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Home My WebLink About2024-02-13 CAC MinutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 1 of 4 Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall and via videoconferencing (because of bad weather all attended via Zoom, except Gagnon, who performed the tech services at the town hall) Tuesday, February 13, 2024 Council Members present: Margaret Corbit (Meeting chair), Jonathan Zisk (Zoom), Joel Gagnon, Don Schaufler, Katharine Hunter, Anne Klingensmith Council Members absent: Brittany Stein, Renee Owens Others present: Elizabeth Keokosky (Secretary), Ronda Roaring (Danby resident), Crystal Buck (Danby Resident and speaker), Bill Keokosky (Danby Resident) Meeting was officially called to order at 7:08 Deletions or Additions to Agenda: None Privilege of the Floor (PoF): None Approval of January 9. 2023 minutes (with Klingensmith’s corrections) Gagnon moved to approve  Klingensmith seconded  Approved by all present REPORTS AND UPDATES (from the agenda) 1. Discussion with Crystal Buck from CCE on farmland protection and preservation Buck works for Tompkins Cooperative Extension as Farmland Protection and Ag Marketing Educator. There is current grant funding available to protect farmland against development pressure, so she is gathering information and becoming familiar with town level Ag Planning. She lives in West Danby. Since Danby has no specific Ag Committee, she wanted to come and meet us and find out our ideas. She considers Danby similar in Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 2 of 4 many ways to Caroline, though there was some disagreement on that comparison, since Caroline was thought to have more farmable bottom land. Corbit asked what is involved in an Ag protection plan. Buck responded that it usually required meetings and surveys similar to creating a comprehensive plan. It might designate specific areas to preserve against development pressure, or find out how people can be helped to market their product. She was asked how much active farmland is in Danby and she replied it was like Caroline with some larger farms and more smaller “homesteady” type of operations. Schaufler brought up questions on Ag and Markets/DEC relationship. Question – does being in a Farm district effect Danby Conservation Easement? Ag Districts are changing and there is a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb 19th at Tompkins County Legislature meeting. Keokosky asked if Buck could send her the stats of number of farms and farm acres in Caroline and Danby. 2. Status Report: Conservation Easement Tax Abatement – Gagnon Dan Klein is going to contact Anna Kelles and Lea Webb in NY State legislature to help with changes that would include older Danby conservation easement owners (as well as new ones) in local tax abatements. 3. Status Report: Easement monitoring – Owens, Corbit, Gagnon Because of presence of ticks is such a deterrent to walking land, a special outfit treated with Pyrethrin was discussed. The current monitoring plan, according to Owens, is for each easement to be given a “parent” who has responsibility for coordination and over-sight. Easement name Parent 1 Curtis Zisk 2 Hanson Corbit 3 Hoffman Gagnon 4 O’Neal Stein 5 Palmer Schaufler Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 3 of 4 6 Ravencache Corbit 7 Winsett Klingensmith 8 Melchin/Schott Schaufler Digitally, information will be stored in folders by location or specially created easement name (such as Ravencache) given to each easement 4. Status of Timber Harvesting law – Schaufler, Zisk Nothing to report 5. Updates on on-going easements – from leads on each easement Brian Caldwell - Zisk – none Andi Gladstone – draft written but needs more writing Ben Altman – Out of country Sherman – nothing new to report Corbit noted that CAC needs categories like “Pending”, “Pause” – (Butje and Woodsen are on pause) to denote the status of progress on easements. 6. Status of checklist to “trigger CAC involvement in town planning of land use”– Zisk Nothing to report 7. Status of a Facebook page as a temporary communication tool until new newsletter is finalized – Stein Stein was absent, but also discussion of a Facebook page is being put on hold until new web system is installed on Danby site. Klingensmith still does not have access to site, but she is planning our new easement folder logical hierarchy and will be coordinating it with new town clerk, Mariah Dillion, who is standardizing a general layout of workspace for all committees. There was no Executive session Next Meeting is on March 12, 2024, at 7p.m. Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 4 of 4 Adjournment at 8:15 pm _____________________________________________ Submitted by Elizabeth Keokosky (Secretary)