NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY SUMMARY REPORT WEARE, NH PRODUCED IN COOPERATION WITH THE TOWN OF WEARE CONSERVATION COMMISSION KANE & INGRAHAM, 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance and advice of a number of people who helped in the improvement of this study. They include members of the Weare Conservation Commission (WCC), former and current. Specifically, the following people were invaluable in their assistance, from the project’s inception to its completion: Andrea Alderman John Ciampi Michael Dahlberg Andrew Fulton George Malette Patricia Myers Stephen Najar Weare NRI Summary Report 4/12/2011 ii Kane & Ingraham Conservation Consultants (Verdant Trail – Charles & Ethel Eastman Conservation Area) (Photographs provided by John Ciampi and Andy Fulton, cover from December 2009 ice storm) Weare NRI Summary Report 4/12/2011 iii Kane & Ingraham Conservation Consultants AUTHORS This natural resource inventory project, including all report content and map design and production, was created by Christopher Kane and Peter Ingraham over the course of 2008 and 2009 (and completed in 2011 following WCC review) for the use of the Town of Weare, NH. No portion of this report or any maps may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the Town of Weare. ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF PROJECT The information contained in this report is based principally on stock geographic information systems (GIS) data publicly available from federal and state agencies. While the reader can expect these data to have a high level of spatial, temporal, and content accuracy, these data are meant for broad-scale planning purposes and have not been field verified in the town of Weare. This report and the accompanying maps can be considered a “coarse-filter” evaluation of Weare’s resources. Any land management or conservation activities initiated as a result of this planning effort should involve some level of “on the ground” evaluation to confirm the findings of this report at the site scale and identify features not mapped here. DISCLAIMER Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain a high level of quality in developing this natural resource inventory report and the accompanying large-format maps (“The NRI”). However, the Town of Weare, Christopher Kane, and Peter Ingraham (“The Producers”) make no warranties, expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the data described or displayed in The NRI. The Producers do not assume any liability associated with the use or misuse of this information. The information depicted in The NRI is for planning purposes only. It is not adequate for legal boundary definition, regulatory interpretation, or property conveyance purposes. In addition, the resources described and mapped in The NRI are subject to alteration by natural and human influences, and thus this project is a static representation of the natural resources in Weare, one that will benefit from periodic updates. Kane & Ingraham Conservation Consultants 6 Donovan Street ▪ Concord, NH 03301 ▪ 603-848-7572 ▪ www.kiconservation.com Weare NRI Summary Report 4/12/2011 iv Kane & Ingraham Conservation Consultants TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Background and Justification .................................................................................................. 2 The Natural Resource Inventory .......................................................................................... 3 Mandates for Natural Resource Planning and Protection ............................................... 3 Building on Previous Work .................................................................................................... 4 General Explanation of Maps ...............................................................................................18 2. Wildlife and Ecology ....................................................................................................................21 Landscape Context and Unfragmented Lands .................................................................21 NH Wildlife Action Plan .......................................................................................................26 WAP Peatlands ........................................................................................................................27 WAP Marsh and Shrub Wetlands .......................................................................................28 Riparian Zones ........................................................................................................................34 Early Successional Forests and Open Lands .....................................................................35 3. Water Resources .........................................................................................................................37 Watershed Context ...............................................................................................................37 Drainage Perspective for Weare.........................................................................................38 Lakes and Ponds ......................................................................................................................38 Rivers and Streams .................................................................................................................40 Rivers and Streams in Weare ..............................................................................................41 Piscataquog River ....................................................................................................................42 Status of Protection of Surface Waters in Weare ..........................................................43 Value of Wetlands ..................................................................................................................45 Classification of Wetlands ....................................................................................................46 Wetlands in Weare ................................................................................................................47 Prime Wetlands ......................................................................................................................48 Potentially Favorable Gravel Well Areas (PFGWA).......................................................51 4. Soils ..................................................................................................................................................53 Values of Soils ..........................................................................................................................53 Important Agricultural Soils in Weare ...............................................................................53 Protection of Important Agricultural Soils in Weare .....................................................55 Important Forest Soils in Weare ........................................................................................55 Hydric Soils ..............................................................................................................................57 Map Display of Soils in Weare .............................................................................................58 5. Historic and Cultural Features ..................................................................................................59 Sources of Information ..........................................................................................................59 Pine Tree Riot .........................................................................................................................60 Clinton Grove Academy .......................................................................................................60 6. Scenic Resources ..........................................................................................................................66 Values of Scenic Features and Views ..................................................................................66 Scenic Analysis .........................................................................................................................66 7. Conservation Priorities ...............................................................................................................69 Existing Conservation and Public Lands ............................................................................69 Weare NRI Summary Report 4/12/2011 v Kane & Ingraham Conservation Consultants Co-occurrence Model and Analysis ...................................................................................73 8. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................78 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................78 Appendices Appendix A: Sources Appendix B: Metadata Appendix C: Maps Appendix D. Hopkinton – Everett Lakes Description by ACOE Appendix E. N.H. Fish & Game Department Maps of Lakes and Ponds in Weare Appendix F: Weare Prime Wetlands Locus Map Figures Figure 1: Population Growth