WIC committee approves Meadoway Community School wetland restoration

The WIC committee voted to approve a wetland restoration project at Meadoway Community School that will treat roughly 7–8 acres of wetland and adjacent land and include 3.3 acres of tree and shrub plantings and more than 1.5 acres set as a no-mow zone.

Hillary Solomon, of the Portney Meadowie Conservation District, said the site is a former agricultural area with dense invasive reed canary grass and an old dugout pond, and that the plan calls for invasive removals and native plantings to restore wetland function. "It's basically a wetland restoration … remove some of the invasives in order to prepare the site for native tree and shrub plantings," Solomon said. Eric of Arrowood Environmental described planned excavation on a dense stand of reed canary grass to create microtopography before planting.

Solomon told the committee the project was estimated to produce about 3.6–3.7 kilograms of phosphorus reduction per year and that cost-efficiency was computed at $22,006.83 per kilogram. She said the project scored 67.5 out of 100 on the committee's scoring rubric and that school involvement and outreach were significant co-benefits.

Committee members asked technical questions about stream connectivity, woody debris and whether the funding methodology’s sector scoring correctly reflected a planting project. Solomon said the funding methodology had recently been revised and explained how different project types are counted in the formula.

Shane Jaquith, vice chair and a Nature Conservancy restoration scientist, moved to approve the project; Dan Redondo seconded and the committee approved the motion by voice vote.

The committee discussed contracting logistics and next steps; the project will be coordinated through the district and the state's grant/crediting program. The committee did not specify a construction start date; staff noted some early-site work depends on permitting and contractor scheduling.