Introduction

The geological, hydrological, and biological characteristics of a community form the foundation and the framework within which a community can plan for future development. This natural resource base provides both opportunities and constraints for development and preservation. Failure to recognize the constraints or take advantage of the opportunities can result in a degradation of both the natural and cultural environment. It is essential to identify the areas of town that can accommodate development based on soil conditions, elevation, and an adequate water supply.

The planning board should consider requiring an environmental assessment as part of the subdivision/site plan review process. The assessment would present the characteristics of the land, its redeeming qualities as habitat, its agriculture potential, as wildlife corridor, etc.

In addition, the abundance and diversity of natural resources in Mont Vernon (wetlands, ponds, streams, fields and forests) provide opportunities for a variety of land uses while contributing to the overall quality of life in the community. Improper shoreline buffers will have negative impacts on water quality and the general character of the Town’s wetlands, streams, and ponds. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the natural resource base is extremely important in determining the limits of growth and in guiding future development in the community.

This chapter provides a brief overview of Mont Vernon’s natural resources and recommendations for future management of the resources, and maps. Appendix D contains an inventory of Mont Vernon’s natural resources along with a discussion and analysis of current policies and

regulations affecting resource conservation. The 1999 Community Profile and the Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP) identified trails and the preservation of rural character as town priorities. After the Community Profile, a Trails Committee was formed and an existing trails map is in the process of being updated. The top town priority identified in the REPP report is a proposed greenway trail system that would connect existing protected lands with new trails connecting to existing trails that meander through Mont Vernon. Other items ranking highly include preserving ground water supply, wetlands, forests, conservation land, wildlife habitat, and scenic roads.

Topography

Topography is the general form of the land surface, with elevation and slope as its major components. The lowest elevation in Mont Vernon is 330 feet above mean sea level, near the Milford border. Elevations are generally well above the 550 foot level. The steeper slopes and higher elevations are along the northern border, with the highest being Roby Hill, 1,001 feet above mean sea level. Elevation itself does not constrain development, but higher elevations in Town are more difficult to develop because they tend to have steeper slopes and shallower soils.

• Amend the zoning ordinance to require no development on slopes exceeding 25% slope. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Investigate ways to preserve ridgelines. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Consider developing programs to protect and provide public access to high elevation areas in the community. These locations often provide scenic views of the surrounding countryside. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

Soil

Soil type is the principal determinant of the land’s development capability, especially since Mont Vernon relies upon subsurface waste disposal. Depth to water table and bedrock, susceptibility to flooding, slope, stone cover, and permeability are factors affecting the suitability of a site for roads, buildings, and septic systems.

Because Mont Vernon relies totally on septic systems, the soil potential for septic tank absorption fields has the greatest impact on development capability. Based on the soil potential ratings for septic tank absorption fields, approximately sixty percent of soils in the Town receive a medium, low, or very low rating. This does not mean that these areas are undevelopable; however, any proposals for development in these soils should receive close scrutiny. The complete list of the soil types in Mont Vernon and their potential for development of septic systems is in the appendix. There are 1,694 acres, or 49% of undeveloped land, remaining in Mont Vernon with high septic potential.

SLOPE MAP

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES MAP

Soil Recommendations

• Require that all maps be created according to the Site Specific Mapping Standards. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Require review of subdivisions site plans by a consulting engineer to assess engineering design, stormwater management, and drainage. Responsibility: Planning Board.

Agriculture

By the middle of the nineteenth century, agriculture reached its peak in southern New Hampshire. Approximately 55-65% of Hillsborough County was considered improved farmland at that time; most located in upland areas. Active agricultural land (535.8 acres), horse properties (340.1), and properties that are not actively managed as farms but are passive open spaces (522.5 acres), represent 14% of the Town’s total acreage. Agriculture in Mont Vernon has diminished over the years, and old stone walls in the forests are the only clues to the formerly cultivated lands. The rural picturesque attracts new residents to Mont Vernon. Yet residential development pressure is the very thing that threatens the existence of Mont Vernon’s remaining farmlands.

An educational program or the distribution of Agricultural BMPs Manuals from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service or U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service should be made available for those people in Town who practice animal husbandry or manage "hobby farms." Hobby farms, with one or more animals, may have poor grazing practices; too many animals per acre, unrestricted access to streams, poor waste management practices, and poorly drained soils. Such farms have limited space and capital with which to construct facilities for animal management. They have not traditionally been eligible for cost-sharing grants from federal or State programs. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

• Because of the key role agricultural and associated open spaces play in the essence and visual character in Mont Vernon, the Town should encourage the preservation and conservation of priority agricultural lands and operations. Conservation easements, purchase or transfer of development rights, or fee simple purchase of land should be pursued through the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), Conservation And Reinvestment Act (CARA).Funding, Farm Land Trust, and USDA funding.

• Consider open fields as the desirable land to be kept as open space in a subdevelopment as opposed to the traditional too-steep, too-wet land now commonly preserved as open space.

Mining and Excavation

The Town does not address excavation of sand and gravel resources in the Zoning Ordinances. This is treated as a Special Exception regulated under RSA 155-E, Local Regulation of Excavations. The statute requires that municipalities provide "reasonable opportunity for excavation" of construction materials on unimproved land within the community. During the housing construction boom years in the 1970’s and 1980’s, there were several sand and gravel excavations located in the southwestern section of Town. As of this writing, no permitted excavation is in operation in Mont Vernon.

• Include an Excavation Ordinance in the Zoning Ordinance. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Adopt a Noise Ordinance for mining or gravel excavation and processing operations. Responsibility: Planning Board.

Forest Resources

White pine has been the predominant tree harvested since colonial times. Hillsborough County is still a leader in white pine sawlog production. Red oak and sugar maple command a good market price. Deciduous (4,288 acres) and mixed (3,670) forest types are dominant in Mont Vernon comprising approximately 85% of total land cover in Town.

Silviculture activities in Mont Vernon consist of predominately Christmas tree and firewood sales. There are currently two Christmas tree farms consisting of 16 and 19 acres respectfully. Firewood is still widely used as supplemental heat source in the winter. Small woodlots continue to be selectively cut as supplemental income. The most current clear cut of timber is the Lorden property, which harvested approximately 600 acres in the southwestern section of Town.

Performance standards and plan review for silvicultural activities are regulated by the State through timber harvesting and water quality laws. Regulation prohibits the placement of slash and mill waste in or near waterways, and limits clear-cutting near great ponds and streams. These requirements may mitigate to some degree water quality impacts associated with timber harvesting. There is no set policy on clearcutting in Mont Vernon, but the Conservation Commission continues to verbally negotiate buffers widths with loggers on a case by case basis.

The town should consider acquiring a town forest. RSAs 31:110-113 define the purpose of, and management requirements for, town forests: "The main purpose of such city or town forest shall be to encourage the proper management of timber, firewood and other natural resources through planting, timber stand improvement, thinning, harvesting, reforestation, and other multiple use programs consistent with the forest management program, any deed restrictions and any pertinent local ordinances or regulations." Recreation and wildlife habitat conservation would be tangential benefits of such a forest. The forest could be managed by the Conservation Commission or a forestry committee, and the proceeds would be placed in a forest maintenance fund.

LANDCOVER MAP

Characteristics of an ideal parcel for this use include:

• The bigger the parcel, the better
• Would contain large, healthy trees; a lot that hasn't been cut recently
• Access for logging trucks would have minimal impact
• Would be contiguous to already existing conservation lands
• Would contain 3 habitats: woods, open fields, and water in the form of wetlands, a stream, or a pond

• Acquire property to be managed as a Town forest. Responsibility: Conservation Commission/Town Meeting.

Water Resources

The most obvious components of the hydrologic cycle. An understanding of the interrelationships between lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands and groundwater is essential for ensuring the wise use and management of Mont Vernon’s water resources. The quality and availability of surface water and groundwater is a factor in determining the development capability of a community. An ample, high quality water supply can ensure successful development of land for residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial uses. The water resource network of a community also provides fish and wildlife habitats. It conveys and stores floodwater, recharges groundwater, generates power, and provides numerous recreational opportunities and unique scenic character. The American Ground Water Trust has well documented the connection between water quality and human health in publications such as Ground Water, A Source of Wonder: Drinking Water From Wells (1999). This section discusses Mont Vernon’s water resources and the major issues confronting their use and management.

Over 18 miles of perennial streams flow through Mont Vernon, including portions of the five major streams (Beaver, Caesar, Hartshorn, Purgatory, and Lords Brook). Water quality classifications are established by the legislature. The classification represents the desired level of water quality for the stream and does not necessarily reflect actual conditions. There is no water quality information available for the segments within the Town, but the Town could initiate a volunteer-based effort to collect water samples and analyze life in the water with the help of the state Department of Environment Services (DES).

Purgatory Brook plays an important role as a wildlife corridor, as it connects the Pisquataquog River corridor to the north and the Souhegan River corridor to the south. Its misty, shady characteristics harbor unusual plants and neotropical songbirds. The Town should adopt a minimum three hundred (300) foot buffer for the entire length of Purgatory Brook to ensure that it will continue to play its important role in the region.

The Wetland Conservation District in Mont Vernon includes areas identified and delineated as poorly or very poorly drained soils (hydric). This includes bodies of water as defined by the current HISS maps for the State and the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Plant Species List. Approximately 11% of total land (1,200 acres) in Mont Vernon contain hydric soils.

Regulatory methods for protecting wetlands from degradation include: requiring and enforcing erosion and sedimentation plans for developments; establishing minimum setbacks for buildings, structures, septic systems and other site developments; maintaining a vegetative buffer directly adjacent to the wetland; general education on the importance of wetlands; and prime wetland designation.

Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that fill with water sometime between fall and spring and are usually dry by late summer. Vernal Pools are known by many names such as spring ponds and ephemeral wetlands. These forest pools are essential for the life cycle of many invertebrates and amphibians. The nutrients from fallen leaves support a rich food web. The Conservation Commission should complete an inventory of vernal pools.

Currently Mont Vernon requires a 25-foot buffer for all wetlands in the Wetland Conservation District. In addition, wetland areas can only be used to satisfy twenty-five percent of the minimum lot area requirement. All septic systems and leach fields are required to be set back a minimum of seventy-five (75) feet from wetlands. Other uses may be permitted by special exception of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, depending on the soil characteristics.

• Identifying and recognizing wetlands as locally significant based on their size, unspoiled character, diversity of flora and fauna, water storage capacity in combination with other characteristics

• Notifying landowners, developers and the New Hampshire Wetlands Board of the municipality’s strong belief that certain wetlands should remain undisturbed

• Assuring that the Wetlands Bureau will give additional consideration to proposals for activities within a designated prime wetland.

A few points about prime wetlands should be noted. First, prime wetland designation can only apply to very poorly drained soils. Second, the Conservation Commission must notify the Wetlands Board when a proposal would involve a designated prime wetland.

Ground water from bedrock deposits provides water for most of the residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial users in Mont Vernon. Bedrock wells are drilled into rock fractures that provide substantial volumes of water. Since 1984, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) has required that information be provided to them including but not limited to, the completion date, type of well, and depth. Well completion reports for 207 wells in Mont Vernon on file with NHDES Water Supply and Pollution Control Division, indicate a range in depth of 100 feet to 1,000 feet for bedrock wells

There are no regulations in Mont Vernon that provide direct protection to groundwater resources. According to the NHDES Water Supply and Pollution Control Division there are six public water supply wells in Mont Vernon. This includes two at the Rolling Acres Mobile Home Park, the Village School, Town Hall, the McCollom Building, and the Mont Vernon Inn. Consideration should be given to test the closed well behind the Post Office as a source for present and future water supplies.

If planned properly, Mont Vernon residents may be able to continue to rely on the current water supplies produced by private wells and small public systems. However, it is necessary to prevent pollutants from entering these water supplies. Public education is an important part of maintaining the quality of groundwater, and efforts must continue to make that information readily available, especially as residents move into town accustomed to municipal water and sewer services. The Town should implement a public education plan for water resource conservation, pollution prevention, wetlands, and groundwater, use of lawn chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), and proper use and care of septic systems.

• Initiate a volunteer-based effort to collect water samples on the major streams for base line data. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

• Undertake a Prime Wetland inventory to give these wetlands additional consideration by the Wetlands Bureau when building proposals are presented to the Town. Responsibility: Conservation Commission

• Adopt and enforce a set back of a minimum of 125-foot from all open water bodies and perennial streams. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Adopt a minimum three hundred (300) foot buffer for the entire length of Purgatory Brook. Responsibility: Planning Board.

• Establish a pad and salt storage containment area for the Town’s Highway Department stockpile. Identify all sensitive areas along roadways and develop and implement a comprehensive road salt application and management program to limit or prohibit applications in sensitive areas of the Town. Responsibility: Conservation Commission, Public Works Director/Road Agent.

• Silviculture activities in Town should be strictly enforced and regulated. Frequent inspections of silviculture activities may detect a potential water quality problem before it is too late for remedial action. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

• Town officials and residents should document any uncontrolled direct discharges of stormwater into any pond or stream. A best management plan should be designed to treat or reduce the nutrients and pollutants that enter surface waters via stormwater runoff. Responsibility: Board of Selectmen, Director of Public Works, Conservation Commission.

• An educational program or the distribution of Agricultural Best Management Practices Manuals could be made available for those people in the watershed who practice animal husbandry or manage "hobby farms." Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

• Implement a public education plan for water resource conservation, pollution prevention, wetlands, and groundwater, use of lawn chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), and proper use and care of septic systems. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

Wildlife

Mont Vernon’s natural resource base provides a habitat for many plant and animal species. A variety of habitats such as wetlands, forests, fields, rivers, and streams are essential to support a diversity of species in quantities healthy enough to ensure continuation of the species. Maintaining quality habitats is crucial to the continuation of all plant and animal species. A more thorough discussion of wildlife habitats in Mont Vernon appears in the Wildlife Habitat Conservation chapter.

Animal species commonly found in Mont Vernon include: raccoons, opossums, skunks, muskrats, beavers, porcupines, woodchucks, white-tailed deer, squirrels, mice, bats, foxes, rabbits, and other indigenous species that are adapted to living near humans and urban activities. There is a known deeryard in the southeast section of town. Sightings of coyote, otter, black bear, and fisher cats have increased in Mont Vernon as they have in other municipalities. Moose have also been sighted in recent years. Larger animals that require extensive habitat areas or species that require solitude such as black bears are occasionally sighted in the Town. The Conservation Commission and interested citizens should participate in the "Keeping Track" Program. This program uses animal tracks to identify habitats and feeding grounds in a systematic manner for a variety of animals. The information gained can be the start of an inventory and a monitoring system of prime habitats for future conservation of habitats.

Bird species vary according to the season: however, they are also dominated by those species commonly found in southern New Hampshire. Doves, woodpeckers, chickadees, and jays are found throughout the year while warblers, sparrows, hummingbirds, wrens, swallows, robins, and several species of raptors are generally seasonal residents. In addition there are owls, wild turkeys, woodcocks, spruce grouse, blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, cardinals, bluebirds, and red-tail hawks. Other species such as ducks and geese may nest in the wetlands and ponds and many pass through the Town during spring and fall migrations. The only species found in Mont Vernon that is listed in the NH Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) as endangered is the Pied-Billed Grebe.

In addition to the highly visible species, habitats for other less visible species such as turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes and numerous insects are present in the Town. Vernal pools are temporary home to many of these species. Most vernal pool animals do not live their entire lives in the pool but migrate in response to seasonal ponding and drying. Most adult salamanders and frogs migrate to the pools to reproduce and the surviving juveniles leave before the water dries. Other organisms (e.g., snakes, turtles, insects, birds) migrate from nearby wetlands to breed or feed in the productive pool waters. These animals return to more permanent wetlands. The NHI only makes note of historical sightings of the Spotted Turtle in Mont Vernon.

Wildlife recommendations are outlined in the Wildlife Habitat Conservation chapter.

Conservation Lands

The Town of Mont Vernon contains a variety of conservation and recreation land under public and private ownership. These areas account for 1,128 acres of the total land area in Mont Vernon.

Lamson Farm is the largest protected parcel in town, with 331 acres, comprising roughly 34% of the conservation land. Lamson Farm has plenty of old woods roads that are good for hiking and birdwatching. Lamson Farm Day, a town-wide community picnic, is one of the Town’s biggest and most popular annual events.

VACANT LANDS MAP

Purgatory Falls is accessible by trails. Purgatory Brook flows through heavily wooded, pristine forest. The water surges through a deep flume before cascading into the pool below. The Mont Vernon Trails Committee has created a trail along most of the brook, although the conservation easements have not yet been acquired for the whole length.

The map on the previous page and the table on page AD-15 in Appendix D indicate vacant land according to parcel size. Some of these parcels are already protected but this map could be used as a planning tool to identify key parcels needed to connect existing conservation lands, provide wildlife corridors, and add to the proposed greenway.

The Town has also acquired a number of conservation easements over significant properties and adjacent to sensitive areas such as wetlands. These easements protect important natural and community areas while providing interconnections between the larger public parcels. In addition to the conservation lands under the more permanent forms of protection, 6,613.82 acres or 61.41% of land in town are enrolled in the "current use" program according to the 1998 New Hampshire Department of Revenue Assessment Report. The New Hampshire legislature has recognized the importance of open space and has found that its preservation is in the public interest.

The 1999 Community Profile and the Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP) revealed that trails were a high priority. After the Community Profile, a Trails Committee was formed which is currently updating the existing trails map. The top town priorities identified in the REPP report are shown on this map. The proposed greenway trail system would connect existing protected lands and establish new trails connecting to existing trails that meander throughout Mont Vernon. Also ranking high in the Community Profile was preservation of ground water supply, wetlands, forests, conservation land, wildlife habitat, and scenic roads.

A Mont Vernon Land Trust should be established within the town of Mont Vernon, or a collaboration should be sought with existing land trusts. A top priority purchase is the Southern Route 13 viewshed. The Conservation Commission should list the characteristics of the land that justify its priority for acquisition. Priorities should be:

1. Agricultural use
2. Gateway
3. Water protection
4. Wildlife habitat protection
5. Recreation
6. Potential location for future town services
7. If the land is under threat

The New Boston Air Station is slated as a base closure within the next ten years. Changes to the Mont Vernon Zoning Ordinance at Town Meeting included the adoption of a Managed Commercial and Conservation Zone to enable compatible development within the portion of the New Boston Air Station (NBAS) located in the municipal boundaries in the northeast section of the Town. This represents 488 acres of the approximately 2,849 acre United States Air Force (USAF) installation located in the towns of Amherst, Mont Vernon, and New Boston. Each of the towns has been working on plans for their portion of the installation. This large undisturbed

tract will be an asset to the Town’s conservation holdings. However, Mont Vernon’s only access to the property is off Tater Street at this time.

The predominant land use in the NBAS area from settlement until acquisition by the Federal government was small and large-scale farming. Aerial photographs taken in 1941 showed most of the farmland was reverting back to forest. NBAS has approximately 2,375 acres of forest that can be managed using standard forestry practices. NBAS’ 1998 Integrated Forestry Plan used a community or ecosystem approach in which all species are considered important parts of the forest as opposed to the 1993 Plan which gave management priorities to species with high commercial value. In order to avoid forest fragmentation, no additional forest roads will be built. Timber harvesting will be prohibited in all areas containing rare natural communities and threatened and endangered species identified in the 1997 Biodiversity Survey.

Ninety eight percent of the NBAS remains covered with native vegetation. A total of 454 species of plants were identified in the 1997 Argonne National Lab (ANL) biodiversity survey conducted over a three year period. No federally listed threatened or endangered plants were found on the station. However, the fern-leaved false foxglove is listed by the State of New Hampshire as endangered in the state. Five additional species listed by the NHI as species of special concern due to their showy appearance include pink lady’s slipper, trailing arbutus, mountain laurel, rose pegonia, and pitcher plant.

The base contains six ponds, one man-made (Seavy Pond) and five existing wetlands that were dammed to raise water levels. All of the ponds have good water quality but are susceptible to the annual buildup of coliform bacteria during dry periods in the summer. There are at least eight species of fish; two species of trout (Brook, Rainbow) are stocked in the larger ponds (Joe English, Roby, Ice) to provide a recreational fishery.

Eight reptile species have been recorded at NBAS, but none of them were federally or state listed as threatened or endangered. Twenty-two species of mammals have been recorded. No critical habitat has been designated at the installation. However, several rare natural communities designated by the New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory were identified at the installation.

Visual Resources

The visual resources of a community are a major component of its image and sense of place, and they have an impact on the quality of life for residents and the perceptions of visitors. The Town of Mont Vernon is well aware of the value of its natural resources: ponds, streams, wetlands, and forests, its orchards and active agricultural lands and its built environment – the Town center, historic homes, and other buildings and structures. The table contains the views identified that are exceptional and should be left undisturbed.

Reasonable protection of outstanding views and vistas has withstood the test of the courts on numerous occasions throughout the country. Typical view protection regulations involve height

limitations for buildings and structures and/or setbacks. Height limitations have been used to preserve views of natural features such as mountain peaks, park areas and river views, and for protecting the stature of historic structures and landmarks.

Scenic Views in Mont Vernon

The State of New Hampshire, recognizing the importance of its scenic roadways, enacted RSA 231:157 granting communities the authority to designate local scenic roads. The law is an important tool in protecting the scenic qualities of roads. Scenic roads are a special designation of Class IV, V, and VI roads where cutting or removal of a medium and large-sized trees, or disturbance of a stone wall, must go through the hearing process and written approval of local officials. Setbacks are also commonly used to protect scenic roadways. The table contains a list of the scenic roads in Mont Vernon. Class VI roads or un-maintained highways, consist of all other existing public ways, including highways subject to gates and bars, and highways not maintained in suitable condition for travel for five years or more. The designated Class VI roads located in Mont Vernon are listed in the table below.

The Planning Board should consider the impact of developments on the quality of scenic roads. This could include establishing a minimum undisturbed buffer on scenic roads based on the characteristics of existing development. Scenic roads are discussed in more detail in the Transportation chapter.

Potential Threats to Natural Resources

Most aspects of land use and development stress a community’s natural resources. Proper land management and development practices, however, can be utilized to minimize the impacts.

Potential point and non-point sources of pollution in Mont Vernon are listed below, but a complete summary is in the Appendix.

• Investigate the possibility for setting up an underground storage tank (UST) survey for all tanks in Town. Maintain a data base of USTs that includes (at least) type, size, date of installation, predicted life. Record all USTs in a database. Responsibility: Conservation Commission/Building Inspector.

• Develop and implement a public education program about the problems of leaking USTs and the need for prompt removal and remediation. Responsibility: Conservation Commission.

• Adopt a reduced or no-salt program in sensitive areas near concentrations of individual wells and surface waters. Responsibility: Road Agent.

Summary of Action Items