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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-8-11-CAC-minutesTown of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Draft Minutes of In-person Meeting in Town Hall, and Via Videoconferencing Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026 Council Members Present: Pacific Austin, Margaret Corbit, Joel Gagnon, Anne Klingensmith, Don Schaufler, Jonathan Zisk Council Members Absent/Excused: None Others Present: Ronda Roaring (via Zoom) Meeting called to order: Chair Anne Klingensmith called the meeting to order at 7:06pm. Agenda Review: Additions or Deletions: Don Schaufler's Schott report was removed from the agenda. In its place, Anne put an overview of the Ravencache easement and a summary of the Hansen easement monitoring report, to be presented by Margaret Corbit. Also added was a discussion of scheduling a walkthrough of the Hill Road parcel, following an email exchange between Anne and Town Planner Greg Hutnik. Privilege of the Floor: Ronda Roaring shared that she is organizing a nature journaling event at the church on Oct. 10 and invited Margaret to bring her journals and sketches. Ronda also asked whether the CAC would like to host a table on conservation easements and land preservation. Margaret noted she is still a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and offered to reach out about a speaker. Approval of Minutes: The draft May meeting minutes were moved for approval by Margaret and seconded by Joel, incorporating edits previously discussed by the group. Motion carried. The draft June meeting minutes were moved for approval by Margaret and seconded by Jonathan. Motion carried. Easement Summaries: Margaret gave an overview of the Ravencache summary, covering the file rename from 'Overview' to 'Summary' and confirming its introductory language, drawn largely from the original easement, remains accurate. Discussion touched on clarifying logging language to specify the property is not commercially logged, reflecting occasional ash removal for personal use, and on managing the southeastern corner with goats and horses. Group also noted poaching risk given proximity to nearby preserves and confirmed total acreage at 23.4 across the residential area and Zones 2–4. Still outstanding: a slope map and a properly labeled zone map, which Greg will address. Don will present a summary of Schott next month. Easement Monitoring: Margaret presented the Hansen easement monitoring report. Topics covered included a wording fix to clarify that soil degradation from parking was a stated concern rather than confirmed data. Discussion also touched on whether noise or events fall within an agricultural easement's scope, generally concluding they do not unless tied to wildlife disturbance. The report confirmed clear boundaries, no unpermitted structures, dumping, or topography changes, and that post-signing construction (orchard, cidery, tasting room, fencing) supports agricultural use. Photos reviewed included equipment storage, a blackberry-lined fence, glamping structures outside the easement, milkweed and bee balm growth, and no signs of unauthorized traffic; previously noted beehives were no longer present. Additional updates covered the Wimsat easement (three parcels) and the Kartman easement, where about 10 acres were sold separately but remain under the same easement. Pacific agreed to continue monitoring Ravencache. Members also discussed rescanning poor-quality archived maps and photos at higher resolution. In closing, Anne reminded everyone to monitor their easements. Updates on Ongoing and Potential Easements: Altman: Jonathan noted that finalizing the easement has taken longer due to detailed input from the landowners. Olsefski: Margaret reported no update this month but plans to reach out again. Valuation Proportion Discussion: Jonathan shared that he and Ben Altman had exchanged written notes on proportionate valuation, an effort focused on adding clarity to language that is grounded largely in state law. He noted that a summary of this work will be circulated to the full CAC once complete. Easement Template/Ag Zone Discussion: Group discussed a comparison Leslie Connors prepared between the standard easement template and the finalized Altman easement, in which she cataloged differences into two categories: items specific to the Altman property, and broader issues in the boilerplate template language that should be corrected across all future easements. Jonahan said he would forward Leslie’s comparison to everyone, after which the CAC will forward proposed boilerplate revisions to the town attorney and, ultimately, to the town board. Easement Outreach: Hill Road: Group discussed scheduling a walkthrough of the Hill Road property with Greg. Members noted planned absences during the second half of August and the final week of September that would limit availability and agreed to continue coordinating by email. Items for Next Month’s Agenda: Expected items include Don's postponed summary of the Schott property and a review of Margaret's slides for her talk at the Danby Resiliency Fair. Member Announcements: Joel had zucchini. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm. Submitted by Kristin McCarthy, Secretary.