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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-07-08-CAC-minutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Draft Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall, and Via Videoconferencing Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Council Members Present: Margaret Corbit, Joel Gagnon, Anne Klingensmith, Don Schaufler, Jonathan Zisk (via Zoom) Council Members Absent /Excused: Rene Owens, Brittany Stein Others Present: Greg Hutnik (in person), Kristin McCarthy (in person), Ronda Roaring (via Zoom), Matthew Wiese (via Zoom) Meeting called to order: 7:03pm Deletions or Additions to Agenda: None Privilege of the Floor: Matthew Wiese inquired about conservation easement provisions, specifically whether mowing could be included to maintain meadow lands and the proper order of operations for subdivisions and easements. Members explained that agricultural and forestry zones allow maintenance, but mowing cannot be mandated due to enforcement limitations, and that easements can be applied before or after subdivision with occasional provisions for subdivided portions under protection. Ronda Roaring reported that the Town Board approved the 2024 DEC annual report on July 7, 2025, which was originally due December 31, 2024, and expressed hope for timely future submissions. Ronda also requested that the CAC begin work in 2026 on preservation of Deputron Hollow, citing concerns about land ownership, illegal hunting, and short-term rental guests wandering on private property. Approval of Minutes: Members postponed approval of the June 2025 draft minutes to the August meeting. Proposed Bird Banding Presentation: Town Planner Greg Hutnik provided an update on a potential presentation by his friend "Hummingbird," who established a bird banding station at the Lindsay Parsons Biodiversity Preserve. Members discussed scheduling the presentation for September to allow time for survey completion and results compilation. The presentation would focus on findings from the banding station and plans for future seasons. Group talked about advertising the event in the town newsletter and exploring coordination with the Finger Lakes Land Trust, which owns Linday Parsons, for additional publicity. Status of Easement Monitoring: Members discussed the monitoring schedule for 2025 easements and the need to organize past monitoring reports. Status of Retrieval and Organization of Past Easement Monitoring Documents: Members discussed accessing the Teams platform for document organization. Those without Town of Danby email addresses were advised to contact network support for assistance. Updates on Ongoing Easements (Sherman): Jonathan Zisk reported that Brittany Stein indicated she was nearly finished with the Sherman easement documentation. Given Brittany’s current time constraints, Jonathan volunteered to take over the project to ensure completion. Report on Assessment of Olsefski Property: Group discussed the recent property walkthrough conducted by Margaret Corbit and Anne Klingensmith. They described the property as a wooded, south-facing slope with one clearing, containing primarily softwood trees and various seeps with ferns. The property includes an area of 3-5 acres with dense undergrowth and interesting botanical diversity, likely due to soil changes and historical land use patterns. Group noted the property owner's interest in constructing a cabin in a plateau area, with clarification that seasonal road restrictions would likely prevent permanent dwelling construction. Members agreed to contact the property owner to discuss next steps for baseline documentation. Status of Altman Easement: Jonathan reported that Ben Altman submitted editorial comments on his easement document, which are primarily minor and non-problematic. Jonathan is incorporating these comments into the document, after which it will be reviewed by the CAC, then by Guy Krogh, attorney for the town, and finally presented to the Town Board for approval. Status of Gladstone Easement: Members discussed Guy's comments on the Gladstone easement, particularly regarding aesthetic exceptional values on private property without public access. Jonathan and Joel Gagnon prepared a response defending the inclusion of aesthetic values, arguing that private conservation contributes to overall community environmental quality. The easement will proceed to the Town Board meeting on July 21 for consideration. Timber Harvesting Law: Greg screen-shared the current version of the timber harvesting law, with group editing the document and discussing various technical details including permit requirements, enforcement provisions, and appeals procedures. Attendees addressed questions about permit application details, enforcement officer designation, and coordination with the Town Highway Department. Members noted the need to confirm with the Highway Superintendent about serving as the enforcement officer, as previous informal discussions had indicated willingness but required formal confirmation. Group agreed that Greg would clean up the current document and place it in the Teams folder. Greg printed three copies for Don Schaufler to present to Highway Department staff for review and to confirm their acceptance of enforcement responsibilities. Following Highway Department approval, the document will be submitted to Guy for final review. Update on Easement Monitor Recruitment Plan: Group reviewed a draft information sheet created by Anne Klingensmith to explain the CAC's conservation easement program. The document was edited to clarify the town's role and emphasize voluntary participation to address potential property owner concerns about rights being taken away. Attendees discussed developing two versions of the information sheet: one for Greg to use when speaking with potential landowners and another for the CAC to use when recruiting volunteers. Joel reported on liability insurance coverage, confirming that volunteers acting on behalf of the town would be covered for town liability but would need their own health insurance for personal injuries. Updates on Easement Outreach and Conservation Mapping Project: Greg presented a comprehensive mapping analysis identifying potential conservation easement properties. His analysis began with 158 properties contiguous to existing easements and preserves, then applied criteria including minimum 25-acre size, location within Unique Natural Areas (UNA), and presence of steep slopes. The final analysis identified 25-26 priority properties for potential outreach. Attendees discussed whether to include the UNA criterion, ultimately deciding to expand back to the 54 properties that met the size and contiguity requirements without the UNA restriction. Various geographic areas were considered for focused efforts, including areas near Ithaca with development pressure and ecologically significant areas like Deputron Hollow. Group explored targeting strategies, including both letter-writing campaigns and personal outreach approaches, with some members volunteering to approach specific landowners in their areas. Update on Annual Report 2024: The 2024 CAC annual report was approved by the Town Board, and Town Clerk Mariah Dillon will submit it to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Items for Next Month’s Agenda: Members will continue work on easement outreach strategies and monitor recruitment. Planning for the September bird banding presentation at Lindsay Parsons will also be addressed. Member Announcements: None Executive Session (as needed): None required. Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 9:10pm. Submitted by Kristin McCarthy, Secretary.