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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-NAC-2010-07-12e city o f Ithac� Na tu,Ya.G Areas GoHtWVYYtow Minutes Jul 12, 2010 Present: Alison Fromme (Chair), Gerry Cox, Ron Herring, Anna Stalter Absent: Robert Wesley, Joe McMahon, Sarah Steuteville, Todd Minor, Jon Meigs Also Attending: Roxy Johnson, Watershed Coordinator; Wade Wykstra, BPW; Dan Cogan, Common Council Minutes of the June meeting were approved by the members present; absent members will be contacted via e -mail to satisfy final approval by quorum. Announcements: Joe has volunteered to serve as interim chair while Alison is on leave, beginning in September 2010. Roxy gave an account of her successful "Ithaca's Water Supply' walk. Participants were compelled to pick up trash at the parking lot and at Commonland. Joe and Ilana met up with the group along the route from Commonland to the parking area. All participants were familiar with the natural area, and very appreciative of the tour. Trash continues to be a problem at Six Mile Creek; Ilana has photos of the big load collected after the holiday weekend that she will share. A discussion about the lack of signage and whether the city should consider a "pack it in, pack it out" policy followed. Would posting a fine for littering help ?If signs are going to be updated to add the new no smoking regulation, perhaps any new signs could have larger, more prominent text. There are reports of jumpers from the roof of the old pumphouse; access is gained from the adjoining property. The recent fatality of a climber prompted some discussion of emergency and rescue protocol. The Ranger on duty was not aware of the incident until the evacuation was complete and feels that, in such situations where the rangers could assist with first aid, crowd control, etc., they should be contacted by other city or emergency personnel if at all possible. Ranger Report: Ilana presented a report for the period 15 June - 11 July 2010, detailing the usual litany of unsafe activities. Complaints and concerns from residents of Commonland about trash and noise as that access point continues increase in popularity are notable. Overall, the rangers are spending much of their time on trash detail, leaving little time to patrol the area. Roxy will address these and other issues in an upcoming guest column in the Ithaca Journal. The cut back in Ranger's hours this season, as discussed by e -mail, was a result of a wage increase without an overall budget increase. In anticipation of next year's budget, NAC should, in the fall, send the Mayor and Common Council a letter in support of more rangers in 2011. The Ranger Report will be forwarded to Ray Benjamin, and other interested parties, as follow -up to Joe's e-mail. The rangers gratefully acknowledge Joe McMahon for all his volunteer effort in the natural area. Collegetown Terrace: Comments on the dEIS are due by the end of the week. Joe's draft was discussed and Alison will incorporate comments and circulate a new draft via e-mail for approval. Cornell Fences Meeting: The NAC was asked to send a representative to a meeting on July 14. Gerry will attend. Mowing. A couple of people have expressed concern about the wild parsnip growing around the parking area. This area has always been mowed in the past. There is also another invasive plant species of concern, Rubus caesius, an introduced trailing blackberry, that is becoming quite abundant around the kiosk. Anna will contact Dave Hoagland to ask about mowing the area. Another volunteer workday should also be organized. FLLT land purchase. Gerry and Roxy described their visit to the proposed FLLT purchase that Andy Zepp discussed at the June meeting. Dan Cogan indicated that the CC had approved the city contribution of $25000.