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Developer requests permission to buy Claybrook parcel; conservation commission urges preservation and NRI review
Summary
Fowl, Inc. proposed to purchase and actively manage the 88.5‑acre Claybrook parcel donated to the town; conservation volunteers and the land‑trust monitor recommended preserving the wetland/watershed function and asked the board to wait for the Natural Resources Inventory before acting.
Christopher Mayhew of Fowl, Inc. proposed that his company purchase the Claybrook parcel (about 88.5 acres) that had been donated to the town and extend habitat management practices the company applies to adjacent private property. Mayhew said his plan focuses on active habitat stewardship to prevent invasive species spread and maintain upland habitat value.
Conservation Commission members and the Pemigewasset/Pemi‑Baker Land Trust monitor cautioned that the parcel is high‑value riverine/watershed habitat (Claybrook is a headwater drainage) and that the town’s Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) had not yet completed a final report for that parcel. They recommended preserving the parcel in a largely natural state, limiting active timber harvest or other intrusive treatments, and prioritizing invasive‑species mitigation and selective trash removal if needed.
Board members and the applicant agreed to postpone a decision until the NRI is finalized. The board scheduled the topic for the first meeting in April to give the conservation commission time to complete and deliver its analysis and for staff to provide existing management‑plan documents from the land trust for review.
Why it matters: The parcel provides watershed protection and habitat continuity in the Claybrook drainage; any change in ownership or management could affect stream health, adjacent landowners and long‑term conservation values.
