Advising the town
In 2009, litigation was resolved in favor of the easement, and the need for a new committee arose. “The Woodstock Land Conservancy oversees the easement, but management of the property is what the town board does,” said Funk-Antman. “The board can’t be responsible for knowing everything that happens on the property. The stewardship advisory committee advises the town on how to manage the property.”
Since their first meeting in December 2011, the committee has been working on relationships among the members, while developing ties to the town board, the land conservancy, and the trails task force. They have learned about the natural features of the property through Hudsonia’s habitat mapping of the land, and they have found resources for such needs as repairing paths and management of fields and forests.
The resolution of the soccer field plan, which had been hanging for four years, was a milestone. A major obstacle was the vernal pool located near the field, a seasonal habitat for breeding amphibians. “There are people who would protect that vernal pool with their lives,” noted Funk-Antman. “Plus there are the town’s wetlands regulations.” On the day Woodstock council member Bill McKenna pounded in the first stake outlining the field’s expansion, “spotted salamanders, wood frogs, children who play soccer, walkers, dogs — someone from each group was there,” she said, “and everyone agreed we should have a picnic.”
“We want to get the whole town, even people who weren’t part of these constituencies, to understand how wonderful this property is,” said Murphy. “So many things happen here that are full of joy. “
Funk-Antman praised the town board for using the advisory committee in a productive way, calling on the group to help decide, for instance, where to place signs in the expanded parking lot, which is another example of this year’s successful negotiations.
“The parking lot was needed for the soccer players,” she said. “Although it was against personal interest for some people, they decided it would work for the common good.”
It’s taken a long time to come to consensus on the Comeau, added Murphy, “but it’s a model for how this town should function.”
Bluebird houses
At Saturday’s event, there will be note cards on sale bearing photos of the Comeau taken by chemist and aspiring photographer Gerard Vizcarra. The proceeds, along with funds from the sale of the plein-air paintings, will go toward such projects as an information kiosk at the parking lot, improved signage, a brochure on the Comeau habitats, and a trail guide.
Activities for kids on Saturday will include a critter hike, a stream walk, cider-pressing, cornhusk doll creation, and the mounting of bluebird houses. David Menzies will record people’s stories of the Comeau, to be aired on public access TV and on Youtube. Kathy Anderson will offer a landscape painting lesson, and the Princes of Serendip will provide live music. Town historian Richard Heppner will tell the history of the Eames and Comeau families, whose legacy is the Comeau Property.
