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grant noho CPA 2020 FINAL Small Grants Combined Eligibility and Application Form.pdf 1 COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMBINED SMALL GRANT ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION FORM SMALL GRANTS COMBINED ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS 1. Please familiarize yourself with the relevant portions of the CPC Plan 2012-2014 (at a minimum: eligibility (Appendix A, Allowable Use Table), general evaluation Criteria (Overview - Page 6), and applicable program criteria (Historic Preservation – Page 14, Community Housing, Page 22, Open Space, Page 24, Recreation, Page 31) 2. Please consult with the CPC staff prior to submitting any application materials. Coordinating early will help ensure that your proposal is eligible for CPA funds, and increase the chances of a favorable decision. CPC staff can be reached at 413-587- 1263. 3. Complete the Combined Eligibility and Application Form. 4. We would prefer that you keep to the space provided. But if you need additional space, please continue on separate pieces of paper; number all the pages submitted. Ten copies are required. 5. Attach any letters of support, funding commitments or landowner permission 6. Attach any of the following if relevant: a. photographs, renderings or design plans of the site, building, structure or other subject for which the application is made b. USGS topographical map, assessors map, or other map as appropriate, showing location of the project c. Information regarding Natural resource limitations (wetlands, flood plain) or zoning (district, dimensional and use regulations as applies to the land) d. Mass. Historic Commission Historic inventory sheet e. Historic structure report or existing condition reports f. Names and addresses of project contractors, and consultants g. Evidence that appropriate professional standards will be followed if construction, restoration or rehabilitation is proposed. 2 Project Title: Removing Invasive Plants and Educating the Public on Lathrop’s CR land Project location, including address and parcel number: Two locations: (1) East campus on Florence Rd.: 11-acre Northampton Conservation Restriction lying within our campus at 100 Bassett Brook Dr., Easthampton, MA, map 104, lot 2. (2) North Campus at 680 Bridge Rd.: 15-acre Conservation Restriction, Northampton, map 18C, lot 141. Project Sponsor/Organization: Lathrop Community, Inc., Land Conservation Committee Contact Name: Barbara Walvoord for the Land Conservation Committee Property Owner, if applicable: Lathrop Community, Inc. Mailing Address: 45 Huckleberry Ln, Easthampton, MA 01027 Daytime phone #: home: 413-203-5086. Cell: 574-361-3857 Fax #: 413-203-5086 (call first so I can change the line for FAX) E-mail address: walvoord@nd.edu For the following, please refer to the Small Grant Eligibility Chart: http://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4185 CPA Program Area (check those that apply): x Open Space � Historic Preservation � Community Housing � Recreation Project Purpose (check those that apply) : x Preservation � Rehabilitation/Restoration Applicant’s Signature: Barbara Walvoord (paper copies submitted have signature) Date Submitted: 1/24/2020 ____________________________ For CPC Use Eligible: _____ Not Eligible: _____ Date: __________ Reviewer: ____________________ Appropriate for Small Grant Process_____ Referred to Traditional Funding Round______ 3 Total Project Budget (not to exceed $6,000.00): $ 6,000 CPA Funding Request (not to exceed $3,000.00): $ 3,000 Funding from other sources: $ 3,000 (Lathrop resident donations) List any in-kind donations of labor or materials: Lathrop staff and residents will (1) host a public walk/talk on the north campus to explain our invasive-removal methods and results; (2) work with our contractors to remove invasive plants; (3) mount an informational sign about our invasives work along the north campus trail; (4) write about our work on Lathrop’s public blog (www.Lathropland.wordpress.com). CPA Request as % of Total Budget: $ 50% Budget Summary: Please specify how CPA funds will be spent. Itemize all projected expenditures. If budget is based on a quote, please attach it. List any additional funding sources or donations of in-kind service. These funds must be secured at the time of application, as evidenced by a signed commitment letter referencing the content of the application, and including any restriction on the use of funds. TOTAL BUDGET: $6,000 (Commitment letter by executive director, Exhibit A.) $2,000 To Land Stewardship Inc to remove invasives on North Campus (Quote, Exhibit B, covers 3 years; 2020 costs total $4,125, including some land not in the CR portion. In this project, we include only funds to treat the CR portion.) $3,500 to Jeff Allen to remove invasives on East Campus (Quote, Exhibit C) $ 500 Honorarium, refreshments, supplies, and advertising for our public event plus informational sign for our trail. 1) Please provide a brief description of the project. We are trying to preserve the ability of our Conservation Restriction lands to support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife by removing invasive plants. Government and private experts say, “Invasive plants impact the Massachusetts environment by competing with native plants for limited natural resource, dominating habitats and reducing food and shelter for native wildlife. Invasives can also eliminate the host plants of beneficial native insects and compete with native plants for pollinators. This competition at times causes biologically diverse forests, wetlands, and meadows to become dominated largely by one or a few non-native invaders, diminishing ecological, economic, and aestheric values of natural landscapes in Massachusetts” (A Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts, 2008, p. 5). We are also trying to educate the public about our work and help other landowners do the same. Our work in this direction has been ongoing since 2013. We seek CPC help to move further toward our goal of having CR land that is more than 90% free of invasive plants and that thus 4 richly supports pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, as well as the humans who benefit from this unique and biologically diverse land. East campus on Florence Rd.: 11-acre CR held by city of Northampton: From 2016 – 2019, we did first-stage removal of invasives on about 10 of the 11 acres (Map, Exhibit D). This is time- consuming work, removing invasives plant-by-plant, preserving the native plants already present. Now we want to complete first-stage invasives removal on the remaining acre—a band lying parallel to the brook on the east side, out to the boundary of the CR land. In addition, we want to extend, as much as our funding permits, a few hundred feet east toward the edge of the adjacent meadow so that the invasives in the remaining forest do not serve as a continuing source of infestation and so that we enhance the quality of the meadow edge, which is a rich environment for diverse wildlife (Photos, Exhibit E). Our invasives removal will stay within the CR or a small portion of adjacent upland forest that will not be subject to future building proposals. North campus on Bridge Rd.: 15-acre CR held by city of Northampton: We did first-stage and follow-up removal of invasives on this entire CR in 2016-2017 (Map, Exhibit F). In 2019, two dangerous new invasives have appeared: Japanese stiltgrass and Japanese knotweed. Left untreated, they could undo our past work by taking over the land. Land Stewardship Inc. will address them, as well as recurring shrubby invasives (Contract, Exhibit B). Cost for 2020 totals $4,125, including some land outside the CR. For this proposal, we ask only $2,000 for the CR land. Also, we will mount an informational sign along the public trail on our north campus, and we will host a walk/talk on the north campus so members of the public can learn about our work and its results (modeled on our sign and our successful walk/talk on the east campus in 2019.) 2) What Community Preservation criteria – both general and program-area specific – does this project meet? Please refer to the Overview CPA Plan Section, Page 6), and applicable program criteria. (Historic Preservation – Page 14, Community Housing, Page 22, Open Space, Page 24, Recreation, Page 31). I have used the 2016-2018 Open Space Project Evaluation Criteria, p. 29. 3.Our trails on both campuses provide passive recreation for residents and public. 4.North campus trail links to Fitzgerald Lake trails and is included on their trail map. 5,6,7.East campus lies over Barnes aquifer. Both campus streams flow to Manhan and help to preserve water and buffer storms. 8.Both campuses are adjacent to other large parcels of permanently protected land: north to Fitzgerald Lake and east to Park Hill area. 9.Both campuses are close to urban areas, providing a unique invasive-free area within land that is mostly highly invaded. 12.From Open Space, Recreation, and Multi-Use Trail Plan of 2011-2018, p. 106: Goal OS-3.2. “Manage conservation properties to restore plant and animal habitats.” Goal OS-3.5.“Preserve ecological linkages and wildlife corridors, especially water-based linkages.” Both campus CRs, linked to other conserved land, provide important habitat and wildlife corridors. 5 3) What community need(s) does this project serve? If the project serves multiple needs and populations, please describe them. If the project serves a population that is currently underserved, please describe. Many of our 200 senior residents, as well as members of the public, regularly use our trails. Our recent improvements to the North campus trail make it more usable for people with walkers or canes. Our public walk/talk events of the past, and the one proposed here for 2020, help area conservationists, land owners, naturalists, and others to learn about removing invasives and restoring native habitat. 4) What specific guarantees will assure the long-term preservation of the project? A 36-member resident committee works closely with management (Letter from Director, Exhibit A). 5) What community support does the project have? Explain the nature and level of the support. Our 200 Lathrop community members individually, and our Residents’ Associations on both campuses, have contributed more than $20,000 since 2014 to support invasives removal on our land. We have also received $25,000 in grants during that time, including from the Northampton CPC, the Community Foundation of Western Mass., and the Kendal Charitable Fund. Our invasives removal work has been publicly acknowledged in several news outlets and by a citation from the governor’s office. Area conservation agencies such as Pascommuck Trust, Broadbrook Coalition, Silvio O. Conte Refuge , and NRCS have contributed advice. Members of the public have attended our nature walks and bird walks (one was sponsored by the Kestrel Land Trust). 6) How will the success of this project be measured? a. Photographic evidence of removal of invasives and results showing native plants coming in. Extensive research indicates that the restoration of native plants will help the land support significantly more pollinators, birds, and other wildlife (Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home). b.Documentation of our public walk/talk c.Photo of our informational sign 7) Is ongoing maintenance and upkeep required? If yes, please explain how this will be accomplished. Lathrop commits to ongoing monitoring and removal of invasive plants on our CR land, which we have been doing since 2013 (Executive Director Letter, Exhibit A). 8) Explain the various steps of the project and when they will be completed STEP 1: summer, fall 2020. Removal of invasives on both campuses by contractors and residents STEP 2: fall, 2020. Mount an informational sign on the north campus trail STEP 3: fall, 2020. Hold a public walk/talk on north campus 9) Provide any additional information you think would be useful in considering your project. 6 Exhibit A: Commitment Letter by Thom Wright, Lathrop’s Executive Director January 24, 2020 To the Community Preservation Committee of Northampton Dear Members of the Committee: Lathrop Community management is fully committed to this grant application for removing invasive plants from our City of Northampton Conservation Restricion areas on both our campuses, for a new informational trail sign and for a public walk/talk that will take people out onto the North campus land to see our invasives removal work and its results. We will provide the $3,000 in matching funds, which are already in hand. Also, we will provide in-kind and staff support as detailed in the proposal. To enhance the impact of the proposed Northampton work, we are also funding work on the adjacent land that lies in the town of Easthampton. We have a strong support system in place for this work. Our resident Land Conservation Committee has 36 members. They have committed hundreds of hours of volunteer labor to remove invasives on our land and to present nature programs. I and other staff members work closely with the committee. Our residents--nearly 200 of them--highly value this land. Many residents, as well as members of the public, walk the trails that lead to, or through, our Conservation Restriction land. We would be pleased to be good stewards of CPA funds to help us in preserving this land that is so highly valuable to the community of Northampton and to us at Lathrop. Sincerely, Thom Wright, Executive Director 7 October 9, 2019 Barbara Walvoord 45 Huckleberry Lane Easthampton, MA 01027 PROPOSAL – Japanese Knotweed Management, Lathrop Community Northampton Campus, 1 Shallowbrook Lane, Northampton, MA Invasive plant control activities are planned on the property of the Lathrop Community facility at 1 Shallowbrook Drive in Northampton, MA. Target species include Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum), along with isolated bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), euonymus (Euonymus alatus) and honeysuckle (Lonicera spp). Joan Deely of Land Stewardship, Inc. (LSI) made an initial site visit with resident Dale LaBonte on July 7, 2019. A subsequent site visit on September 5, 2019 with Jess Applin of LSI combined treatment work with assessment of invasive plants in Area 4. A site map can be found in Appendix A. The target treatment area of approximately .82 acre includes a stands of knotweed stems within Area A, with a high-density section along the boundary between Lathrop Community land and property of Cotton Tree Service. Contact should be made with this abutter to see if they are interested in participating in knotweed management as the infestation does extend to their property. At the very least, permission from this landowner to access their parking area would be helpful to facilitate treatment efforts as the bank leading up to that is quite steep and contains high-density knotweed. The knotweed plants should be cut in June to prepare for herbicide treatment later in the summer. Cut stems can either be left on the ground (especially along the steep slope between properties), stockpiled as compost or piled and left to decompose. Isolated woody invasives will be either foliar-sprayed or cut stem treated. Site Conditions Exhibit B: Contractor Quote from Land Stewardship Inc. 8 The target treatment area includes a several patches of knotweed stems plants in Area 4. Some of the densest growth was found from the base of the slope below the Cotton Tree parking area, extending well up that slope into woody debris at the top of the slope. The knotweed plants should be cut in June to prepare for herbicide treatment later in the summer. Cut stems can either be left on the ground, especially along the lower slope where there is bare soil or stockpiled as compost or in a brush pile. Methods Summary Our proposed treatment methods are described below. Foliar spray application Our crew will conduct a foliar spray herbicide application using low-volume hand-pumped backpack sprayers. Cut Stem Treatment (CST) Woody material > 6’ tall will be treated in the growing season and/or the dormant season using this technique. Stems are cut typically with handsaws, pruners or chainsaws, and a concentrated solution applied to the cambium (conductive tissue) of the stump. This application method is highly targeted and does not result in any off-target plant damage. This technique uses Rodeo® at a 50% concentration. Upon your authorization, Land Stewardship, Inc. (LSI) will provide the following services: Treatment Methods, Schedule and Cost 2020 ➢ Task 1. Cut Japanese knotweed. June 2020. Knotweed plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019 will be cut and either left in place. $1,500.00 ➢ Task 2. Herbicide treatment (Late August 2020). We will conduct a foliar herbicide application for Japanese knotweed and foliar/CST for isolated woody invasive plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019 (including stiltgrass). We will use the targeted methods described above where needed. $1,500.00 9 ➢ Task 3. Follow-up herbicide treatment (September 2020). A follow-up treatment to the knotweed will be conducted to capture missed/resurgent plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019. We will use the targeted methods described above where needed. $1,125.00 2021 ➢ Task 4. Follow-up herbicide treatment (June 2021). A follow-up treatment to the knotweed will be conducted to capture missed/resurgent plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019. We will use the targeted methods described above where needed. $750.00 ➢ Task 5. Follow-up herbicide application (September 2021). A follow-up treatment to the knotweed will be conducted to capture missed/resurgent plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019. We will use the targeted methods described above where needed. (August 2020). $500.00 2022 ➢ Task 6. Follow-up herbicide application (Late August 2022). A follow-up treatment to the knotweed will be conducted to capture missed/resurgent plants in both Area 4 and in the area treated in 2019. We will use the targeted methods described above where needed. $400.00 TOTAL COST: $5,775.00 Success Criteria Japanese Knotweed: 3 Year Program Objective: 90% knotweed control resulting from 2020 initial foliar treatment and targeted methods; 95% resulting from 2021 follow-up treatments; and 99% resulting from 2022 follow-up treatments. The knotweed plants may persist in the treatment area as stunted or otherwise degraded-appearing specimens. In addition, the presence of high-density patches of knotweed on 10 Cotton Tree Company land poses the distinct possibility that the knotweed may reappear. It is very important to continue careful and thorough chemical treatment for two or more years following the initial three-year plan in order to obtain control. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee eradication of the knotweed, but we are confident that 99% control can be maintained with annual maintenance and stewardship. We will document the progress of work within the project area with photos and GPS data collection and will evaluate the results at the end of the project. Our work is guaranteed to meet the stated success criteria. Quality Assurance and Reporting I will serve as project manager for your project and will be your point of contact. I will inspect all crew work firsthand to make sure that the treatment was well executed, thorough and effective. I will keep you informed of our schedule and progress. Our crew leaders use smart phones to submit daily work logs with photos and GPS to demonstrate areas completed. Upon completion of each task, we will prepare a land management record which will summarize work completed each day (crew, weather, hours worked, herbicide used, herbicide amount and notes). Maintenance & Stewardship Successful invasive plant management requires ongoing commitment to protect your investment in this project. Invasive plants can be reintroduced to the project area by adjacent populations, wind, birds and other animals. To keep invasive plants out of the area for the long term it will be necessary to monitor the area by scouting for new patches and individual plants even after years of treatment. Options for managing invasive plants after the initial five years usually include hand-pulling, spot herbicide spraying, and/or repeated cutting. My hope is that arrangements can be made for continuous stewardship of the project on an annual basis. I can certainly help you plan for invasive plant stewardship in the future. Payment Schedule We will provide you an invoice within one week of task completion. The land management record will follow within two weeks of task completion. Payment is due upon receipt of invoice unless other arrangements have been agreed upon. 11 If this proposal is acceptable, please authorize with your signature in the space provided and mail a copy back to the address below. Signature Date If you have any questions, please call the office at 413-367-5292 or email me at joan@landstewardshipinc.com. Sincerely yours, Joan Deely Project Manager We maintain the following insurance policies: • General liability • Workers compensation • Auto We will provide a certificate of insurance at your request. 12 We employ a crew of ecological restoration technicians who are thoroughly trained in invasive and native plant identification. Many of our crew members have at least an undergraduate education in a natural resource field or significant experiential education in the field (horticulture, landscape management, arboriculture or agriculture). Our crew members are all Massachusetts licensed pesticide applicators and have obtained or are working to obtain certificates in Invasive Plant Management through UMASS Extension. Reviewed and approved 10/24/2019 by: Chris Polatin, M.S., CERP Principal & Restoration Ecologist Appendix A. Lathrop Community, Shallowbrook Lane, Northampton, MA. (Property lines on this map are approximations only.) 13 14 Exhibit C: Quote from Contractor Jeff Allen 125 Mill Valley Rd Belchertown, MA 01007 Phone 413-213-0845 Cell: 617-413-1927 jeffallen01007@gmail.com Jeff Allen PROPOSAL FOR REMOVAL OF INVASIVE PLANTS AT THE LATHROP COMMUNITY, EASTHAMPTON, MA This is a proposal for work to be done in 2020 for the Lathrop Communit y per the request of Barbara Walvoord. It is for the removal and treatment of invasive plants on the Lathrop property. It is for a total of up to 100 hours of work at the rate of $38.25 per hour. 15 N 12 13 city line 6 8 7 9 12 11 2d 2a 10 1 4 3 8a 5 Florence Rd East Campus Work 12/15/19 1 Vegetable Garden Wetland 2a Rose Field 2b Cranberry Meadow 2c Farmer's field 2d Ad's Oak Woods 3 Inn Wetland 4 Inn Woods 5 Mulberry (south) Field 6 Wide-path Woods 7 Mid-Woods Meadow 8 Bassett Brook Woods 9 Bassett Brook Corridor 10 Florence Road Woods 11North Field 12 Northeast Woods 13 Northwest Woods Invasive Plant Removal Nearly free of invasives; follow-up by residents Being worked on by contractors and residents. Noho CR Being worked on by residents Next priority for future work Bassett Brook wide woods path 2b 2c 9 Northampton CR Proposed 2020 Work Earlier Work, 2017 - 2019 Exhibit D: East Campus Invasives Removal Work 16 Exhibit E: Photos of Proposed Work on East Campus October 28, 2019. Invasives close-up showing multiflora rose, shrub honeysuckle, and, in back, oriental bittersweet twining around a tree. In a healthy New England forest, most plants would be dormant, whereas the invasives are still green. In background, land that was cleared of these same invasives in summer/fall of 2019. 17 Top: Area proposed for 2020 work: a tangle of invasive honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and oriental bittersweet (close-up is shown in previous photo). Middle: Area cleared in 2019. It used to look like the top photo. Bottom: Participants on the Oct. 28, 2019 walk/talk view the contrast between treated and untreated land. 18 1 2 3 4 5 path Dirt road to Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area Crabapple Firethorn Goldenchain 6 Draft of 12/30/19 by Barbara Walvoord 7 8 Nearly free of Invasives; monitored by residents Being worked on by residents Pine/Shallow Brook Nearly free of invasives, but Japanese knotweed to be treated 2020 trail conservation restriction 1 9 Lathrop North Campus Numbered Areas 1. Crabapple/Dogwood / Hawthorn Woods 2. Path Woods 3. Trail Head Woods 4. Hatfield St. Woods 5. Community Garden Area 6. Fire thorn Retention Pond 7. Goldenchain Retention Pond 8. Firethorn Woods 9. Bridge Rd Woods https://www.dropbox.co m/s/krb9wna5o7974q9/ map%20north%20numb ered%20invasives%20w ork.docx?dl=0 Dogwood Hawthorne Butternut Aspen Bridge Road Hatfield St. Proposed 2020 work on Japanese knotweed Exhibit F: Map of north campus invasives removal work.