HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-7-14-CAC-minutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC)
Draft Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall, and Via Videoconferencing
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Council Members Present: Joel Gagnon, Anne Klingensmith, Don Schaufler, Pacific
Austin (via Zoom), Jonathan Zisk (via Zoom)
Council Members Absent/Excused: Margaret Corbit
Others Present: None noted.
Meeting called to order: Chair Anne Klingensmith called the meeting to order at 7:07pm.
Agenda Review: Additions or Deletions: Anne added three items to the agenda: whether
Secretary Kristin McCarthy should keep preparing minutes remotely or the CAC should find
a replacement, an update on that day's meeting with the prospective Hill Road landowners,
and news of a possible new member recruit.
Privilege of the Floor: No members of the public came forward to speak.
Approval of Minutes: Members reviewed the draft May and June 2026 minutes and
proposed several corrections to each. A question then arose over whether the CAC is
legally a public body subject to physical quorum requirements, so the group held off on
formally approving either set and agreed to revisit both in August. Members also discussed
whether Kristin should keep preparing minutes remotely given a family situation or whether
a replacement should be sought. The preference was for her to continue, and Anne agreed
to check with her directly.
Easement Summaries: Anne presented a one-page narrative summary for the easement
referred to as the Wimsatt property, formally named Kateri Tekakwitha. She described the
property as largely undeveloped, contiguous to the Deputron Hollow Unique Natural Area,
and divided into three parcels: Parcel A (west), owned by the Romano family; Parcel B
(middle), owned by Ruth Jones (née Wimsatt), with several existing buildings; and Parcel C
(east), owned by Irene Weiser and undeveloped. She noted limited subdivision rights and
no agriculture, forest, or environmental-protection restrictions, and plans to contact Ruth
Jones for family history. Pacific Austin offered to help produce clearer maps for future
summaries, and members agreed to check with Jonathan Zisk and, if needed, the County
Clerk regarding possibly lost historical files.
Easement Monitoring: Members reaffirmed their goal of completing a summary and
monitoring visit for every easement by the end of the year.
Updates on Ongoing Easements:
Altman Easement: Jonathan reported that the Altman easement is nearly finalized, with
the landowners described as very pleased with the process.
Olsefski Easement: No update.
Valuation Proportion Discussion: This item was postponed to the August meeting, at
which time Jonathan plans to circulate figures and a simplified explanation in advance so
members can review the material before discussing it as a group.
Easement Template/Ag Zone Discussion: Joel Gagnon shared that George Frantz,
currently serving as interim planner while Greg Hutnik is away, is assisting the Town in
rewriting its definition of agriculture, which will also be relevant to the agricultural-zone
language used in the Council's easements. George has prepared a lengthy memo outlining
the relevant considerations. Jonathan said he would follow up directly with George.
Potential Easement Report – Hill Road: Anne reported on a meeting with prospective
landowners on Hill Road, covering the property's roughly 160 acres, a mix of open fields,
old-growth forest, and logged land, and its wildlife, including bear, bobcat, fisher, fox,
coyote, and birds. She described the house, barn, fenced pasture, and pond, and noted the
owners' strong interest in preventing development while possibly preserving some flexibility
for a future building lot or parcel sale. Discussion also covered timeline — with Greg's
return around August 8 allowing evaluation to proceed — and possible acquisition of an
adjoining 40-acre parcel. Members discussed scheduling a site visit for early-to-mid
August or early September, with Jonathan and Pacific expressing interest in joining.
Easement Outreach: Joel mentioned reaching out again to Brian Caldwell to see whether
he's spoken further with his daughter about her plans for his property. Anne described a
conversation with a prospective new CAC member, a retiring Cornell employee who
expressed interest in conservation work and asked about the membership application. Joel
noted the online application is currently offline due to a spam-related security vulnerability,
and the applicant could instead get a paper copy in person at Town Hall.
Items for Next Month’s Agenda: Approval of the May and June 2026 minutes, the valuation
proportion discussion, and continued discussion of the easement template and agricultural
zone language were carried forward to the August meeting.
Member Announcements: None
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:41pm.
Submitted by Kristin McCarthy, Secretary.