Mascoma River and adjacent wetland complex to its south was designated as a prime wetland. A prime wetland under RSA 482-A:15 is defined as any wetland that “…because of its size, unspoiled character, fragile condition or other relevant factors, make them of substantial significance.” Prime wetland designation protects wetlands from “despoliation