05-08-2009, 11:10 AM
CONCORD, N.H. -- A public hearing on a wetland permit application for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's proposed Wild Goose boat access facility on Lake Sunapee in Newbury will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at 7 p.m. at the David W. Sherburne Gymnasium at 561 Route 11 in Sunapee. The hearing is before the N.H. Department of Environmental Services (DES) Wetlands Bureau and will address potential wetlands impact of the project on bank and lakebed.
Public comments may be made at the hearing. Written comments will be accepted prior to the hearing; send to NHDES Wetlands Bureau, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302 (reference Proposed Boat Access Wild Goose site, Lake Sunapee, Wetlands Application/Permit # 2008-02781).
"We've been looking at this project for more than 18 years and have examined many alternatives," said N.H. Fish and Game Executive Director Glenn Normandeau. "We believe that establishing a public boat access facility at the Wild Goose site on Lake Sunapee is in the best interest of N.H.'s boaters and anglers." Normandeau noted that the State Legislature has directed the Fish and Game Department to establish public access to the large lakes in the state. Work that created access facilities at Winnisquam, Newfound and Squam lakes was part of this effort.
The upcoming hearing is the latest in a series of events related to the project that date back to 1990, when the Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) purchased the Wild Goose property and allocated management responsibility for the land between the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) and N.H. Fish and Game. The LCIP statement about the Wild Goose parcel in Newbury makes the intent of purchase clear: "The lakefront tract provides a boat landing that will be developed into the primary boat access to one of the state's largest lakes."
The Wetlands Permit application describes how the project will safeguard the water quality of Lake Sunapee. These include:
* The use of pervious pavement, bioretention areas and other low-impact development techniques to minimize impacts from runoff.
* No fertilizers or biocides will be used on the Wild Goose site.<br />
* Fish and Game staff followed all guidelines from the Department of Environmental Services during the design phase, resulting in DES's approval of shoreland and alteration of terrain permits for the Wild Goose site. Fish and Game also worked with DES on the wetlands permit application to ensure that the proposal meets all applicable standards.
Fish and Game has pursued development of the Wild Goose access site for more than 15 years, holding public informational meetings, convening a local citizen/expert panel to assess all the possibilities around the lake and, receiving the affirmative vote of the state's Public Water Access Advisory Board in 2004. On several occasions, the 11-member New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission, the group that provides policy guidance to the Department, has directed Fish and Game to move ahead with the Wild Goose access project. Throughout this process, Fish and Game has explored and reviewed alternatives with the towns, local boards and citizens.
A computer-generated illustration of the planned project can be seen at http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_2003...images.htm.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the state agency charged with responsibility to establish public boating access for the benefit of all citizens. State Law gives Fish and Game this authority in order to assure public boating access in perpetuity to the general public. In establishing new access areas, the Department follows a detailed process, beginning with meeting with the public, assessing environmental, cultural, social and political considerations and following all permitting requirements of the State of New Hampshire.
N.H. Fish and Game is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.wildnh.com.
Public comments may be made at the hearing. Written comments will be accepted prior to the hearing; send to NHDES Wetlands Bureau, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03302 (reference Proposed Boat Access Wild Goose site, Lake Sunapee, Wetlands Application/Permit # 2008-02781).
"We've been looking at this project for more than 18 years and have examined many alternatives," said N.H. Fish and Game Executive Director Glenn Normandeau. "We believe that establishing a public boat access facility at the Wild Goose site on Lake Sunapee is in the best interest of N.H.'s boaters and anglers." Normandeau noted that the State Legislature has directed the Fish and Game Department to establish public access to the large lakes in the state. Work that created access facilities at Winnisquam, Newfound and Squam lakes was part of this effort.
The upcoming hearing is the latest in a series of events related to the project that date back to 1990, when the Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) purchased the Wild Goose property and allocated management responsibility for the land between the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) and N.H. Fish and Game. The LCIP statement about the Wild Goose parcel in Newbury makes the intent of purchase clear: "The lakefront tract provides a boat landing that will be developed into the primary boat access to one of the state's largest lakes."
The Wetlands Permit application describes how the project will safeguard the water quality of Lake Sunapee. These include:
* The use of pervious pavement, bioretention areas and other low-impact development techniques to minimize impacts from runoff.
* No fertilizers or biocides will be used on the Wild Goose site.<br />
* Fish and Game staff followed all guidelines from the Department of Environmental Services during the design phase, resulting in DES's approval of shoreland and alteration of terrain permits for the Wild Goose site. Fish and Game also worked with DES on the wetlands permit application to ensure that the proposal meets all applicable standards.
Fish and Game has pursued development of the Wild Goose access site for more than 15 years, holding public informational meetings, convening a local citizen/expert panel to assess all the possibilities around the lake and, receiving the affirmative vote of the state's Public Water Access Advisory Board in 2004. On several occasions, the 11-member New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission, the group that provides policy guidance to the Department, has directed Fish and Game to move ahead with the Wild Goose access project. Throughout this process, Fish and Game has explored and reviewed alternatives with the towns, local boards and citizens.
A computer-generated illustration of the planned project can be seen at http://www.wildnh.com/Newsroom/News_2003...images.htm.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the state agency charged with responsibility to establish public boating access for the benefit of all citizens. State Law gives Fish and Game this authority in order to assure public boating access in perpetuity to the general public. In establishing new access areas, the Department follows a detailed process, beginning with meeting with the public, assessing environmental, cultural, social and political considerations and following all permitting requirements of the State of New Hampshire.
N.H. Fish and Game is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.wildnh.com.