HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-13-CAC-minutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
Final Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall, and Via Videoconferencing
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026
Council Members Present: Pacific Austin, Joel Gagnon, Anne Klingensmith, Jonathan Zisk
Council Members Absent/Excused: Margaret Corbit
Others Present: Leslie Conners (Zoom), Kristin McCarthy (Zoom), Ronda Roaring (Zoom),
Don Schaufler (Zoom)
Meeting called to order: 7:04pm
Agenda Review: Additions or Deletions: Discussion of potential issues at the town skate
park was added to the agenda.
Privilege of the Floor: Ronda recommended that the CAC focus on promoting continuity
when looking at parcels by considering how they connect to existing protected lands and
noted that the DEC has funding available to acquire parcels that would make the Danby
State Forest more contiguous.
Approval of Minutes: The November 2025 minutes were approved with minor
edits (motion by Joel Gagnon, second by Jonathan Zisk).
Annual Report: Anne noted that Margaret had volunteered at the previous meeting to draft
the 2025 annual report. However, it was suggested that Kristin could alternatively draft the
report using last year's report as a template. Kristin expressed her willingness to take on
this task, once it’s confirmed that Margaret is okay with handing it over to her.
Easement Monitoring: Group contemplated creating cover sheets for each easement to
make monitoring easier for both new CAC members and potential volunteers. These cover
sheets would summarize the key features and specific requirements of each legal
agreement, including zone restrictions and special provisions such as reserved rights.
Attendees agreed that each parent of an easement could extract the relevant information
and bring it to a meeting to share, with discussion of specific easements scheduled at
upcoming meetings. Group also discussed the need for a monitoring form specific to each
easement rather than simply using an altered baseline form.
Easement Outreach: Anne reminded members to review Town Planner Greg Hutnik's map
showing properties adjacent to conserved lands, which could help identify potential
easement opportunities.
Affirming Purpose of CAC Discussion: Jonathan requested this discussion be deferred to
a later meeting. It was suggested that reviewing the CAC enabling resolution annually
would be beneficial for members.
Review Tax Benefits of Easements: Group discussed how to present tax benefits to
potential easement donors, including reviewing Brittany Stein's work and examining
comprehensive data from the County Assessment Department for all tax parcels in Danby.
At the February or another future meeting, they hope to review specific examples showing
how easement valuations translate to tax benefits by correlating existing easements with
county data. Attendees discussed the various tax benefits available and the history of the
tax exemption law, which only applies to easements created after the law was passed, and
whether to pursue county and school district opt-in to the program.
Updates on Ongoing Easements:
Sherman Easement: This easement is nearly complete, with Brittany having done most of
the work. The remaining issues involve Ruth Sherman wanting to exclude one parcel from
the easement and some parcel descriptions that need to be finalized. Pacific volunteered
to review the easement files once she has access to Teams, and there will be follow-up
with Greg to obtain any available property descriptions.
Olsefski Easement: No action is required at this time. The landowner will get back in touch
when ready to pursue discussions further.
Altman Easement: Jonathan reported that this easement is progressing well, with Ben
Altman requesting changes concerning traditional Haudenosaunee land uses and wanting
to exclude the parcel containing his house. Members discussed which restrictions could
be practically monitored and enforced.
Items for Next Month’s Agenda: Group will discuss tax benefits of easements and report
back on Sherman and Altman easements, among other items.
Member Announcements: Anne welcomed Pacific as a new member and offered to help
her navigate the Teams file structure once she has access. Joel raised concerns about
environmental issues at the skate park on the old town barn property on Bald Hill Road,
including Japanese knotweed and erosion near Buttermilk Creek. An engineering
assessment concluded it would be cheaper to build from scratch than renovate the existing
building, and if the town board decides to start over, the CAC could participate in the siting
process. Group agreed to table further discussion until the next meeting.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:26pm.
Submitted by Kristin McCarthy, Secretary.