Erving Conservation Commission Approves Poplar Mountain Parking Area, Authorizes Tree Clearing

ERVING -- July 6, 2021, Erving Conservation Commission unanimously approved a 50-by-60-foot parking area layout at Poplar Mountain Conservation Area and authorized the highway department to clear trees from the site. The vote, taken at the July 6 meeting, came with an amendment proposed by town planner Mariah Kahn explicitly protecting tall white pine trees along the road berm from cutting. Member Mark Blatchley has been researching an original deed that he says does not match the survey boundary currently in use, referencing a pile of stones and bearing distances rather than the "brow of the hill", and the commission agreed he should contact surveyor Dan Werner to clarify the interpretation. Kahn also reported that her outreach to the Lashaway family, who own the adjacent Poverty Mountain property over which a trail connection is sought, produced no easement agreement, with the family suggesting they might eventually consider selling. Member Morningstar Chen-Van raised concerns about glyphosate herbicide sprayed along the railroad right-of-way, saying she would share research with the board, and Kahn said she would locate the state permit documentation governing the application.