Camping, biking and canoe trips would show off the town’s natural resources.
PARIS – The Paris Conservation Commission is looking for new members.
Membership on the town board is down to two people, and two people just can’t do it alone, said Debbie St. Pierre.
St. Pierre joined the commission two years ago “to meet outdoorsy people like me.” Since then she said she’s been amazed to learn that the town has some beautiful conservation land, such as the large Cornwall Preserve on Paris Hill Road.
“We want to try to upkeep the conservation lands we have already and promote the use of them,” St. Pierre said. “It’s a shame people don’t know about these places. They’re not even being utilized.”
Another scenic town-owned parcel is on the banks of Stoney Brook.
The other member of the commission, Stuart Mason, has taken on the project of replacing birdhouses along the Little Androscoggin River that runs through town, St. Pierre said.
The birdhouses were installed a decade ago, at a time when the conservation commission was more active than it is now, she said. “We need members. Everybody’s got different ideas, and we want to hear about them.”
St. Pierre said the commission’s budget is $500 a year, so the work done is mostly voluntary. If, for example, commission members organized a trail-clearing project in the Cornwall Preserve, town equipment could be used to haul the brush away, she said.
St. Pierre would like to organize camping, biking and canoe trips to show off the town’s natural resources.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. May 4 at town hall to plan projects for the summer. Applications to join the commission, either as a member or as an associate, are available at town hall in Market Square.
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