HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-NAC-2010-10-04City of Ithaca
Natural Areas Commission
Approved Minutes
Monday, October 4, 2010, 5:30- 7:OOpm, City Hall, 108 East Green St, Second Floor
Conference Room
In attendance:
Members: Joe McMahon (Acting Chair), Jon Meigs, Anna Stalter, Sarah
Steuteville, Ronald Herring (notetaker).
Other: Dan Hoffman (City Attorney), Wade Wykstra (BPW liason), Roxy
Johnston (Watershed Coordinator)
Absent:
Members: Todd Miner, Gerry Cox, Robert Wesley
Minutes from September Meeting were unanimously approved with minor changes.
BRIEF REPORTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOLLOW -UP FROM LAST MONTH
Joe announced that the notorious invasives vigilante in 6 -mile NA remains
unidentified, but seems to be doing a good job.
Joe led the Big Tree Walk in 6 -mile NA with about 12 people. Historic air photos
enhanced the walk; in 1934, the NA was the only place with trees. People seemed to
have appreciated the walk and discussion.
The Ithaca Journal has not printed the letter about Rangers' hours and importance.
Todd's letter to the Mayor about the Rangers' hours has not been acknowledged.
You Tube videos of jumping in the gorges: Mayor is reluctant to write You Tube
urging them to take down the videos as encouraging dangerous behavior. It is not
clear how deeply rooted is this reluctance.
Sarah reported on the effect of EPA dirt fill at the Fall Creek environmental
restoration area. Kathy Gleason's Landscape Architecture class and Robert Wesley's
plant survey showed that invasives were brought in by the EPA dirt fill. Weeds result
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from dumping fill. Sometimes the most natural surface is rock; we do not need dirt,
especially weed - seed - infested dirt, in natural areas.
The kiosk lock at 6 -mile entrance disappeared again, along with the map. The hasp
is not sturdy enough. For discussion: should maps be made available for users of the
natural area? Would the cost go beyond "tens of dollars ?"
A reminder was given in re the Oct. 16 Waterworks Walk with Roxy Johnston. She
would prefer 10 people, 20 is ok.
Volunteer opportunities /reports: Into the Streets and New Roots.
Anna reported that about fifty people pulled stilt grass at 6 mile NA the week of Sept
13 -18 at 30' dam. There were ten people from the Native Plant Society. Lots of effort
was mobilized and the workers did a great job. The invasive stilt grass seems to
have been "largely eradicated." Robert Wesley is to produce a final report on the
survey of invasives by the end of this calendar year.
Anna also reported that New Roots students were available to pull invasive
blackberry, Friday Oct 8, 2 -3 PM; she urged other members to help get tools down to
the students who would otherwise be unable to work. Oct. 30 is the Cornell work day
"Into the Streets ".
Joe noted that for three weekends in a row he has found IC students camping in 6-
mile NA. Anna adds that she has seen evidence of fire pits. The damage is in the
widening of trails, or in the making of new, informal trails, which expand and may
cause erosion problems over time. A letter will go the The Ithacan, the IC
newspaper, suggesting alternatives, such as swimming at Buttermilk Falls.
Additional Business not on Agenda:
Bill Gray of Department of Public Works came to explain and apologize for a
breakdown in communications between the DPW and the NAC. At issue was work on
the Columbia Street pedestrian bridge. They needed to refurbish the stairs up to
Giles Street. The NAC should have been informed of this work, but was not. Mr.
Gebre, who was present at the meeting, did not know of the reporting requirement
and guidelines established by the NAC for work in natural areas; Bill Gray said that
he should have informed Mr. Gebre because he knew that the project would require
work below the bridge, on the valley floor. Mr Gray said he was "embarrassed" that
the work started without vetting by or notification of the NAC.
Further work will be required in order to extend the 6 -mile hiking trail as part of the
"winter village" concept. The idea is to provide improved access to the trails into the
natural area for pedestrians. Over time, the planning office foresees the need for a
parallel water main so that work repairing the existing water main can be done. Dan
Hoffman noted that the plan envisions a new entrance to the NA, which should
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improve access. Mains would have to cross the stream at three points in this heavily
used area and would have an impact on the "naturalness of the area." Mr Gebre has
a plan written according to the NAC guidelines; it has not been vetted by Mr Gray.
But the trees have already been cut.
There followed a thorough and thoughtful discussion of institutionalizing the
Guidelines. Producing the guidelines was a major work of the NAC. In the following
discussion, the emphasis was on the learning process involved with the new
institutional arrangements involving guidelines and natural areas work. Clearly the
Planning and Engineering units of the City need to be involved in the process so that
work in natural areas follows best practices for conserving ecological features. The
Fall Creek NA was discussed in this context. Might it be possible to bump out a
pedestrian viewing area from the bridge over the creek on Lake Street when that
bridge is replaced? A cantilevered mechanism for access to the trail was also
mentioned as a possibility for the much - discussed loop trail to connect Stewart Park,
the Black Diamond Trail, and the Fall Creek /Ithaca Falls natural area around the falls.
Without objection, the meeting ended early, at 6:40 PM.
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