The Open Space Preservation Commission at its meeting Thursday night noted progress made at the Whitehall Conservation Area on several fronts, particularly its long-term effort to curb knotweed there.

Chair Ed Harrow announced that the area recently had been sprayed. While this is the third consecutive year of spraying, Harrow has devoted time every week to cutting down this invasive species alongside Spring Street. The grass will be mowed in the near future.

“It’s looking fairly unhappy, and discouraged,” Harrow said of the knotweed. “I know they said it would take at least three years, so we shall see what we shall see.”

He also welcomed Select Board member Joe Clark, the new OSPC liaison, to the meeting.

Harrow explained that he recently installed a camera on the trail at Whitehall. Pictures showed a fox, deer and coyotes. The camera reveals its GPS coordinates in the event that it is stolen.

The impetus for installing the camera, he explained, was because a dog was captured by a coyote last year at Cameron Woods, where a second camera is planned to monitor activity. Member Nancy Peters noted that most dogs that have been snatched by coyotes over the years were off leash.

Another problem that recently emerged at the trails at Cameron Woods is that people have gotten lost and ended up on private property. Harrow said he has marked the trail with orange arrows to prevent this from happening again.

OSPC discusses properties of interest

The OSPC mentioned several properties the group is interested in acquiring, especially along Lake Whitehall. One, at 0 John Matthew Road, is owned by Dan Terry, the Parks & Recreation Commission chair.

Harrow said he discussed the parcel with Terry because it is adjacent to the Leonard parcel that had been gifted to the OSPC. It is close to a pond, which makes it a desirable site for a trail.

“He’s not interested in selling,” Harrow stressed. “But he would be willing to explore the idea of a trail easement across it.”

Member Jane Moran suggested that this subject also be discussed with Trails Committee chair Peter LaGoy. The commission unanimously voted to reach out to Town Manager Elaine Lazarus to see how to proceed.

Regarding other parcels, Harrow said he and commission members “need to keep our ears open” for opportunities. One he mentioned was on Spring Street that would connect town-owned land to land owned by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.

A fear expressed by Peters was that if the OSPC designated properties as desirable, another entity could feel the same way and purchase them. Levandosky noted that he has spoken to a few property owners “several times” to indicate the OSPC’s interest.

Harrow also discussed Parks & Rec property off of Daniel Shays Road at Saddle Hill that the department no longer utilizes. He noted that Terry said he believed Parks & Rec “would be amenable to transferring this space.”

The acquisition of this land would allow for a continuation of open space and a potential trail all the way to Duck Pond. The commission voted unanimously to pursue this opportunity.

Another parcel of interest arose due to outreach by a resident. Ed Palmer, who lives off of Ash Street on Williams Way, owns about 8 acres of land “that he would like to apparently subdivide and work something out with the town,” according to Harrow.

It is unclear whether Palmer’s intention would be to donate land to the town or sell it.

Levandosky noted that the parcel is landlocked and abuts a town parcel. He questioned the ease of ability to access it. On a positive note, he said it should be “relatively inexpensive” to purchase, if the OSPC wanted to pursue it.

Tree cutting at Elmwood Farms property discussed

Harrow, who also serves on the Conservation Commission, noted that a contractor removed as many as 18 trees from “land further into the buffer zone” at the Elmwood Farms III subdivision off Blueberry Lane. The trees were up to 18 inches in caliper.

This concerned Harrow because the developers donated open space in that subdivision to the OSPC without initially consulting the commission. It went instead to the Planning Board for its approval, which stirred up some controversy. The tree removal further agitated the situation.

While the Conservation Commission usually requires mitigation by replacing two trees for every tree removed, it was unclear how they would all fit onto the property. Peters at first suggested a fine. She later changed it to a monetary gift request so that the OSPC could receive compensation for trees removed on the donated property in addition to replacing the trees. Harrow said he would bring the suggestion back to the Conservation Commission for its advice.