HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-NAC-2009-05-11In attendance:
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MEETING MINUTES
City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission
Monday, May 11, 2009
5:30 -7:00 pm
City Hall, 108 E. Green St.
Members Wendy Wallitt, Gerard Cox, Joe McMahon, Todd Miner, Ron Herring, Jon
Meigs (Town of Ithaca), Nancy Schuler (CC Liaison).
Ex- Officio Andy Hillman (City Forester)
Minutes for March and April were approved.
Announcements /changes to agenda:
Andy- Rangers should be hired soon. The city budget is not an issue as seasonal hires are
not part of the hiring freeze and the rangers are part of the city code.
Joe - reported the meeting at Commonland. The residents of Commonland experience
many problems from people accessing the reservoir at the 30' dam via a city right -of-
way. They are looking into making Penny Lane more restrictive for parking. Joe
brought up the possibility of making a larger area of Rt. 79 above the 60' dam No
Parking to discourage people accessing the reservoir there. Andy said he would look into
parking regulations for a state highway and request the mayor to encourage enforcement
of the No Parking area adjacent to the driveway and on the opposite side of Rt. 79 from
the driveway.
Gerry -gave an update on Ithaca Gun. All the buildings are down but there is no word on
the fate of the smokestack. The DEC says the dust monitors are sufficient and dust is not
a problem. There has been no word on the removal of contaminated soil.
Allison- attended the Wildflower Appreciation and helped with some clean -up and
placing of ID signs. There were people participating in the garlic mustard pull.
New Business:
The Guidelines Subcommittee met and made some final( ?) changes. There is still a
question about more accurate time frame for sensitive conditions as bloom and nesting
are variable. Eric Whitney has requested us to be more specific, Andy Zepp has
suggested we stay broad (Mid -March to Mid - June). Some further suggestions were
offered for wording and Mid -March through June was agreed upon.
The list of Best Practices References is to be disconnected from the Guidelines. Andy
showed the extent of the documents for various procedures and pointed out the cost and
copyright issues associated with including them.
During a brief discussion about priorities for 2009 it was decided we should focus on
safety, the trail to Ithaca Falls, Invasives, and outreach.