HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-12-CAC-minutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
Final Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall, and Via Videoconferencing
Tuesday, May 12, 2025
Council Members Present: Joel Gagnon, Anne Klingensmith, Don Schauffler, Jonathan Zisk
Council Members Absent /Excused: Margaret Corbit, Brittany Lagaly, Rene Owens
Others Present: Greg Hutnik (in person), Kristin McCarthy (in person), Mark Pruce (via Zoom)
Meeting called to order: 7:11pm
Deletions or Additions to Agenda: Margaret had previously agreed to write a meeting summary for
the Town of Danby newsletter, but in her absence, someone else needed to be assigned this task.
Jonathan volunteered to take on this task.
Privilege of the Floor: Mark Pruce introduced himself and explained that he was attending to learn
about the Conservation Advisory Council's work. He indicated he is running for town board.
Approval of Minutes: Action: Joel Gagnon moved, with a second by Don Schauffler, to approve the
March 2025 minutes with minor edits. Motion carried.
Status of Easement Monitoring: Members discussed easement monitoring corrections and parcel
number updates. They expressed concern about organizing past monitoring documents, agreeing
that each easement folder should contain the signed legal agreement and all monitoring reports.
Easement parents will track down missing paperwork from microfiche and transfer documents
from personal computers to town files.
Status of Retrieval and Organization of Past Easement Monitoring Documents: This topic was
addressed as part of the easement monitoring discussion above.
Updates on Ongoing Easements (Sherman): Ruth Sherman is willing to proceed with her
easement. Brittany had been working on this project, but Jonathan offered to take it on if she is
overwhelmed with other commitments.
Status of Altman, Gladstone, Timber Harvesting Law:
Altman Easement: Ben Altman has returned from England and remains very interested in
proceeding. There are some changes he wants to make to the document, and Jonathan will work
with him on these modifications before bringing it back to the CAC for review prior to sending to Guy
Krogh, attorney for the town.
Gladstone Easement: This project was delayed because Jonathan wanted to complete some
tweaking before passing it to Guy. He plans to make the necessary changes over the next few days,
creating bullet lists of natural and exceptional features, then send it to Joel for review before
forwarding to the attorney.
Timber Harvesting Law: The document was sent to town attorney Guy Krogh for review, and he
provided detailed comments addressing both technical and legal aspects, including corrections to
timber volume calculations. He also emphasized that this should be structured as a law rather than
an ordinance and provided additional procedural and legal comments. Some technical difficulties
were encountered in reviewing the commented document format. Jon and Don will address the
attorney's feedback and work on revisions, with plans to bring the revised document back to the
June meeting for further discussion if needed.
Easement Outreach/Conservation Properties Map
Greg Hutnik referenced the Open Space Index work done in Lansing as a model for identifying
potential conservation properties. He presented a comprehensive map showing protected lands in
Danby, including state land (green), Finger Lakes Land Trust easements and preserves (orange),
town conservation easements (pink), and unique natural areas (hatched overlay).
Greg explained his outreach approach, including dedicating newsletter space to describing
conservation easements and having conversations with landowners about property plans. He has
been surprised by the level of interest, with some people unaware Danby had such a program. He
identified several potential easement properties, including two landowners who have already
expressed interest. The CAC noted that a methodical approach based on land characteristics
rather than just acreage would be more effective than their previous attempt to target the largest
landowners.
The CAC discussed conservation easement signage for public awareness. Greg has 20 pre-drilled
signs reading "Danby Conservation Easement" ready for installation. These signs help inform
neighbors about the program and generate interest from adjacent property owners. The group noted
that properties don't need to be directly adjacent to provide ecological benefits, as wildlife
corridors can function effectively even with quarter-mile distances between protected areas.
During the mapping discussion, the CAC addressed serious erosion problems along Buttermilk
Creek, particularly affecting properties along Buttermilk Lane and Beardsley Lane. The county soil
and water conservation district received a water quality improvement grant from DEC to address
creek stabilization. The erosion problems appear to be exacerbated by inadequate stormwater
management in upstream developments. The CAC noted this as an example of how proper
conservation planning and easements could help address watershed protection issues.
Greg presented additional mapping layers including potential Critical Environmental Areas (CEAs)
previously studied. Mark Pruce offered expertise in creating interactive mapping tools for
conservation outreach. The group noted that Unique Natural Areas might be more politically
palatable for outreach than CEAs.
The CAC emphasized focusing on landowner benefits when approaching them about conservation
easements rather than regulatory aspects. The CAC identified immediate opportunities for baseline
walkthroughs with interested landowners, including properties on Deputron Hollow and
Coddington Hill, with Greg coordinating scheduling.
Easement Monitor Recruitment Plan: Item was deferred.
Status of New Procedures (new landowner letter (M. Corbit) and how to discuss new potential
easements with landowners (J Zisk): Discussion of the new landowner letter and procedures for
discussing potential easements with landowners was deferred, though the CAC briefly discussed
maintaining confidentiality in initial landowner conversations
2024 Annual Report: Item was deferred.
Update: Community Science Institute Water Quality Monitoring Report
Anne Klingensmith reported on Community Science Institute monitoring training and water quality
testing on four Danby creeks: Camp Badger, Danby Creek at Steam Mill crossing, Michigan Hollow,
and Sulfur Springs. The testing supports a two -year Trout Unlimited contract assessing conditions
for native brook trout reintroduction. Split-sample testing showed good results, confirming proper
volunteer monitoring. The program evaluates whether removing dams or improving culverts could
enable seasonal trout movement between creek reaches.
Items for Next Month’s Agenda: Members identified several items for June, including reviewing
and addressing Guy Krogh's comments on the timber harvesting law and discussing the easement
monitoring recruitment plan. Other possible agenda items include presenting Jake Brenner's map,
reviewing the new landowner letter, assigning someone to work on the 2024 annual report, and
coordinating baseline walkthroughs with interested property owners.
Member Announcements: No specific announcements were made.
Executive Session (as needed): No executive session was held.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 9:02pm.
Submitted by Kristin McCarthy, Secretary.