Conservation Commission - 1241 (03/26/2026)

MEETING MINUTES
Waterford Conservation Commission
March 12, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
Auditorium, Waterford Town Hall
Members Present: 
David Lersch, Tali Maidelis, Richard Muckle & Wade Thomas
Members Absent: 
Keith Kriet, Ivy Plis & Geneva Renegar 
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Alternates Present: | David DeNoia 
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Alternates Absent: 
| Avery Holzworth & Matthew Shea 
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Staff Present: 
Maureen Fitzgerald, Environmental Planner 
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Cassandre Grote, Recording Secretary
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Muckle at 6:33 p.m.
D. DeNoia was seated for K. Kriet.
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2. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
Motion: 
Made by T Maidelis, seconded by D. Lersch to approve the February 26, 2026
meeting minutes.
Vote: 
5-0
3. NEW APPLICATION — No new applications received.
4, APPLICATION REVIEW -
C-26-02: 435 Mohegan Avenue Parkway: Mamacoke Brook Restoration; Owner/Applicant
— Connecticut College
Josh Wilson, professional wetlands scientist with BioHabitats introduced Maggie Redfern,
Connecticut College Arboretum Director, and Professor Doug Thompson of Connecticut
College. M. Redfern and D. Thompson provided a brief overview of the history of the
Arboretum property, past studies on the erosion of the channel, and student projects focused
on restoration. They explained that the discovery of the archeological significance of the area
led to the revision of plans to focus on erosion control.
J. Wilson reviewed the details of the proposed plan, highlighting the three segments of the
project. Segment 1 will be comprised of Post Assisted Log Structures (PALS) that will be
hand laid without the use of machinery. The intention is for the PALS to degrade over time.
Segment 2 will require the use of machinery to bring in material. Channel treatment between
the cascades will include riffle structures and dynamic boulder clusters to reduce erosion and
increase in-steam habitat diversity. The goal of the work in Segment 3 is to evenly distribute
water flow across the marsh. This will be achieved by the use of Post-and-Wattle structures
which will be staked perpendicular to flow, and will be installed without the use of heavy
equipment. There was discussion about what type of wood will be used for these structures.
J. Wilson and M. Redfern noted that it would likely be white pine and ash trees, as those are
readily available on the arboretum property. J. Wilson noted that Segment 3 includes a large
area of phragmites. Due to the archeologically sensitive nature of the area, there is to be no
disruption to the root mass. Instead, surface level herbicides will be used, and then the
biomass will be removed. J. Wilson noted that access to the site would be from the North
side of Benham Avenue, and timber matting will be used within the archeological site, and

Conservation Commission Meeting
March 12, 2026, Page 2 of 
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woodchip roads in other areas. He noted that they are trying to avoid the use of geotextile and
stone paths.
J. Wilson provided calculations regarding the area of wetland disturbance and fill. There will
be a total of 690 linear feet of stream enhancement, 430 ft. in the upper reach, and 260 ft. in
the lower reach. In the middle reach, there will be 655 linear feet of stream restoration and
creation. This amounts to a total of 1,345 linear feet of stream activity. The estimated total
volume of material for restoration and creation in the middle reach is 330 cubic yards, of
which approximately 200 cubic yards will be imported. There will be 19,687 sqft of
supplemental planting in the lower reach.
J. Wilson and D, Thompson answered questions from the Commission. Boulders will be
approximately one to two feet in diameter. Some boulders of two to three feet in diameter are
currently in the channel. Wattles will be pushed down into the sediment, vegetation will then
grow around them to create berms. They noted that decay is a good thing and will mimic
natural features. The goal is to stabilize in the short term to allow vegetation to grow and
naturally create long term stabilization. No invertebrate studies were conducted, as the
channel is only intermittent.
Motion: Made by T. Maidelis, seconded by W. Thomas to request Staff to prepare a draft
approval for application C-26-02, Mamacoke Brook Restoration.
Vote: 5 —0
5. VIOLATIONS — No violations discussed.
6. OTHER BUSINESS —
Staff distributed an informational flyer for an upcoming workshop regarding Alewife Cove.
7. CORRESPONDENCE — No correspondence received.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Made by T. Maidelis, seconded by W. Thomas to adjourn the meeting at 7:24p.m.
Vote: 
5-0
Respectfully Submitted,
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Cassandre Grote
Recording Secretary