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Home My WebLink About2019-05-28 with attachmentsConservation Board May 28, 2019 Dryden Conservation Board May 28, 2019 Members Present: Peter Davies (Chair), Bob Beck, Gian Dodici, Craig Schutt, Tim Woods, Milo Richmond (Alternate), and Nancy Munkenbeck (at 8:19) Absent: David Wilson, Anne Clark, Jeanne Grace Liaisons: Craig Anderson, Planning Board The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. Review and approval of minutes dated April 30, 2019 C. Schutt made a motion to approve the minutes as written, G. Dodici seconded the motion, minutes were unanimously approved. Reports and updates Environmental Management Council (EMC) Steve Bissen See attached email report. S. Bissen briefly spoke regarding the May 9, 2019 EMC meeting. Dryden Rail Trail — Bob Beck Barbara Lifton was able to procure $345,000 towards the trail project. The estimated cost to complete the trail from Pinckney Road to Game Farm (including the bridge over Route 13) is $2.2 million. Given the prior grants and commitments there should be little to no cost to tax payers for the completion of the project. Agricultural Advisory Committee — Craig Schutt See attached email report with attachments. P. Davies explained about the Climate Smart Task Force that was formed. Their main objective is to gather data about what the town is already doing to save energy. One of the things that will hopefully lead to greater eligibility for grants to be used to help the town be more energy efficient is a Natural Resources Inventory. They are working with an early July deadline. P. Davies offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLUTION #4 OF 2019 from the Town of Dryden Conservation Board to the Dryden Town Board for approval of the attached Natural Resources Inventory WHEREAS, the Town of Dryden has valuable, natural resources that needed to be identified, The Conservation Board requests the Town Board to formally accept the Natural Resources Inventory (attached) for the Town of Dryden. Seconded by B. Beck, unanimously approved. Page 1 of 3 Conservation Board May 28, 2019 P. Davies appointed M. Richmond as a voting member in the absence of J. Grace. OLD BUSINESS Conservation Easement Monitoring Protocol J. Grace finished a final draft of the Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria, it was reviewed by R. Burger (Planning Director) and after a slight change, is now finalized and ready to be sent to the town attorney for review. P. Davies offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLUTION #5 OF 2019 ACCEPT THE SIX CONSERVATION EASEMENT DOCUMENTS created by J. Grace: 1) Conservation Easement Handbook 2) Conservation Easement Exploratory Report 3) Conservation Easement Baseline Observation Report 4) Conservation Easement Annual Monitoring Report 5) Conservation Easement Violation Follow-up Report 6) Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria These six documents are attached. Seconded by G. Dodici, unanimously approved. Guest speakers have arrived, so this topic will continue after the deer population discussion. Deer Population Management —Tim Woods Guest speakers: Ryan Tibbals, Tim Anguish, and Robert Swansbrough • Statistics do not always show reality. In our area we have many homes that are built in wooded areas. • Deer hunting should be done by local people that are familiar with the area. • Discussed possibility of hunters and landowners being matched (maybe a meet and greet). • Need hunters that are qualified and who will interact respectfully with landowners and their neighbors. • Local clubs are interested in educating the community about hunting, holding public relation events, drawing younger people into the sport of hunting. • Suggestion was made to contact Ashley Meyers at DEC regarding hunter education classes. • Set up informational booth at Ellis Hollow Fair or Dryden Lake Festival staffed by local sportsman clubs. Conservation Easement Monitoring continued... Board members were given access to two properties over in Ellis Hollow to complete a Conservation Easement Baseline Observation Report to see if the form will work. P. Davies will get ahold of J. Grace to find out when she is available to walk the properties and they will be joined by several members of the Conservation Board. Page 2 of 3 Conservation Board May 28, 2019 NEW BUSINESS David Weinstein informed the board that there will a forum on June 111h regarding County forests and their management. There being no further business, P. Davies made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by G. Dodici and unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Chrystle Terwilliger Deputy Town Clerk Page 3 of 3 Deputy Clerk From: Steve Bissen <spbissen@toxicstargeting.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2019 3:06 PM To: Peter J. Davies; Anne Clark; Deputy Clerk; Craig Schutt; Daniel Lamb; David Weinstein; David Wilson; Gian Dodici; jegrac02@yahoo.com; Kathy Servoss; Mike Richmond; Nancy Walker Munkenbeck; Ray Burger; Robert M. Beck; Timothy Woods Subject: EMC Report for May 9th meeting Hello CB, The Tompkins County EMC meeting was held on May 9th. The majority of the meeting was a presentation by Dr. William Powell of SUNY-ESF about the restoration of the American Chestnut tree to the eastern forests. His presentation (in PDF format) can be downloaded here: The rescue of the American Chestnut tree An animated video about the process can be found here: How ESF is Restoring the American Chestnut Here is a video showing a time lapse of blight -resistant chestnut vs normal chestnuts: Chestnut Proiect Small Stem Assav Timelapse In short, The American Chestnut blight is caused by a fungus, Cryphonectria parasitca, which infects a tree and spreads around the tree by releasing oxalic acid. The oxalic acid is toxic to the tree cells and kills them. The fungus then spreads to these newly killed cells eventually spreading around the circumference of the tree thus girdling it. The blight -resistant American Chestnuts have a gene from wheat that creates oxalate oxidase (OXO), an enzyme that detoxifies the oxalic acid and thus prevents the tree cells from dying. This 0x0 gene is found in many plants so is already out in nature. The blight -resistant trees are 99.99% pure American Chestnut genome with just this one added 0x0 gene. These blight - resistant American Chestnuts are even more resistant to the blight than Chinese Chestnuts or European Chestnuts. SUNY-ESF is currently in the ecosystem testing phase with everything looking great so far. They await approval from the government before they are released into the wild. The process that SUNY-ESF used to create the transgenic chestnut is NOT the CRISPR gene editing process that has been in the news a lot recently. The process uses Agrobacterium, a natural genetic engineer found in sweet potatoes (see the presentation for more info). The American Chestnut Foundation is very involved with ESF and the transgenic chestnuts. The procedure to eventually restore the American Chestnut is to plant groups of blight -resistant and normal chestnuts together so that the offspring will have increased genetic diversity with 50% of them with blight -resistance. Finding as many normal chestnuts as possible is the key to increasing genetic diversity. I find this exciting and hope the approval comes through quickly. If you have any questions, I should be at the meeting tonight. Steve Bissen Town of Dryden Representative on the EMC Deputy Clerk From: Craig Schutt <crschutt61 @gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 9:22 PM To: Peter J. Davies; Robert M. Beck; Gian Dodici; Mike Richmond; Timothy L. Woods; Nancy Walker Munkenbeck; Jeanne Grace; Anne Clark; David Wilson; Deputy Clerk; Craig Anderson; Supervisor Subject: Ag Committee Report Attachments: Report to the CB on the Ag Committee Meeting of 5-08-19.docx; Methods-Criteria-for- Land- Protection- 1 2-30-14.pdf Attached is a report from the Ag Committee. I have also attached the "Methods - Criteria -for LandProtection " created by the AC. It is the document I discussed at the last meeting in regards to the documents Jeanne had presented. I sent this to Jeanne following our last meeting for her consideration and inclusion in her documents if appropriate. It was clear that several members of the CB had no knowledge or familiarity with this document so here it is for all to see.. Craig Schutt Report to the CB on the Ag Committee Meeting of May 8, 2019 Completed by Craig Schutt liaison to the AC from the CB 1. Virtual Farmer's Market/Website Was determined the CCE website is still not working correctly, so it was decided to hold off trying to connect Dryden farms to it until it is up and running correctly. 2. There was a discussion about the impending Comprehensive Plan update and the input that will be needed from the Ag Committee. The Planning Board has been tasked by the Town Board to lead this effort with assistance from the other Boards. 3. There was discussion on the proposed Mill Creek subdivision and the parcels of lands proposed to be given to the Town for protection and recreation. 4. Because no preparation had begun for Dryden Dairy Day the AC passed a resolution stating it would not participate this year but would make next year's DD a priority by beginning planning on the September agenda. 5. It was noted that the Highway Superintendent stated he will be placing more farm friendly signs this year on roads entering Dryden. Town of Dryden Methods and Selection Criteria for Land Protection and Acquisition (12/30/14) Overview The Town of Dryden recognizes the value of a variety of tools to meet its land conservation goals, including outright conservation ownership, conservation easements, regulatory techniques, public education, and collaboration with other organizations. The criteria and checklists in this document are aimed primarily at assessing land for conservation through ownership or easements. Although the Town often may have insufficient funds available for acquiring lands or easements for conservation purposes, it can nonetheless collaborate with other public and private entities to help with acquisition efforts for lands with special environmental, historic, agricultural, recreational, or scenic importance, or lands that are threatened by inappropriate development. A decision to accept a donation of property, to purchase a property outright, or to acquire a conservation easement requires assessing the conservation values of the property in relation to the Town's conservation goals and priorities and determining the Town's long-term capacity for stewardship of the property. Financial and other forms of collaboration with other agencies, organizations, and landowners can expand the opportunities for and success of land acquisition projects. Protection Methods Primer Fee Simple Purchase or Donation This is the most straightforward protection method where the property is simply bought or donated in fee simple. Fee simple means that all of the property rights are transferred. The property transaction may be at full appraised value, or at less than full value as a "bargain sale," with the seller eligible for tax deductions. Conservation Easement — Direct Purchase or Donation of Development Rights Conservation Easements involve the transfer of some or all development rights of a property, tailored to the particular property. Among the "bundle of rights" of property are rights to develop it for commercial, industrial, residential, etc. uses. The property owner and future owners retain all rights not specifically transferred, with the conservation entity agreeing to not exercise those rights and to monitor the land ensuring future compliance. Conservation Easements are usually permanent, running with the land, and are real estate transactions legally recorded in a document similar to a Fee Simple deed. Conservation Easements are governed by New York State in Environmental Conservation Law, Article 24. This law sets out in detail the rules for Conservation Easements, including which governmental and private entities may hold a Conservation Easement. In the Town of Dryden, the town and land trusts are the most common holders of Conservation Easements. A type of Conservation Easement is an Agricultural Conservation Easement. This type of easement is specific to farms and farmland and does not include all development rights of a property, but allows those businesses and activities that support a farm operation such as welding, mechanical repair, feed sales, retail sales of farm produce, farm buildings and farm worker housing, etc. Covenants - Deed Restrictions Covenants are similar to Easements, but are written into and recorded in the property deed rather than in a separate Conservation Easement document. Restrictive Covenants are normally shorter than an easement, and usually written in a plainer language, but not always. They can be held by anyone and are not regulated by a specific state law like Conservation Easements. They can be placed on the deed by the owner, and generally run with the land. Importantly however, unlike a Conservation Easement, a Covenant does not involve a transfer of rights to another entity and therefore may not be monitored and enforced like an Easement, and an owner may remove a Covenant from a deed at property transfer. Covenants are somewhat controversial historically because they often excluded people from owning property by race, religion, or class, etc. There are many examples of restrictive covenants in the Town of Dryden. The Finger Lakes Land Trust holds a simple covenant on land that was donated to the town at Campbell Meadows, and at the Parke-Dabes Natural Area: Grantee shall maintain the property substantially as an undeveloped natural forest open to the public for passive, non -motorized recreational, and educational uses such as hiking, cross country skiing, biking, horseback riding, nature study, and bird watching. Any tree cutting shall be done in accordance with best forestry management practices. Construction of facilities shall be limited to the establishment of a small parking area consistent with the property's use as a natural area, development of foot trails, and the installation of interpretive signs and kiosks. Permit Conditions Permit Conditions are those conditions that a board (Town, Planning, ZBA) attaches to a discretionary decision. These decisions include Special Use Permits, Subdivision Approval, Variances, Site Plan Review. Conditions are in some ways the most difficult to enforce when they seek to protect land, especially if they are not clearly defined on a plat or other drawing. On the other hand, boards can require an Easement as a condition of approval. Administrative — SEQRA, Standards, Transfer of Development Rights There is some ability to protect open space through administrative procedures. These vary from open-ended mitigation for identified impacts of a project, to administrative requirements such as lot coverage limits, or Transfer of Development Rights. Local Laws and Ordinances — Standards, Overlays, Administrative Requirements, Use Restrictions and Prohibitions Local Laws and Ordinances can have a large role to play in the protection of Open Space. These can be development set asides, where the developer either voluntarily or as part of a required conservation subdivision sets aside open space resources. Also lot coverage limits can protect greenspace or open space on a development parcel. In extensive development, incentive zoning may be used following state or town law requirements. This is where the town has in place a systematic means for allowing certain types or scales of development to occur if the town's community goals are met. For example, if a development proposal is going to consume prime farmland, the town may require mitigation in the form of providing funding for purchase of development rights on a farm included in the town's open space plans. Specific Open Space Resources of Interest to the Town Several open space resources within the service area are especially important to the people of the region, and are therefore of particular interest to the Town. These include Dryden lake, streams, wetlands, older growth and maturing forests, scenic views, and large contiguous areas of relatively undisturbed land and animal movement corridors. These open space resources are prime examples of at least one of the following land categories, and generally meet the definitions of multiple categories. The Town's lands play a significant role in The Emerald Necklace Greenbelt, which extends through much of it's southern section. The Greenbelt is an effort to link more than 50,000 acres of protected open space among the hills and valleys surrounding Ithaca, while at the same time securing lands along 78 miles of the Finger Lakes Trail. The Finger Lakes Land Trust has been formed to promote and protect the forest and agricultural land, waters, and stream corridors, and has identified this greenbelt as an area of highest priority for preservation and protection. The Town will cooperate with such organizations in their preservation goals. In addition, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has identified the preservation of large contiguous high quality farmland as critical for maintaining the soil resource essential for fixture food production, the historical character of the area, and its associated unique habitats for birds and other animals. Open meadows are in particular a shrinking resource in the upstate New York area. The Town contains a large number of sites identified in the Tompkins County Inventory of Unique Natural Areas, an official Tompkins County compendium of designated locations that have environmental habitats, plants, animals, and natural resource properties that are critical to be preserved for future generations. While many of these sites are currently being protected by knowledgeable and concerned landowners, it is important for the town to play an active role in securing this preservation into the fixture. Preliminary Considerations in Evaluating Candidate Lands Alternative ownership Is the Town the best organization to protect the values of the property? Has the land been considered by another conservation entity like the Finger Lakes Land Trust or Cornell Plantations? Why are other entities not interested in the property? Did other entities investigate the property? Is this information available? Considerations for easements If the easement is for a limited duration, can permanent protection be acquired within a reasonable time? If the easement involves a working landscape, do economic conditions favor continued operation? Aca_uisition and fiscal considerations Does the Town have the resources, or access to resources, for acquisition and long term stewardship of the property? Does a need for public access require outright purchase of the land? How much will improvements for public use cost? What is the immediate need for improvement? What is the long term need? How will maintenance of the facility affect town expenses? Staff levels? Is there special equipment necessary? Has the owner of the property agreed to contribute to a stewardship endowment? Is there an existing mortgage or other encumbrance on the property, and if so, will the mortgage holder agree to the terms of the easement? Are there transaction costs involved in the land transfer that could be prohibitive? Can the land be acquired with reasonable effort in relation to its value or purpose? Donor considerations Why is the donor gifting the land? Will the donor likely profit from the donation? Is the donation a result of a subsequent town approved project or permit process? Restrictions Will the donor place a covenant on the property? Can the Town transfer the property in the future? What uses are legally restricted on the property? property? If so, who will monitor the covenant? Does this overly restrict town use of the Feasibility / Factors That May Preclude Dryden Town Involvement A property may meet the selection criteria favoring a land protection proposal and still may not be accepted if one or more of the following considerations apply: The property's values are primarily scenic, but are not readily visible or accessible to the general public. The proposed open space is part of a development proposal that, overall, is likely to have significant adverse impacts on conservation resources. Adjacent properties are being, or are likely to be, developed in a manner that would significantly diminish the conservation values of the property in question. . The landowner insists on provisions in a conservation easement that the Dryden town believes would seriously diminish the property's primary conservation values or the Dryden town's ability to enforce the easement. There is reason to believe that the land/easement would prove unusually difficult in fulfilling stewardship responsibilities, i.e., monitoring, management, and enforcement, for example because of multiple or fractured ownership, frequent incidence of destructive trespassing, fencing restrictions, irregular configuration, or other reasons. The property may have been used for the storage or landfilling of hazardous or other waste materials. The property is irreparably contaminated. Invasive Exotics - Are there invasive exotic species on the property that threaten the usefulness or ecological soundness of the property? Can they be eradicated or managed? Are they noxious, poisonous or do they otherwise inhibit public use and enjoyment? The property cannot be acquired by the Dryden town with reasonable effort in relation to the property's conservation value. The property is not large enough to be significant for its conservation value within its regional context. Ethical or public image problems exist in association with the acceptance of this project. Selection Criteria Checklist for Land Protection and Acquisition 1. Goals and Purposes To qualify for selection, a property must meet ALL of these criteria: ❑ The protection of this property is consistent with the stated goals of the Dryden Town's Comprehensive Plan. ❑ The property has valuable natural, scenic, recreational, or agricultural resources. ❑ The property is of sufficient size, given the context of the surrounding area, that its conservation resources are likely to remain intact, or there is potential for protecting additional adjacent acreage in the future. ❑ Protection of this property aids sound land use planning, promotes land conservation, and encourages careful stewardship of land and water resources. ❑ The site has the potential for having a sound and cost effective management plan. 2. Public Benefit & Natural Resource Values To qualify for selection, a property must meet ONE OR MORE of these criteria: ❑ Consistency: The protection of the property is consistent with the Town's Open Space Inventory, with Tompkins County Plans, and/or with the NY State Open Space Conservation Plan? ❑ Identified in a Plan or Study: The area has been identified in a State, regional, or local master plan, guide, study, or inventory as being of special environmental, aesthetic, recreational, educational, or historic significance? ❑ Unique Natural Areas Inventory: Contains or includes property within a Tompkins County -designated Unique Natural Area. ❑ Ecosystems/Habitat: Contains significant natural ecosystems, natural features, or habitat for wildlife, fish, or plants (wetland, forest, scrub, field, meadow, nesting, feeding, mating, ...), areas used by migrating wildlife, lands containing exemplary ecosystems, or habitats which offer important educational or recreational opportunities. ❑ Wildlife Corridor: Provides a habitat connection—a corridor linking larger areas of significant habitat that is important for the movement or long-term health of wildlife. ❑ Rare Species/Communities: Contains endangered, threatened, or rare species or natural communities. Should any plant communities be protected from public use? How much of the area should be protected from public use? Are they susceptible to theft? Are they susceptible to wildlife browsing? ❑ Water Features: Contains wetlands, floodplains, waterways, riparian corridors, aquifer recharge areas, particularly sensitive watershed areas, or other lands necessary for flood protection, the protection of surface or underground water resources and plant, fish or wildlife habitat, or provide important educational or recreational opportunities. Despite wetland laws at both the State and Federal levels, conservation easements or ownership of wetlands are the most effective protection. ❑ Stream Corridors: Includes land which would provide public access to streams, allow for the creation of stream -side trails, contribute to the protection of water resources, or protect important aquatic or terrestrial habitat. ❑ Ecosystem Restoration Potential: Includes ecosystems on site with potential for habitat restoration. For what target species (birds, fish, etc)? Is there potential for creation of ecosystems rare in the area (i.e. convert forest to meadow, etc.). Can a wetland be expanded, restored or enhanced? ❑ Ecosystem Services Protection: Provides ecosystem services to the town. How are these services best protected? ❑ Soils: Contains prime, statewide important, unique, or other productive soil for the purpose of agricultural production. ❑ Working Landscapes: Contains lands being utilized for their natural resources, particularly farming and forestry (Are there timber resources on the property? What is the potential for future harvesting?). Working landscapes provide wildlife habitat and scenic value, and can also be a source of recreational and educational opportunities. ❑ Buffer for Resources: Serves as a significant buffer for prime agricultural land, wetlands, wildlife habitats, or other sensitive areas. ❑ Contiguous With or Buffer for Protected Land: Is close to or contiguous to, or provides a buffer to an existing conservation easement, park, preserve, or other protected land, or a resource likely to be so protected in the near future. ❑ Community Character: The property is important to a community as open space because of its significance in defining the character of the community. ❑ Scenic Views: Protects a scenic view from public roadway, waterway, or recreation area. Locations exist throughout the Town that provide views of hills, forests, rolling farmland, wetlands and waterways. Town residents and visitors value scenic vistas, yet lands which command these views are in demand as building sites. Development of the property could obstruct or diminish scenic views or interfere with views across already protected open space. ❑ Recreation: Provides significant active or passive public recreational opportunities consistent with the protection of natural resources. If the purpose of the property is primarily a recreational or educational resource, or a scenic view point, the public will have adequate access. Do the recreation opportunities complement other recreation opportunities in the area of the town, or add to existing opportunities, or create new opportunities? How will people get to the property? What parking or bicycle facility needs will there be on the property? Is development of a town facility for recreation or otherwise feasible. Will the property draw people from outside of town? ❑ Trail corridors: Includes land which would guarantee long term access to trails, extend or link existing trails, provide for new trail networks, or buffer trails from conflicting land use. Is there opportunity for people to use trails as a means for getting to work, or shopping? ❑ Geologic and Other Scientific Resources: Contains unique or outstanding examples of geological features or processes, or contains significant paleontological sites, or lands which offer educational or research opportunities of particular value to the scientific community. ❑ Gateway: Is located in an important transition area between rural and developed areas or along a significant transportation corridor entrance to a town, village or city. ❑ Historic or Archaeological Areas: The Finger Lakes region has a rich history, being a focal point of Native American activities prior to the arrival of Europeans. Areas. of interest include those which would contribute to the preservation of important cultural resources. ❑ Precedent: Sets an important precedent for resource or open space protection in a targeted area. The Board's Discretionary Role All the preceding notwithstanding, the Town Board retains discretion over acquisition or disposition and will evaluate each project and proposal on its own merits after careful investigation of the property, its resources, and its public benefits. • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This natural resource inventory is a Town of Dryden -specific, adapted, revised, and updated version of the Tompkins Countv Natural Resources Inventory (2001) with new sections added, used with permission from the Tompkins County Planning Department. The inventory was prepared by Osamu Tsuda, Climate Smart Communities Specialist Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County in conjunction with Kristen Hychka (Research Specialist, Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions/Environmental Finance Center) and Terry Carroll (Southern Tier NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Coordinator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County). The original template of this document was created by Sky Hart, Nathan Revor, and Hassan Saleem (Clean Energy Communities Planning Interns, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County). Feedback and proposed edits were provided by the Town of Dryden Conservation Board for the original template. The data used in this natural resource inventory was the most up-to-date information available as of Spring of 2019, and much of it was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Division. Maps were prepared by Osamu Tsuda, and the layout was created by Lois Nguyen (Graphic Design Intern, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County). Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................:.................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................... 6 What are Natural Resources in the Town of Dryden............................................................................................6 What is a Natural Resource Inventory?................................................................................................................6 Why Should Natural Resources be Protected?.....................................................................................................6 How Can Natural Resources be Protected?..........................................................................................................7 Non -Regulatory Tools...........................................................................................................................................7 RegulatoryTools...................................................................................................................................................8 About the Organization of this Natural Resources Inventory...............................................................................8 Aboutthe Data......................................................................................................................................................8 CLIMATE CONDITIONS AND PROJECTIONS.........................................................................................................11 Whatis Climate Change?....................................................................................................................................11 Why is Understanding Climate Change Important?...........................................................................................11 Climate Conditions and Projections in the Town of Dryden...............................................................................11 AddressingClimate Change................................................................................................................................12 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................12 WATERBODIES...................................................................................................................................................14 WhyAre Water Bodies Important?....................................................................................................................14 HowAre Water Bodies Regulated?....................................................................................................................14 HowAre Water Bodies Classified?......................................................................................................................14 WaterBodies in Municipality..............................................................................................................................15 Reasonsto Protect..............................................................................................................................................16 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................16 Resourcesand References.................................................................................................................................17 WATERSHEDS......................................................................................................................................................19 WhatIs a Watershed?.........................................................................................................................................19 WhyAre Watersheds Important?.......................................................................................................................19 Howare Watersheds Regulated?.......................................................................................................................19 Watersheds in the Town of Dryden....................................................................................................................19 Watershed Role with Changing Weather...........................................................................................................20 Mapand Data.....................................................................................................................................................21 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................21 OA WETLANDS.......................................................................................................................................................... 24 WhatIs a Wetland?.............................................................................................................................................24 WhyAre Wetlands Important?...........................................................................................................................24 HowAre Wetlands Regulated?...........................................................................................................................24 HowAre Wetlands Classified?............................................................................................................................25 Wetlands' Role with Climate Change..................................................................................................................25 MappedWetlands in Dryden..............................................................................................................................26 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................27 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................28 FLOODHAZARD AREAS.......................................................................................................................................31 WhatAre Flood Hazard Areas?...........................................................................................................................31 Why Are Flood Hazard Areas Important?...........................................................................................................31 FloodHazard Areas in Dryden............................................................................................................................31 Climate Change in Flood Hazard Areas...............................................................................................................31 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................32 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................33 AQUIFERS............................................................................................................................................................36 WhatIs an Aquifer?............................................................................................................................................36 WhyAre Aquifers Important?.............................................................................................................................36 Aquifersin Dryden..............................................................................................................................................37 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................37 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................37 SLOPEAND TOPOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................................40 WhatAre Slope and Topography?......................................................................................................................40 Why Are Slope and Topography Important?.....................................................................................................40 Slopeand Topography in Dryden........................................................................................................................40 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................41 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................41 BEDROCKGEOLOGY............................................................................................................................................45 WhatIs Bedrock Geology?..................................................................................................................................45 Why Is Bedrock Geology Important?..................................................................................................................45 HowWas Bedrock Formed?................................................................................................................................45 Bedrock Geology in the Town of Dryden............................................................................................................45 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................46 3 SURFICIALGEOLOGY...........................................................................................................................................48 WhatIs Surficial Geology?..................................................................................................................................48 WhyIs Surficial Geology Important?..................................................................................................................48 Surficial Geology Deposits in Dryden..................................................................................................................48 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................49 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................49 SOILS...................................................................................................................................................................51 WhatAre Soils?...................................................................................................................................................51 WhyAre Soils Important?...................................................................................................................................51 Classificationof Soils...........................................................................................................................................51 Permeabilityand soil types.................................................................................................................................52 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................53 Resources and References..................................................................................................................................54 LANDUSE AND LAND COVER..............................................................................................................................60 WhatAre Land Use and Land Cover?.................................................................................................................60 Why Are Land Use and Land Cover Important?..................................................................................................60 Land Use and Land Cover in Dryden...................................................................................................................60 AgriculturalDistricts...........................................................................................................................................60 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................61 Resources and References..................................................................................................................................61 NATURALHERITAGE SITES..................................................................................................................................64 WhatIs a Natural Heritage Site?.........................................................................................................................64 Why Are Natural Heritage Sites Important?.......................................................................................................64 NaturalHeritage Sites in Dryden........................................................................................................................64 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................64 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................65 UNIQUENATURAL AREAS...................................................................................................................................67 WhatIs a Unique Natural Area?.........................................................................................................................67 Why Are Unique Natural Areas Important?.......................................................................................................67 What Are the Criteria for a Unique Natural Area?.............................................................................................67 Unique Natural Areas in Dryden.........................................................................................................................68 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................70 Resources and References..................................................................................................................................70 PROTECTEDOPEN SPACE....................................................................................................................................72 9 WhatIs Protected Open Space?.........................................................................................................................72 NewYork State Parks in Dryden.........................................................................................................................72 What Are the Finger Lakes Land Trust/ Nature Conservancy Preserves and Conservation Easements? ........... 72 Preserves and Conservation Easements in Dryden............................................................................................73 Why Are These Preserves, Conservation Easements, Natural Areas, and State Lands Important?...................73 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................73 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................74 SCENICRESOURCES.............................................................................................................................................76 Whatis a Scenic Resource?................................................................................................................................76 ScenicResources in Dryden................................................................................................................................76 Why are Scenic Resources Important?...............................................................................................................78 Mapsand Data....................................................................................................................................................78 Resourcesand References..................................................................................................................................78 ImplementationTools.........................................................................................................................................80 5 INTRODUCTION What are Natural Resources in the Town of Dryden The Town of Dryden is a municipality that is characterized by its overall rural landscape. However, compared to many of the surrounding municipalities such as Caroline, Groton and Lansing, the town is more urbanized, and contains areas that can almost be considered suburban. As the city of Ithaca continues to grow, suburbanization continues to spread throughout the Town of Dryden, especially along the route 13 corridor between Ithaca and the Village of Dryden. As a result of this rapid expansion, understanding the location and characteristics of existing natural resources is crucial to enable sustainable and climate smart development. Because a large portion of Dryden, especially the southeastern portion is vulnerable to flooding due to its rough terrain, understanding the behavior of flooding in the area as well as how to best prepare for future flooding events is not only important, but necessary in order to have a resilient and flood smart community. What is a Natural Resource Inventory? In its simplest form, a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) is a compilation of existing natural/ ecological resources, according to the New York DEC and Hudson River Estuary Program. Depending on the community, a natural resource inventory could also include historic or cultural resources. Oftentimes, the scope and level of detail is determined by the community preparing the document. While the simplest version is just a list of existing resources, more complex NRIs could include detailed analysis of each existing resource. As the primary purpose of an NRI is to act as an informational source to community members and municipal officials, the secondary purpose of the document is to provide the building blocks for natural resource awareness in the local and regional comprehensive plans as well as building and zoning regulations. In other words, the NRI acts as a regional atlas that could be used when updating or developing local regulations. As previously mentioned, this NRI can be used as an informational source when developing municipal and regional plans or can complement and act as additional guidance to existing plans such as the comprehensive plan or Natural Resource Management Plan. As the Town of Dryden aims to become a sustainable and resilient community, the resources this NRI provides can help the municipality plan strategically to address the existing and potential vulnerabilities within the community. Therefore, while the primary goal is to enhance existing municipal plans and documents, it also aims to inform municipal officials and residents of the value of existing natural resources and their important role in helping create a sustainable and healthy community. Why Should Natural Resources be Protected? Protecting environmental quality is a matter of choices and tradeoffs. As Dryden becomes more developed with the expansion of Ithaca and the Village of Dryden, the region will be seeing the elimination of forests, wetlands, and natural flooding infrastructure (such as riparian buffer zones). There may be negative consequences from this pressure, including wildlife displacement, loss of recreation corridors and scenic vistas, surface and groundwater contamination, increased pervasiveness of invasive species, and increased erosion and flooding. The decisions to allow for development require the Town of Dryden to determine where development should take place, what the environmental impacts of this development will be, whether these impacts are worth the result, and whether there are R alternate less harmful ways to develop. This document can serve as a guide for the municipality and developers to consider the answers to these questions. Since much development is irreversible once implemented, planning is very important. Long-term planning is one way to minimize the short-term exploitation of the resource base that results from "quick fixes" to localized problems and from competition for resources. Planning at the local, regional, and state levels provides individual municipalities with a rational system for guiding development with respect to the distribution and value of natural resources. How Can Natural Resources be Protected? This natural resource inventory identifies many of the natural resources within the town. This is the first step in protecting those resources. Private landowners, government agencies, and conservation organizations can use this knowledge to protect the most important of these resources. There are several major approaches to protecting natural resources. The following is a list of some of the types of options currently used in municipalities throughout municipalities in Upstate NY. Non -Regulatory Tools Acquisition Acquisition with the goal of resource preservation is the surest way of protecting natural resources. Informal Designations Planning efforts can raise local awareness of the value and location of important natural resources. Goals for protecting natural resources can be defined in a community's comprehensive plan. Natural resource protection can also be addressed in open space and recreation plans or in plans for a particular resource, such as a watershed protection plan. This will be discussed in further detail on page 81. Educational Programs Natural resource education programs are another way to help raise awareness of the importance of natural resources and interest in protecting those resources. The Tompkins County Cooperative Extension office for example offers numerous educational programs that can be used to help make local residents aware of existing local climate conditions and the effects of these changes. Such programs include the Extension Disaster Education Network which informs and prepares communities for changing climate conditions ( httij://eden.cce.cornell.edu/Pages/default.asr)x ). Other programs include the New York Sea Grant Program which conducts research around climate change in the state and offers extension and educational services that can help communities better understand the state's marine and Great Lakes resources (httijs://seaRrant.sunvsb.edu/ ), and the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions which offers numerous educational and outreach opportunities to municipal officials and residents to learn more about the effects of climate change(http://climatechanRe.cornell.edu/events/ ) Regulatory Tools There are also many regulatory tools available to local municipalities to control land use. Details on these regulatory tools are provided below on page 81. Not all of these tools may match the Town's current goals or capacity. These specific regulatory techniques for protecting resources include: • Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances — used to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare. • Local Wetlands Ordinances — regulate disturbance of wetlands beyond those covered under state and federal laws, such as small or isolated wetlands, and can add additional requirements for activities adjacent to wetlands. • Buffer Requirements — establish minimum distances between a development and a selected natural feature. • Clustering Requirements — place residential units on a portion of a site to protect a contiguous area of open space or unique feature. • Performance Zoning — unlike traditional zoning, performance zoning determines whether a land use is permitted based on an assessment of potential impacts. • Preservation Overlay Zones — geographic areas where more restrictive development regulations are enforced to protect valued natural resources. • Park Dedications — require developers to contribute land, or cash in lieu of land, to provide for the open space and recreation needs of the subdivision's residents. • Transfer of Development Rights — landowners in designated preservation areas may sell development rights to allow increased density in other areas of the community. • Purchase of Development Rights — landowners in designated preservation areas may sell development rights for cash to a government or appropriate organization. About the Organization of this Natural Resources Inventory The Dryden Natural Resource Inventory begins with a summary of climate conditions and projections for the town. The rest of the inventory is organized into three resource categories: hydrology and aquatic ecosystems, geology and soils, and land use and protected lands. An addition has been made titled "Implementation Tools" which lists the potential methods on preserving existing resources. About the Data Most of the data for this natural resource inventory was primarily compiled from Cornell University Geospatial Information Raspatory(https://cuRir.librarv.cornell.edu/) as well as the Tompkins County GIS Division (hltpl/tomokinscountvny.gov/gis) which both offer a large variety of GIS (Geographical Information System) spatial data from political boundaries from the US Census to detailed soil data develop by USDA and USGS. In addition to these sources, additional data was collected from the SSURGO Geospatial Data Gateway website which offers data from county to national level ( https://gdg.sc.e ov.usda.sov/) in multiple formats. While this data can help us better understand the spatial relations within the Town of Dryden, it is worth mentioning that not all information might be up to date, which in turn could lead to inaccuracies. While this NRI utilizes the most up-to-date data available when published, many of these datasets range from 1 to 20 years old. Fortunately, datasets that are more than five years old are those that are static or slowly changing, such as Digital Elevation Models, Soil, and Land Cover. Finally, as these maps provide a great level of detail and can be great resources to understand the characteristics of township, using these maps for individual parcels and their development feasibility analysis is highly discouraged. Rather these maps are intended to be used for more general characteristics of the municipality. As such, it is reasonable to use these maps to understand the characteristics of the surrounding environment of an individual parcel and how land use changes can affect the region on a macro -scale. The scale used for the township maps is consistent throughout this NRI, specifically 1:125,000. The only map that has a different scale is the introductory locational map of Dryden on page 10, that is 1:300,000. In addition to scale, each dataset/ shapefile has been re -projected to NAD 1983 StatePlane New York which is most commonly used for the Upstate Central New York region. For additional information on the data, scale, and projection, please refer to the individual sources provided above, or contact the individuals who developed these maps listed in the acknowledgements on page 1. 9 a Location Within Tompkins County N W j�E - S Tompkins County Municipal Boundaries Dryden 10 0 2.5 5 10 — I Miles 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS CLIMATE CONDITIONS AND PROJECTIONS What is Climate Change? Climate change refers to a change in typical or average weather in a region. Climate change has always been naturally occurring. However, human actions can also influence climate change, and since the mid -20th century, climate change has been occurring globally at an accelerated pace because of anthropogenic causes. The burning of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas) is largely responsible for rapidly changing climate conditions since these fuels emit greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. This results in changes to the average temperature and precipitation of regional climates around the world. Why is Understanding Climate Change Important? The changing climate is causing sea levels to rise as glaciers and polar ice melt, growing seasons to change as precipitation patterns and temperatures change, and an increase in extreme weather events including heat waves, droughts, and floods. This already impacts how and where we live, from farmers growing different crops to people leaving their no -longer -habitable homes. In addition, warmer temperatures can have adverse effects on health by increasing plants' pollen production and the formation of ground -level ozone, which in turn can worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma and allergies, and by creating a more hospitable environment for disease -carrying insects such as mosquitoes and ticks. Climate Conditions and Projections in the Town of Dryden New York State has a humid continental climate with an average temperature of 47.5°F and an average annual precipitation of 35 inches in the Southern Tier. The following table (Table 1) shows the range of predicted future changes in annual temperature, precipitation, and severe weather events in the Southern Tier. Table 1: Baseline and Projected Changes in Climate Conditions and Severe Weather Events in the Southern Tier 95°F Heatwaves # per year 2to7 2to3 2050s +3.6 to 7.1°F +2 to +15% 22 to 47 2to18 3to6 Average duration (days) 14 1 4 to 5 1 5 # of days per year with temperatures at or below freezing (32°F) 1 152 1 119 to 134 94 to 120 # of days per year with rainfall exceeding 2080s +4.2 to 11.6°F +3 to +16% 28 to 79 4 to 38 3to9 5to7 72 to 116 finch 6 6to7 7to8 8to8.5 2 inches 0.6 0.6 to 1 0.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 Source: NYSDEC, Observed and Projected Climate Change in New York State: An Overview (2015); baseline data is 1971-2000 NOAA data 11 Baseline 2020s Temperature 47.5°F +1.8 to 3.87 Precipitation 35 inches -4 to +9% # of days per year with maximum temperature exceeding 90°F 110 115 to 23 95°F Heatwaves # per year 2to7 2to3 2050s +3.6 to 7.1°F +2 to +15% 22 to 47 2to18 3to6 Average duration (days) 14 1 4 to 5 1 5 # of days per year with temperatures at or below freezing (32°F) 1 152 1 119 to 134 94 to 120 # of days per year with rainfall exceeding 2080s +4.2 to 11.6°F +3 to +16% 28 to 79 4 to 38 3to9 5to7 72 to 116 finch 6 6to7 7to8 8to8.5 2 inches 0.6 0.6 to 1 0.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 Source: NYSDEC, Observed and Projected Climate Change in New York State: An Overview (2015); baseline data is 1971-2000 NOAA data 11 The State's changing climate will negatively impact human health, the economy, and the environment. Warmer temperatures could hurt local economies by adversely affecting the ability to create maple syrup, grow apples, produce dairy, and participate in other agricultural activities. Extremely warm temperatures that occur as heat waves (defined as three or more consecutive days with maximum temperatures above 90°F) are a potentially deadly health hazard. These hotter temperatures in the Annual Average Temperature VF) summertime could also impact ecotourism in the region. In o @ TcmpklnS County, NY addition, both more frequent droughts and increased—>o-Ipl,.Inuess nq Ven<,U.3•F,Ue<aJV precipitation are predicted. Droughts hinder agricultural production and impact overall water use, while long, heavy _ "' rains will increase the chances of flash flooding and erosion, which can damage buildings, infrastructure, agriculture, and E 46 undeveloped lands. Lastly, the changing climate will permit the expansion of parasites such as ticks,.which can carry Lyme disease, and invasive species, some of which are harmful to 41 native species, ecosystems, and people. Similar to the national level, records have shown a significant Chart 1 Historical Temperature Change increase in temperature over time. According to the adjacent chart 1, the average temperature has increased by 2 degrees (F) Annual Average Temperature (1) between the years 1980 and 2010. According to the second k To kln, Cnun y, NY chart, if emissions were t high level, the e e to continue at the Curren hi average temperature in Tompkins County is expected to increase by approximately 6 degrees (F), from 48F to 54F between the 50- - > year period between 2020 and 2070 (Source: Climate Smart 2 Farming) -- Addressing Climate Change To avoid facing the worst of these climate change projections, we can take measures to address climate change. These measures Chart 2 Tompkins Temperature Projection fall into two categories: mitigation and adaptation, Mitigation refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation refers to changing our practices to match new or inevitable climate conditions (NASA). Examples of mitigation strategies include reducing energy use by taking actions such as turning off electronics when they are not in use or switching to energy efficient LED lightbulbs; switching to renewable energy sources such as solar or hydro power; reforestation to sustainably capture carbon dioxide emissions; and taking the bus, walking, biking, or carpooling instead of driving (NYS DEC). Examples of adaptation strategies include relocating facilities away from areas prone to flooding, creating cooling centers for people to take shelter in on extremely hot days, and reducing water use during droughts. Using a combination of mitigation and adaptation strategies at the individual, institutional, and municipal levels is important. Climate change cannot be prevented entirely even if humans were to cease greenhouse gas emissions as the greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere will remain there for decades or even centuries (NASA). Therefore, adaptation to a different climate is necessary. However, we can avoid experiencing the worst of the projections by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation strategies so that existing issues will not be exacerbated. Resources and References Climate Smart Farming, Cornell University: htti)://climatesmartfarming.org/ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), What Are Climate and Climate Change? httr)s://www.nasa.eov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-Knows/what-is-climate-change-58.html New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Observed and Projected Climate Change in New York State: An Overview (2015). htto://www.dec.nv.eov/docs/administration odf/climbl<encrra.Ddf Climate Change, htti)://www.dec.nv.aov/enerev/44992.html 12 Section 1: Hydrology 13 WATER BODIES Why Are Water Bodies Important? Waterbodies are resources that not only act as a habitat for aquatic animals, but also are necessary for other species' livelihood, including humans. While much of Upstate New York is gifted with abundant water supplies, it is important to properly maintain and protect these resources in order to maintain a healthy environment. The Town of Dryden, like most inland municipalities contain multiple creeks that flow throughout the town. While Fall Creek is the largest creek that flows through the town, there are other creeks such as Six Mile Creek and Cascadilla Creek which originate in the municipality. In addition to these creeks, the town also contains Dryden Lake which not only contains abundant wildlife but is also used for numerous recreational purposes by the community. How Are Water Bodies Regulated? Federal and state agencies, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps), require permits for activities that might affect or disturb a water body and/or its banks. The stringency of these permits corresponds with the DEC classification assigned to the water body (see Table 2) and may range from a general, or unified, permit to a permit tailored to the specific site and type of work conducted. Regulated activities might include streambank maintenance, construction, flood protection and mitigation, dredging, placing fill, and certain agricultural practices. Commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities that discharge to a water body require a State Pollution Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit. This permit is required for a broad range of activities, including the discharge of wastewater, stormwater, or chemical and thermal emissions from municipal treatment plants, industrial plants, utilities, large subdivisions, apartment complexes, and confined animal feeding operations. Prior to conducting stream -related work or discharging wastewater, the Region 7 Office of the DEC or the Army Corps Buffalo District should be contacted to obtain the necessary approvals and permits. Each of these agencies will automatically forward permit applications to the other, and each agency will contact the applicant if additional permits and/or paperwork are needed. How Are Water Bodies Classified? The DEC has assigned most water bodies within the state a letter based on their existing or expected "best use." The most pristine waters are assigned a classification of AA, while the most degraded waters are assigned a classification of D. Table 2 details these classifications. 14 Table 2: NYSDEC Classifications of Fresh Surface Waters Classes Best Uses D Secondary contact recreation C Fishing Additional classifications of "T" or "TS" can be added if a water body has sufficient amounts of dissolved oxygen to support trout and trout spawning. Water bodies that are designated as "C (T)" or higher (i.e., "C (TS)", "B", or "A") are collectively referred to as "protected streams" and are subject to additional regulations. Water Bodies in the Town of Dryden Any stream classified as AA, A, or B, or C with a standard of T or TS is considered to be a protected stream. All streams and creeks in Dryden are classified as C or better, and a few are classified highly enough to be designated as protected streams due to their importance as drinking water supplies or fish habitat. A NYS Protection of Waters Permit is necessary for the disturbance of the bed or banks of a protected stream and for the excavation of or the placement of fill in protected streams and their adjacent and contiguous marshes and wetlands. Table 3 lists the classifications of some of the major creeks in Dryden. Table 3: Dryden Water Bodies Classifications Classification Six Mile Creek A(T) Salmon Creek C Owego Creek C(T) Owasco Creek C(T) Fall Creek A Cascadilla Creek C(T) Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Resource Mapper Fish resources are a key factor in determining water body classifications because they are high on the food chain in aquatic habitats. As such, fish can be used as an indicator of the overall quality of an aquatic ecosystem. Some fish are highly vulnerable, both directly and indirectly, to changes in their 15 environment. They can be directly affected by physical and chemical changes in the water and indirectly affected when changes in the environment affect their food sources or the temperature and turbidity of their habitat. Reasons to Protect There are many obvious benefits to protecting waterbodies and their surrounding banks/ riparian buffers; with the constantly changing climate conditions it is important to understand the critical role of natural water networks and how they can protect a community. The following is meant to be an incentive to encourage preservation and protection, and thus increase the community's resiliency to future climate related events. As discussed above, waterbodies and their surroundings are fragile and can easily be affected by modifications to their structure. According to the Climate Impact Lab, the average temperature in New York State is projected to increase by 10 degrees (F) over the next 100 years. While Upstate New York might not have to worry much about sea level rise, the significant increase in temperature would not only trigger increasingly fluctuant weather patterns, but also precipitation at higher intensities. These more extreme weather patterns are already apparent throughout Upstate NY, as there has been a noticeable increase in precipitation between 5 -10% every decade since 1960. A study conducted by New York DEC and Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District shows that any stream disturbance/ modification (such as stream bed sediment clearing, removal of vegetation along stream bank, man-made change in stream shape or size, etc.) can eventually lead to heavy erosion both upstream and downstream and thus cause flooding that could have otherwise been avoided. Thus, as communities can expect increased flooding events in the near future, it is important to understand how flooding can easily overwhelm any natural infrastructure that has been disturbed by human activity. While updating and improving infrastructure can help increase a community's safety, preserving waterbodies and their surroundings can be one of the most effective ways to improve a community's resilience. Such resources can be preserved through multiple methods which are detailed in the Implementation Tools section of this document. Maps and Data The map on page 18 shows permanent streams — those that flow year-round - and their protection status in the Town of Dryden. Other maps in this document show intermittent (or seasonal) streams as well, which only flow when they receive water from upstream, groundwater, and/or precipitation. The data for this map comes from the New York State GIS Clearinghouse dataset entitled "Water Qualitv Classifications - NYS," last revised in May 2017. 16 Resources and References Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, http://www.Irb.usace.armv.mil/ Climate Impact Lab http://www.imoactlab.orR/ Delaware County Post -Emergency Stream Intervention : https://www.dec.nv.gov/docs/administration odf/streammnll.pdf New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Regulations, Chapter X: Division of Water, httD://www.dec.nv.gov/regs/2485.html Protection of Waters: Disturbance of the Bed or Banks of a Protected Stream or Other Watercourse, httr)://www.dec.nv.gov/permits/6554.html New York State GIS Clearinghouse, http://gis.ny.gov/ United States Environmental Protection Agency, "Streams," https://archive.ePa.gov/water/archive/web/html/streams.htmI 17 TOWN OF Dryden Streams TOWN OF GROTON PERUVRIE RU -- - - -- - i Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries DrydenRoads Stream Classification -- Not Protected DEC Protected TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles N 2019 Dryden NRI Created CCE -Tompkins W E Date Creaatt ed: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS S Projection: NAD83_New_York—Central_ftUS 18 WATERSHEDS What Is a Watershed? A watershed is the land area that contributes water to a given point, such as a stream or lake. Contributing sources of water for a watershed include (but are not limited to) springs, streams, seeps, ditches, culverts, marshes, wetlands, swamps, and ponds. Eventually, all surface water, some groundwater resources, and precipitation falling within a watershed drain into a single receiving water body such as a stream, river, lake, or wetland. Watersheds exist at various scales within a hierarchical structure. Gullies and ravines trickle into streams, which in turn feed into larger streams or rivers. Each of these water bodies (gully, ravine, stream, etc.) drains its own particular watershed so that larger watersheds are comprised of several smaller watersheds. For example, the Cascadilla Watershed flows into the Cayuga Inlet Watershed which is contained within the Cayuga Lake Watershed. These smaller watersheds are sometimes termed sub -watersheds (the watershed map on page 23 better illustrates the concept of watersheds and sub - watersheds) . While the term watershed is often used interchangeably with "drainage basin", the term drainage basin usually refers to a larger watershed such as the Susquehanna River Drainage Basin or the Lake Ontario Drainage Basin. Why Are Watersheds Important? Land use throughout a watershed (or the commercial, industrial, agricultural, and/or residential activities a land area can support) and the availability of reliable water sources within a watershed are directly related. That is, the land use in a particular area is often determined by the availability of reliable water supplies, and land use is a key determinant of the quality, quantity, and availability of local water resources., Because of this dynamic relationship between water and land use, the characteristics of the entire watershed must be considered when addressing water quality and water quantity issues, including such factors as the amount of impervious surface and effectiveness of local land management practices. Additionally, the critical influence and impact of water on important ecological and economic systems (such as provision of drinking water, flooding, recreation, and future economic growth) make watersheds increasingly common management and planning units. State and federal agencies utilize and look favorably on water -related management and planning processes that also utilize the principles and concepts of watershed management. How are Watersheds Regulated? Though activities within a watershed can greatly influence the ecosystems they contain, many regulations apply to specific waterbodies or wetlands within a watershed and not the watershed itself. Watersheds in the Town of Dryden Dryden has three major watersheds within the municipality; the Fall Creek, Cascadilla Creek, and Six Mile Creek. In addition, there are four other watersheds that comprise of a smaller portion of the municipality; West Branch Owego Creek, Owasco Inlet, Salmon Creek, and East Cayuga Lakeshore South. All of these 19 watersheds drain into the Oswego River Basin, except for the West Branch Owego Creek which drains into the Susquehanna River Basin. Table 4 provides more information on the watersheds in Dryden. Table 4: Watersheds in Dryden Acres Sq. Miles (approx.) Drainage Basin Cascadilla Creek 7599 11.9 Oswego River Basin East Cayuga Lakeshore So. 1570 2.4 Oswego River Basin Fall Creek 135471 55.4 Oswego River Basin Owasco Inlet 2790 4.4 I Oswego River Basin Salmon Creek 193 10.3 Oswego River Basin Six Mile Creek 10139 15.8 I Oswego River Basin West Branch Owego Creek 2612 4.1 Susquehanna River Basin Source(s): Tompkins County Planning Department Watershed Role with Changing Weather As the temperature of Upstate New York increases and extreme weather patterns become more frequent, focusing on protecting and managing watersheds will not only increase resilience, but also protect community health from the harmful runoffs that are a result of increased high-volume precipitation. According to data from the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security, New York's southern -tier and Central region will likely see up to an 80mm increase in precipitation between 2015 and 2050. With the increase in impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and industrial lands, runoff will increase and contaminate the local water networks of waterbodies, increasing the probability of harmful algal bloom (Cayuga Watershed Intermunicipal Organization). While there are programs such as the Routine Monitoring Statewide Program which monitors watershed throughout the state, there are direct actions that local governments can take to protect watersheds in their municipality. According to the NYS Department of State Local Government Handbook, the following are potential actions a local government can take to preserve watersheds/ wetlands: 1) All wetlands that are smaller than 12.4 acres and that are not deemed of `unusual importance,' are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the municipalities where the wetlands are located (ECL §24-0507). 2) Under ECL, §24-0501, a local government may enact a Freshwater Wetlands Protection Law to fully assume jurisdiction over all freshwater wetlands within its jurisdiction from DEC, provided its law is no less protective of wetlands than Article 24 of the ECL and provided that DEC certifies that the municipality is capable of administering the Act. There is also a limited opportunity for counties to assume wetlands jurisdiction if the local government declines. 3) Under ECL, § 24-0509, local governments can now adopt freshwater wetland regulations applying to wetlands already mapped and under the jurisdiction of DEC, provided that the local regulations are more protective of wetlands than the state regulations in effect. No pre -certification by DEC is required. 20 In addition to the above, communities can protect critical waterbodies/ wetlands and thus watersheds though SEQURA by identifying them as unique natural areas; adopt local regulations in the comprehensive plan for stormwater control, ordinances for sediment and erosion control, building and sanitary codes, floodplain regulation, and timber harvesting guidelines or other vegetation removal standards; and frequently monitoring local project processes for regulatory compliance (US EPA). Map and Data The map depicted on page 22 depicts the watersheds located in the Town of Dryden. The data used for the following watershed maps was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Department as well as the New York State GIS Clearinghouse. In addition, the drainage basin information was retrieved from the DEC Watershed Map (htti)s://www.dec.nv.Rov/docs/water pdf/drainagebasins.pdf ) on page 23. Resources and References Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization, http://www.cavugawatershed.org/ Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, http://www.cavuRalake.orgl Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County, Natural Resources, http://ccedutchess.org/environment/natural-resources Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (CUGIR), https://cugir.librarv.cornell.edu/ Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, "Chapter 5: Water Resources of Dutchess County, NY," Natural Resources Inventory, 2010 (originally published in 1985), http://www.co.dutchess.nv.us/CountvGov/Departments/Planning/nrichapfive.pdf NYS Local Government Handbook: https://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/publications/Local_Government_Hand book. pdf Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security: http://www.ccafs-climate.org/data/ State Wetland Managers Association: https://www.aswm.org/ U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Hydrologic Unit Boundaries, https://www.nres.usda.gov/wps/portal/nres/detail/national/technical/nra/nri/?cid=nresl43 013728 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Surf Your Watershed, https://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm Healthy Watersheds Protection, https://www.ei)a.gov/hwo 21 Dryden Watersheds AA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles — — j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Fall Creek DrydenRoads Ka.; >:1 Owasco Inlet — DrydenStreams Salmon Creek 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins WATERSHED Six Mile Creek Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Cascadilla Creek West Branch Owego Creek projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS East Cayuga Lakeshore So. 22 NYS Counties & -- 80 100 DEC Regions 6_ m• Miles SL Reds BASE MAP NYS MAJOR DRAINAGE BASIN NUMBER AND NAME DEC REGIONS �01 LAKE ERIE -NIAGARA RIVER 10 LAKE CHAMPLAIN COUNTY BOUNDARY 02 ALLEGHENY RIVER 11 UPPER HUDSON RIVER TOWN'CITY BOUNDARY _03 LAKE ONTARIOAND MINOR TRIBUTARIES LEGEND _ •f.. DEC REGIONS ...,� . COUNTY BOUNDARY 05 CHEMUNG RIVER —' NYS Major Drainage Basins 0 10 20 40 60 80 100 w,503W — Miles SL Reds BASE MAP NYS MAJOR DRAINAGE BASIN NUMBER AND NAME DEC REGIONS �01 LAKE ERIE -NIAGARA RIVER 10 LAKE CHAMPLAIN COUNTY BOUNDARY 02 ALLEGHENY RIVER 11 UPPER HUDSON RIVER TOWN'CITY BOUNDARY _03 LAKE ONTARIOAND MINOR TRIBUTARIES 12 MOHAWK RIVER O NYS B DIGIT HUC 04 GENESEE RIVER 13 LOWER HUDSON RIVER 02030001 05 CHEMUNG RIVER —' 14 DELAWARE RIVER SauiMaOa 06 SUSQUEHANNA RIVER _j 15 PASSAIC-NEWARK(RAMAPO RIVER) 020200'. 07 SENEGA-ONEIDA-OSWEGO RIVER 16 HOUSATONIC RIVER Sehohode - 108 BLACK RIVER - 17 ATLANTIC OCEAN- LONG ISLAND SOUND 02020007 09 ST. 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I. r 02090200 J.:-,.- -L—Slane Solo ' October 2012 M N WETLANDS What Is a Wetland? Wetlands, according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps), are "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, wet meadows, and similar areas." According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), "Freshwater wetlands are those areas of land and water that support a preponderance of characteristic wetlands plants that out -compete upland plants because of the presence of wetlands hydrology (such as prolonged flooding) or hydric (wet) soils. Freshwater wetlands commonly include marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens." Wetlands such as swamps and marshes are often easily recognizable, but some wetlands, such as forested wetlands and wet meadows, are not obvious because they are dry during part of the year or do not have standing water. Why Are Wetlands Important? Wetlands are critical natural ecosystems and provide a variety of benefits such as: • filtering harmful toxins, nutrients, and sediment from surface runoff; • storing floodwaters and reducing the magnitude of flood events; and • providing valuable habitat for a diverse array of flora and fauna, including many rare, threatened, or endangered species. The recreational uses associated with wetlands are also very diverse and include birdwatching, hunting, and fishing, all of which provide direct economic benefits to local communities. Because wetlands are crucially important both economically and environmentally, they are highly regulated by the Army Corps and the DEC. How Are Wetlands Regulated? The Army Corps regulates wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and issues wetland permits for the placement of fill or dredge materials and the construction of certain structures in waterways (navigable and non -navigable) and wetlands. Disturbances to wetlands must be mitigated in accordance with Army Corps regulations. The Army Corps permit required for activities within a wetland, and the amount of wetlands mitigation required, vary depending on the type of project proposed and the area of wetland impacted. The DEC primarily regulates wetlands that are 12.4 acres (5 hectares) or larger in size under the Freshwater Wetlands Act. It protects smaller wetlands if they are considered to have unusual local importance. For any work occurring within a wetland or within 100 feet of a wetland boundary, the DEC requires that a wetlands permit be obtained. Prior to conducting work in or near a wetland, the Regional DEC office or the Army Corps district office should be contacted to obtain the necessary approvals and permits. Each of these agencies will automatically forward permit applications to the other, and each agency will contact the applicant if 24 additional permits and/or paperwork are needed. If permits are not obtained or wetlands are improperly altered, the Army Corps and the DEC have the authority to levy fines. How Are Wetlands Classified? The DEC classifies and ranks wetlands according to their respective functions, values, and benefits. Of the four classes of wetlands, Class I wetlands are the most valuable and are subject to the most stringent standards. For regulatory purposes, the Army Corps only classifies wetlands as regulated or not regulated based on the presence of wetland hydrology, hydric soils, and hydrophytic vegetation (wetland plants). Wetlands' Role with Climate Change As noted above, wetlands act as a key component to the ecosystem, not just for the municipality, but also for the entire region and watersheds associated with that region. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems that act as a "natural supermarket" for native species, as well as often act as a natural sponge to slow down and distribute flood runoff waters. The importance of wetlands is especially true for much of the developed and or agricultural areas of Upstate NY where the topography is relatively hilly or mountainous and the runoff rates are relatively high. In terms of filtration, wetlands act as a vital resource to prevent contamination of drinking waters. While watertreatment plants deal with direct waste from communities, most rural septic systems do not deal with ditch runoff waters which contain contaminants from roads, agriculture, and even landfills (NYS DEC). Unless this water enters a wetland, it can directly harm and pollute the local water system and resources. One direct effect of this contamination includes algal bloom in waterbodies from heightened nutrient levels (such as phosphates). This ultimately leads to a chain of events triggering public health and environmental issues, as well as direct and indirect negative impacts on local and regional economies. As our climate changes and with increased precipitation, preserving these wetlands will foster protection of both natural and public health. In addition to health concerns, wetlands are a crucial entity to local wildlife. While much of Upstate New York is fortunate to have a great deal of greenery throughout the state, wetlands are known to be the main habitat for the bottom of the food chain, which when affected or modified would create a domino effect for all other species that directly or indirectly rely on that food source (US EPA). This cycle involved dead leaves and other plant debris breaking down, becoming detritus which then feeds small aquatic insects, shellfish and small fish which ultimately are prey to larger aquatic and terrestrial animals. Rather.than the high nutrient water directly entering and contaminating waterbodies, these resources are partially ingested by wildlife and the remainder enters the ground. Thus, it is reasonable to say that wetlands are crucial for all wildlife survival. Unlike waterbodies, wetland borders can be difficult to delineate. The wetland map below therefore can be a useful tool to determine what parcels should and or do not need to be preserved, especially when overlaid and compared with other maps such as the flood or land cover map depicted below on pages 29 and 62, respectively. Because wetlands are fragile ecosystems, a 100 -foot buffer is legally established by the state around each individual wetland. The boundaries are determined based on three factors: 25 existence of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soil type, and standing water. In order to be designated as a wetland, usually two or more of the factors must exist. While the map below may represent existing wetlands, their existence and size can continually fluctuate., especially with climate change. According to the Dryden Natural Resource Conservation Plan, unfortunately there are many small and minor wetlands that exist but are not recognized by the state and thus are not protected (6). Thus, in order to have up to date information, it is necessary for communities to actively be aware of the changing landscape. If a municipal official or community member believes they know of a wetland that is not mapped, the following manual can be used to identify potential new wetlands: httDs://www.dec.nv.aov/docs/wildlife Ddf/fwdelman.Ddf. Even though many wetlands might seem insignificant in size, it is worth considering its role within the environment, as the Dryden NRCP points out they are important natural resources that can easily be damaged by changes in land use and other human caused disturbance. Mapped Wetlands in Dryden While Dryden does not contain many waterbodies, the municipality does have many wetlands, especially in the northern part of the township. The map below depicts the Tompkins County Mapped Wetlands as well as those that are protected by the NYS DEC. According to the Dryden NRCP, due to climate change and increased precipitation, these wetlands are expected to grow and expand over the coming years. Thus, while wetlands tend to fluctuate in size and location, in general, areas that are low- lying can eventually become wetlands. Additionally, as the Town of Dryden continues to develop, additional impervious surfaces will create more runoff, which ultimately can lead to the degradation of existing streams and wetlands (Dryden NRCS). Land use changes, elimination of natural infrastructure and vegetation will eventually lead to the degradation of wetlands. Hence in order to protect these fragile ecosystems, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of existing wetlands and guide land use changes that can protect and improve all wetlands, including those that are not recognized by the DEC. Table 5: Wetlands in Dryden 2015 County -Mapped Wetlands National Wetlands Inventory wetlands NYSDEC Freshwater Wetlands Acres of Wetlands 10533 17 10533 17 2195 3.6% Percent of Municipality In 2015, a data analyst at the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab created more accurate wetlands maps for Tompkins County using 2012 LiDAR data. This data differs from the National Wetlands Inventory data (last updated in 2017) as the National Wetlands Inventory uses different remote sensing imagery to create their maps. However, the NYSDEC Freshwater Wetlands dataset has not been updated for over a decade and does not match up with the wetlands data released in 2015. Therefore, the NYSDEC Freshwater Wetlands dataset does not appear to be an accurate representation of Dryden's wetlands. Because the 2015 County -mapped wetlands appear to be the most accurate and up-to-date representation of wetlands in Dryden, these wetlands are depicted in most maps throughout this inventory. 26 Maps and Data The map on page 29 shows the NYSDEC Freshwater Wetlands, National Wetlands Inventory Wetlands, and 2015 County -mapped wetlands. The map on the following page shows Dryden's wetlands as mapped in 2017 in order to display a map with only the most up-to-date information. All subsequent maps in this document that display wetlands use the 2017 data. The NYSDEC wetlands data is available from the Cornell University Geospatial Information Respiratory(htti3s://cugir.librarv.cornell.edu/). Although the Army Corps and the DEC create and periodically update wetlands maps, these maps are developed for use at a very broad scale (1:200,000) and are best used as an indicator that wetlands are present, and that an on -ground, site-specific investigation by a qualified wetland specialist (Army Corps Engineer, County Soil and Water staff, or private consultant) is warranted. Many wetlands do not appear on wetland maps, so if land appears to be wet, or has typical wetland plants or soils, landowners should call the Army Corps or the DEC prior to altering the land to avoid wetland destruction and possible fines. For questions about wetlands on active farmlands or the Wetlands Reserve Program (which makes payment to landowners for establishing wetland easements on their agricultural property), contact the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ithaca Office. 27 Resources and References Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (CUGIR), httDs://cuizir.librarv.cornell.edu/ Environmental Conservation Aaencv (EPA). Wetlands: httDs://www.er)a.i,�ov/wetlands/whv-are-wetlands- important Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink (1986). Wetlands. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Freshwater Wetlands Permits, http://www.dec.nv.Rov/permits/6058.html Freshwater Wetlands Mapping, http://www.dec.nv.Rov/lands/5124.html Freshwater Wetlands Program, htto://www.dec.nv.aov/lands/4937.html U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program and Permits, htto://www.usace.armv.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Reaulatorv-ProRram- and-Permits/ Buffalo District, htt0://www.Irb.usace.armv.mil/ U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Ithaca Service Center, https://off ices. sc. eRov. usda.,qov/locator/a po?servi ce=action/1/ServiceCenterSu m mare/4/apencvToOff ice Link Wetlands, https://www.nres.usda.izov/wps/portal/nres/main/national/water/wetlands/ Wetlands Reserve Program, httos://www. n res. usda.Rov/wps/Dortal/n res/main/national/programs/easements/wetlands/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory, https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/State- Downloads.html WV z 0 O Dryden Wetlands PERUVILLE RD Rp O 2019 Dryden NRI TOWN OF GROTON Created By: CCE -Tompkins F w Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS o Projection: NAD83_New—York—Central—ftUS SCHOOL so HSOLAIWRO i, ,-RGuSON I FkdGO50N R0_ RD A- 16 D G P> IRION-1 R. J o eHl�. PERUVILLE RD Rp O 0 z F- SO.O. RD DrydenRoads DEC Wetlands National Wetland Inventory/ TC Wetlands Tompkins Co- Municipal Boundaries -S, "SHILL A. A; TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 1 Miles 2019 Dryden NRI 4�N Created By: CCE -Tompkins F w Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS S Projection: NAD83_New—York—Central—ftUS i, ,-RGuSON I FkdGO50N R0_ RD A- D , 10 P> IRION-1 R. eHl�. W. R. k, 0 z F- SO.O. RD DrydenRoads DEC Wetlands National Wetland Inventory/ TC Wetlands Tompkins Co- Municipal Boundaries -S, "SHILL A. A; TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 1 Miles 2019 Dryden NRI 4�N Created By: CCE -Tompkins F w Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS S Projection: NAD83_New—York—Central—ftUS O 0 z 0 R 0 z 9 Dryden Wetlands TOWN OF GROTON TOWN OF CAROLINE 41age of Dryden it -------------------- Sources; Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 i Miles National Welland Inventory/ TC Wetlands N 2019 Dryden NRI -j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries W{� F Created By: CCE Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS S Projection: NAD83—New—York—Gentral—ftUS 30 FLOOD HAZARD AREAS What Are Flood Hazard Areas? Flood Hazard Areas (FHA) are areas that the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has determined to be vulnerable to flooding. See Table 6 for a description of flood event frequencies. Why Are Flood Hazard Areas Important? Flood events are part of natural hydrological and seasonal cycles and may also occur more frequently as the global climate changes. The size and location of the areas, which are typically inundated during flood events, as well as the magnitude of the event, are significantly influenced by the total area of impervious surface (roads, parking lots, etc.) and wetlands within a watershed. Creation of or increases in impervious surfaces, diversion of water off the landscape (to ditches or nearby water bodies), and the loss of wetlands that help store and control floodwaters cause higher volumes and peak flows of storm water runoff. It should also be noted that while floods can cause damage to infrastructure, the economy, and the environment, periodic inundation can benefit the habitat of certain flora and fauna species and add nutrients to agricultural lands located in flood areas. Flood Hazard Areas in Dryden FEMA produces paper Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) to show areas subject to flooding as determined by historic, meteorological, and hydrological data, as well as open space conditions, flood control structures, and land use in the watershed at the time the FEMA study is conducted. These maps delineate Special Flood Hazard Areas, which are areas that "will be inundated by the flood event having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year," commonly referred to as 100 -year or base flood areas. These maps may also include the elevation of the base flood (100 -year flood event), flood insurance risk zones, and areas subject to inundation by a 0.2% -annual -chance or 500 -year flood event, all of which may be used to establish the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) flood insurance premiums. Climate Change in Flood Hazard Areas As most would expect, flood hazard areas are prone to increased risks of flooding over the course of time as weather patterns become more extreme. While Flood Hazard Area maps provided by FEMA can depict a great deal of areas that are threatened by flooding, it is important to note that most these maps and data are outdated, as FEMA does not consider the forecasted changes of climate change. As a result, the maps do not depict all areas that are actually affected by flooding. According to the National Weather Service, with current and forecasted weather patterns in New York State and the region's relatively mountainous characteristics, streams that are only 6 inches deep could easily swell up to 10 feet deep in less than an hour. Additionally, with the fluctuating winter weather patterns, snowmelts can also contribute to serious flooding which could overwhelm streams, ditches and infrastructure that is not built to handle such high quantities of runoff. Such events could thus cause floods in unforeseen areas and lead to damage that is not covered by FEMA's Flood Insurance Program. While there are multiple different approaches to mitigating these type of problems (as listed on page 80), it is up to individual communities to determine which areas might be most affected by extreme weather patterns. The Dryden Natural Resource Conservation Plan also provides methods on how to mitigate flooding on page 7. 31 According to the NYS DEC, flooding events in Upstate NY are expected to increase at a constant rate of 17% every decade. While this increase might sound modest for some, the implications of such increases not only means an overall increase in 100- and 500 -year floods (maps depicted below), but also the geographical expansion of such flooding events. While avoiding such changes might not be possible, acquisition and preservation of these flood hazard areas determined by the community is highly encouraged. As mentioned in the Dryden NRCP, it is worth considering the removal of engineered barriers and avoiding development along floodplains. Finally, forecasting how flooding could expand and affect land not currently designated as flood hazard areas using tools from the Army Corps of Engineers such as the Climate Impact Hydrology and HEC GeoHMS from ESRI could be extremely beneficial. Additional tools and their descriptions can be found at the following links: • Army Corps of Engineers (ACE): htti)s://www.usace.armv.mil/corDsclimate/Public Tools Dev by USACE/ • USACE Hydrology Tools: http://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/ • ESRI Flood Planning: httos://solutions.arcizis.com/local-eovernment/help/flood-DlanninL,/ Maps and Data FEMA publishes the data from paper FIRMS and Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) online as a digital database called the National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL). FEMA also offers Flood Risk Maps (FRM), Flood Risk Reports (FRR), and Flood Risk Databases (FRD) online to help community officials and the general public assess and visualize flood risk. The flood hazard boundary has an effective date of 1985. The age of the base data should be considered when using these maps for planning purposes. The measurement used to estimate the frequency of a flood event can be confusing because a 100 -year flood event is not a flood event that is likely to occur once every 100 years. Rather, it has a one percent chance of occurring or being exceeded during a one-year period, a 10% chance of occurring during a 10 - year period, an 18% chance of occurring in a 20 -year period, and so on. The following table shows the likelihood of occurrence of flood events during specified intervals of time. Table 6: Likelihood of Experiencing at Least One Flood Event Flood In 1 year In 10 years In 20 years In 25 years In 30 years In 50 In 100 Event years years 10 -year 10% 65% 88% 93% 96% 99% 99.99% 25 -year 4% 34% 56% 64% 71% 87% 98% 50 -year 2% 18% 33% 40% 45% 64% 87% 100 -year 1% 10% 18% 22% 26% 39% 63% 500 -year 0.2% 2% 4% 5% 6% 10% 18% Source: Water Courses Vol. 5, Issue 1, Spring 1998. A Newsletter from Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Department of Soil, Crop and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University In the Town of Dryden, there is a significant risk of flooding in the village of Dryden and Freeville, as depicted in the map below. As also mentioned on page 7 of the Dryden MRCS, much of the risk of flooding comes from 32 Fall Creek, and roads such as Lower Creek Road will not be accessible during floods. At the same time, parts of Cascadilla Creek are also prone to flooding and can worsen over time with additional development and higher runoff levels from increased impermeable surfaces. While flood zones are determined based on the probability of the area flooding, it is important to note that with climate change, these 100- and 500 -year floods are expected to increase exponentially over time. According to results published from a studv conducted by researchers from Harvard and MIT, after conducting hundreds of simulated experiments, the group of researchers concluded that floods that are currently categorized as 100 -year floods could, with climate change occur as frequent as every 3 years, while the 500 year floods could occur as frequent as every 25 years, based on data extrapolations between the years 2081 and 2100. These storms which could be as high as a 3 -meter serge flood could easily top current flood walls which are built to withhold up to 1.5 meters. With this in mind, it is important to understand how development will need to change over time to accommodate for the drastic increase in flooding. The flood map data was originally collected from the Cornell University Geospatial Information Respiratory with additional references from the NYS DEC Environmental Resource Mapper. The flood data, according to FEMA, has been updated as of 2015. Resources and References Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) Town of Caroline, Flood Map Service Center, https://msc.fe m a.gov/porta I/sea rch?Ad d ressQu ery=ca rol i n e%20ny#search res u ltsa n ch or National Flood Insurance Program, httos://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program National Weather Service Temperature Map: https://www.weather.gov/current With climate change, today's '100 -year floods' may happen every three to 20 years: Article httijs://Phvs.org/news/2012-02-climate-todav-vear-vears.html 33 Tompkins County 100 Yr. Flood Zones Dryden Streams Dryden Roads ;- 100 Year Flood Zone National Wetland Inventory/ TC Wetlands = Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles N 2019 Dryden NRI y F Created CCE -Tompkins � Date Created: 2!512019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS 3 Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 912 35 AQUIFERS What Is an Aquifer? Aquifers are geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface that store and yield groundwater. One or more aquifers can lie beneath any given point on the Earth's surface; and the location, size, capacity, depth, and flow characteristics of an aquifer are directly related to the geology and hydrology of the particular aquifer and its recharge area. (See definition of recharge area below.) Aquifers are usually described as confined or unconfined. Typically, confined aquifers are covered with, or consist of, less permeable substances such as clay or contiguous shale. Unconfined aquifers consist of unconsolidated materials such as sand and gravel, which allow substances to easily percolate from the surface to the aquifers below. The uppermost boundary of surficial aquifers (those closest to the Earth's surface) is defined by the water table, which is where the spaces in unconsolidated sediments and the openings in bedrock are fully saturated. The spaces between soil and rock particles in the unsaturated zone, located above the water table, are only partially occupied by water. The water table rises and falls depending on the rates of groundwater recharge and discharge, the capacity of the aquifer, the rate of water use by plants on the surface (transpiration), and water withdrawals (Dryden Open Space Inventory). Aquifers can be replenished—or recharged—by the infiltration of precipitation and surface water runoff through soil, as well as by surface water resources such as streams, creeks, wetlands, and floodplains. The land area that contributes to this infiltration is called a recharge area. Recharge areas may replenish aquifers directly beneath them (as in the case of unconfined or surficial aquifers) or they may recharge aquifers far away (as in the case of confined aquifers). Why Are Aquifers Important? Aquifers are an important source of water for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. In New York State, groundwater typically contributes more than half of the total annual flow to local streams and creeks. Because aquifers are replenished by the infiltration of surface water, impervious surfaces (pavement from roads or parking lots, roofs, building footprints, etc.) decrease recharge areas and threaten aquifers by inhibiting infiltration of precipitation and surface water through the soil. Any contaminant contained in or near an aquifer and/or its recharge area may potentially contaminate the aquifer. Potential contaminants include bacteria and pathogens leaching from septic systems; gas, salt, and oil washed from parking lots; fertilizers; pesticides; hazardous or toxic waste spills; and petroleum or oil leaking from underground storage tanks. Some groundwater migrates slowly and can take several years to decades or even centuries to move contaminants from the point of origin to the point of discharge. Once degraded, an aquifer can become unusable, and oftentimes remediation is not technologically or economically feasible. Moreover, because of groundwater and surface water interactions, contamination in an aquifer may eventually contaminate surface water as well. The quantity of water contained within an aquifer and the aquifer's ability to serve as a reliable supply of water must also be considered. Generally, an aquifer's geology, retention, and recharge characteristics 36 determine the quantity of water available. When water is withdrawn at a rate faster than it is recharged, the aquifer can be depleted. Generally, this occurs when too many wells withdraw water from an aquifer. The map below depicting aquafers and abandoned landfills can also be seen as a map that depicts area of concern for contamination. While it can be difficult to track the behavior of aquafers, the locational information depicted on the map can be used to better understand what areas can be preserved and protected to mitigate future contamination of these valuable resources. This is especially important with continuously increasing amounts of runoff from agricultural lands and urban impermeable surfaces which carry contaminants that could be harmful to both the environment and human health. Aquifers in Dryden The process of glaciation and the subsequent deposition of coarse sand and gravel deposits heavily influenced the location, size, and capacity of aquifers in Tompkins County. As a result, several small discontinuous local aquifers in Tompkins County were created that support limited numbers of wells while others supply vast quantities of water. The Town of Dryden is mostly comprised of till and bedrock while there are spans of sand and gravel in the central and southwestern portion of the municipality. There are also other types of aquifers that span throughout the southeastern and northeastern portion of the municipality. There is a major landfill located within the northern portion of the town and some other minor landfills scattered throughout the municipality. Bedrock aquifers (interlayered sandstones, siltstones, and limestones) typically yield much less water than sand and gravel aquifers. Although bedrock aquifers may be sufficient to supply individual residential units and small farms, the water may be heavily mineralized and relatively unreliable. Maps and Data The following surficial aquifer map indicates the general location of aquifers in Dryden as well as abandoned landfills. The data for this map was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Division. Similar datasets containing aquifer data are available from the NYS GIS Clearinghouse under the names "Primary Aquifers - 1:24,000," "New York State Aquifers," and "Unconsolidated Aquifers at 1:250,000." This map is not intended to be used for detailed site evaluations as the determination of precise aquifer locations and characteristics requires additional evaluation. Resources and References Dryden Open Space Inventory (2003—Town of Dryden) http://drvden.nv.us/wp- content/uploads/2019/02/Open-Space-Inventorv-2003.pdf Kraig D. & Miller, T. Geohydrology of the Stratified -Drift Aquifer System in the Lower Sixmile Creek and Willseyville Creek Trough, Tompkins County, New York httos:lloubs.usps.00v/sir/2010/5230/pdf/sir2010- 5230 508 05052011.odf Miller, T.S. (1990). Sand and Gravel Aquifers of Schuyler County, New York. U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey, Water -Resources Investigations Report 90-4073. New York State GIS Clearinghouse, http://gis.ny.gov/ U.S. Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center, Ithaca Program Office, https://nv.water. usgs.gov/a bout/office ithaca.htm I Winter, T.C., J.W. Harvey, 01, Franke and W.M. Malley (1998). Ground Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource. USGS Circular. 37 Dryden Aquifers and Abandoned Landfills TOWN OF GROTON Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Aquifer Type u 5 Sand and gravel- confined Dryden Streams 1 Alluvial S&G- unconfined n 6 S&G- unconfined/confined Dryden Roads 3 Outwash S&G- unconfined 7 Moraine Dump NAME 4 Kame S&G- unconfined n 9 Till and/or bedrock Collins Dump Johnson Road Dump 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Tompkins County Landfill (West Dryden Road) Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Village of Dryden Dump Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 38 Section 2: Geology and Soils 39 SLOPE AND TOPOGRAPHY What Are Slope and Topography? Slope and topography describe the shape and relief of the land. Topography is a measurement of elevation, and slope is the change in that elevation over a certain distance. Topography may be measured with lines that connect points representing the same elevation; these are called topographic contours. Slope is measured by calculating the difference in the elevation from one point to another divided by the lateral distance between those points. Topographic data can also be used to create a model of the land's surface called a digital elevation model (DEM). Why Are Slope and Topography Important? Topography and slope should be considered when drawing up site plans for any construction project and most agricultural activities. Consideration of the slope of the land is important to reduce construction costs, to minimize risks from natural hazards such as flooding and landslides, to reduce erosion, and to minimize the impacts of proposed development on natural resources such as soils, vegetation, and water systems. As described in Flood Hazard Areas, topography can play a major role in the amount of runoff during flash flooding. While there are many different types of topographies throughout the state, much of the Southern -tier is mountainous. This can create extremely dangerous situations for communities located along hillsides or in ravine settings, as runoff water accumulates in low elevations. As described above, flash floods can easily occur in streams and rivers located in valleys/ ravines, even with moderate precipitation. As a result, communities located in these low-lying areas are most likely to be affected by extreme weather patterns. Thus, it is important to consider topography when determining communities that are most vulnerable to flooding. The Map depicting slope and Hydrology on page 44 can be useful in helping determine the behavior of water during flooding and areas that might be prone to extreme runoff and potentially mudslides. Areas that are marked with dark blue and their surroundings are especially an area of concern, as water naturally flows downward and accumulates, thus triggering floods and mudslides. Slope and Topography in Dryden Tompkins County is characterized by diverse topography. Within the county, Dryden also provides diverse topography, mountainous in the south and flat and or rolling in the north. Most of the mountainous regions in the south have streams and or other waterbodies flowing through the crevasse, while the northern portion of the town can be characterized as suitable topography for agriculture. Table 7 summarizes the development potential of land based on its degree of slope. .a Table 7: Development Potential Based on Degree of Slope Degree of Slope 0% to 1% 1% to 3% 3% to 8% 8% to 15% Development Potential Suitable primarily for agriculture that uses flood irrigation unless extensive drainage infrastructure is installed Suitable for most development Suitable for medium -density development Suitable for moderate to low-density residential development as well as pastures, forests, and vineyards 15% to 25% Suitable for low-density residential development as well as pastures, forests, vineyards, and recreational uses Over 25% Recreational uses and open space Sources: Anderson, L.T. (2000). Planning the Built Environment. New York: Routledge, and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Steep Slopes: Guide and Model Regulations (2008). Maps and Data A hillshade map, which visualizes topography, is included on page 42, and a map categorizing steepness of slope is included on page 43. A map showing slope with wetlands overlaid is included on page 34. The hillshade map was produced by Esri, the USGS, and NOAA at a scale of 1:70,000. The slope dataset was derived from the Digital Elevation Model created by the U.S. Geological Survey at a scale of 1:24,000. Resources and References Anderson, L.T. (2000). Planning the Built Environment. New York: Routledge. Fakundiny, R. H., & Albanese, J. R. (2005). New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS). In P. Eisenstadt & L. E. Moss (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Steep Slopes: Guide and Model Regulations (2008), httD://www.lvioc.orR/pdf/SteeoSloi)es.pdf New York State GIS Clearinghouse, http://gis.ny•gov/ U.S. Geological Survey, New York Water Science Center, Ithaca Program Office, https://nv.water. usas. Rov/about/officeithaca. html 41 Dryden Hillshade Map 0 1.25 2.5 5 N — — Miles W P j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries S Dryden Roads Value High : 249 Low: 0 42 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS Dryden Slope Map 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Owasco Inlet Dryden slope N Streams Owego Creek 0%- 1% Cascadilla Creek Salmon Creek 1.1%-3% S East Cayuga Lakeshore South Sixmile Creek °;.'' `;. 3.1%-8% Fall Creek Dryden Roads 8.1%- 15% 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins 15.1%-25% Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS 25.1%-130% Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 43 Dryden Slope with Wetlands Map j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Dryden slope Dryden Roads 0%-I% National Wetland Inventory/ TC Wetlands 1.1%-3% 3.1%-8% 15.1%-25% 25.1%-130% 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles N W E S 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS BEDROCK GEOLOGY What Is Bedrock Geology? Bedrock geology describes the basic rock formations that underlie soils and unconsolidated materials (see Surficial Geology section). Bedrock occasionally protrudes through these materials or may be exposed alongside roads and creek beds. These rocks formed millions of years ago, constitute the foundation of materials and topography in a region. Bedrock is found beneath the soils and may be buried beneath glacial till, composed of rock fragments of various sizes that were released from glaciers as they receded. Why Is Bedrock Geology Important? In some part of New York, the depth to bedrock is relatively shallow, sometimes only 5 to 10 feet below the surface of the soil. Shallow depth to bedrock significantly impacts the location, development, maintenance, and cost of public services, such as sewers, water supply systems, and roads. Construction feasibility and costs for private investments, such as building foundations, septic tanks, and private roads, are partially dependent on the depth to bedrock. Shallow bedrock may also be subject to frost heaving and deformation. Determination of bedrock qualities must be made on a site-specific basis. How Was Bedrock Formed? Approximately 550 million years ago, the land that is now the Town of Dryden and the surrounding region was submerged under an ancient sea. Over the course of 325 million years, layers of sediment (sand, mud, salt, and lime) were deposited on the lake bottom and slowly hardened into beds of sedimentary rocks that we now know as sandstone, shale, and limestone. Bedrock Geology in the Town of Dryden There are three major groupings of bedrock in the Town of Dryden. The formations found within a group are shown in parentheses. The following are listed from oldest to youngest formations: Beers Hill Shale (Dwm): These shale and siltstone are found between 1100 and 1600 feet and is mostly found in the central portion of the town and accounts for around 2% of the land. Cashaqua Shale (Ds): These siltstones and shales can be found between 200 and 1,000 feet in elevation and is the second most common bedrock in Dryden, making up about 42% of the land. Ithaca Formation (Dg): This grouping of limestone, shale, and siltstone is what makes up over half of the land in Dryden, approximately 57%. The New York State Geological Survey has produced a geographic data set of bedrock geology. The Bedrock Geology map was created at a scale of 1:2,500,000 and depicts general locations of various rock formations; it should not be used for any site-specific analyses. For more detail on New York State Bedrock formations, go to the following website: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/data/bedrock.txt 45 Resources and References Fakundiny, R. H., & Albanese, J. R. (2005). New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS). In P. Eisenstadt & L. E. Moss (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. U.S. Geological Survey National Geologic Map Database, httos://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/search New York Water Science Center, Ithaca Program Office, httos://nv.water.us2s.eov/a bout/officeithaca. html Von Englen, O.D. (1961). The Finger Lakes Region: Its Origin and Nature. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. W, Dryden Bedrock TOWN OF GROTON ------- ... �o ULORYMULERD SLAIN RD z u) z I _A&.11. HILL RD UL *b- RD sTOR IF r� e ev 1$, 6 ADIT h10TT-95--' E11% RD t J 0 offir Yie'EL Ryen lIa 0 V hj 01 _01 NAPD F GHsoN RD "'so fo I IGOS ON R6.' % 'Al '11ERAN RD T, IM T9 NqE?NT_RD 0 k O. -3 Nok LOW T 0 36 __"ORO RD, 4 , 44AO. sODOMRO i L r— — — — TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries N Dryden Roads Water Bedrock Type 2019 Dryden NRI S Created By: CCE -Tompkins Beers Hill Shale Date Created: 2/5/2019 Cashaqua Shale Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83—New—York—Central—ftUS Ithaca Formation 47 SURFICIAL GEOLOGY What Is Surficial Geology? Surficial geology describes the rocks and unconsolidated materials that lie between bedrock and the surface of the land. In the Finger Lakes region, glaciers that receded 12,000 to 25,000 years ago deposited these materials. When the glaciers receded, the rock and debris frozen within the ice were left behind in various formations depending upon how fast or slow the glacier receded. These formations contain various sized particles and are classified by the shape of formation, the thickness, and the type and size of particles found. Why Is Surficial Geology Important? Surficial geology is important because the characteristics of materials below the earth's surface influence the feasibility of constructing buildings and roads. Surficial deposits commonly determine soil composition and therefore may affect agricultural viability. This information can also be used to better understand the runoff, as permeability can vary depending geological composition and soil type (discussed in further detail below on page 51). Additionally, while it is important to consider how the geological characteristics can handle flooding, it is also important to consider how different surfaces can be affected by droughts. While Upstate New York is fortunate to not be threatened by water scarcity, that does not mean that the ground is consistently saturated. Thus, as the community develops it is important to preserve and protect as many surfaces that are more permeable and can handle variant weather patterns. The map that depicts soil drainage (page 56) can be a useful tool to determine future land uses. Surficial Geology Deposits in Dryden There are six types of surficial geology deposits in Dryden: Kame Deposits are usually small and irregular in sizes deposited by glaciers and are usually found in valleys. They are usually a mixture of coarse and fine gravel in layers that are usually between 30 and 100 feet thick. Kame Moraines are glacial deposits that can vary in size and are laden with calcareous cement with a thickness between 30 and 100 feet. Lacustrine Sands are composed of particles of similar size. They were stratified when waterbodies were formed from glacial melting. The thickness can vary between 6 and 60 feet in thickness Outwash Sand and Gravel is coarse to fine gravel mixed with sand. Location is restricted to valley bottoms and stream terraces. These deposits are of variable thickness of are well sorted (particles are of similar size) and stratified sand deposits that settled out when lakes were formed by the melting glaciers. Deposits found today range from 6 to 60 feet in thickness 5 to 65 feet. Lacustrine Silt and Clay is generally laminated (layered) silt and clay, deposited in proglacial lakes, generally calcareous, low permeability, potential land instability, with a variable thickness of up to 160 feet. 48 Till deposits are poorly sorted (particles of varying sizes) material of variable texture such as clay, silt - clay, or boulder clay that were deposited beneath the glacial ice. Permeability of these deposits varies with the amount of compaction. Thicknesses vary from 3 to 160 feet. Table 8 summarizes the surficial geology of Dryden, Table 8: Surficial Geology of Dryden Type of Surficial Geology Deposit Percent of Municipality Kame Moraines 14.5% Till 77.2% Lacutrine Silt and Clay 5% Outwash sand and gravel 0.25% Kame Deposits 2% Lacutrine Sand 1.4% Maps and Data The following map shows the surficial geography of the Town of Dryden. The dataset is available from the Tompkins County Open Data Portal under the name "Surficial Geology." Resources and References Fakundiny, R. H., & Albanese, J. R. (2005). New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS). In P. Eisenstadt & L. E. Moss (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. U.S. Geological Survey National Geologic Map Database, https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/search New York Water Science Center, Ithaca Program Office, httos://nv.water.usas.gov/about/officeithaca.html 49 Dryden Surfacial Geology TOWN OF GROTON —N— '�--A NIT - J BMIE auR4 RD ,Q 1 z A�61 z 19 U) --7 JtY \ IF— WEST DR'oEgpo 0 -0� VNKRb —N— '�--A NIT - J Dryden Roads Water RD O "RD--,' .,S MMS HILL -RD. IGUS- HAN RD v TOWN OF CAROLINE F 0 Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Surfaciall Geology Type = Kame Deposits Kame Moraine Lacutrine Sand Lacutrine Silt and Clay Outwash sand and gravel Till 50 Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 1.25 2.5 5 I I Miles S 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/512019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New—York—Central—ftUS ,Q �STi:VFN50N R9 A----- A�61 z --7 JtY \ Dryden Roads Water RD O "RD--,' .,S MMS HILL -RD. IGUS- HAN RD v TOWN OF CAROLINE F 0 Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Surfaciall Geology Type = Kame Deposits Kame Moraine Lacutrine Sand Lacutrine Silt and Clay Outwash sand and gravel Till 50 Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 1.25 2.5 5 I I Miles S 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/512019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New—York—Central—ftUS SOILS What Are Soils? Soil is a mixture of mineral particles, organic matter, water, and air. Soils are often described in terms of their primary texture (e.g., sand, silt, and clay). Why Are Soils Important? Soils affect a variety of human activities from agriculture to the engineering and construction of roads, buildings, and sewage disposal systems. They are critical in determining the productivity and viability of agricultural operations. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) evaluates soils in terms of their capability to support agriculture. These range from Class I soils, which are productive and easy to work, to Class VIII soils, which are not suitable for growing crops, pasture, or trees for profit. Planning boards, elected officials, zoning officers, developers, etc., can use soil maps to identify areas suitable for future development of homes, industry, agriculture, and recreation. For example, a soil map may indicate poorly drained areas, which should not be used for residential development because of the need for costly drainage facilities and because they may be sites of existing or potentially restored wetlands. Soil maps can also be used to assess the likelihood of finding suitable sites for individual, on- site, sewage disposal systems. Classification of Soils NRCS (and its predecessor, the Soil Conservation Service) is the agency responsible for preparation of maps showing soil series containing soils that share common profiles. Soil series are further divided into soil types that share common physical features, general properties that affect the use of the soil, and properties that limit suitability for cultivation. Ontario, Lima, Lansing, Honeoye, and Conesus series soils are frequently used for farming hay, corn, oats, wheat, soy beans, dry beans, some vegetables, and deciduous fruit. Conesus series soils can also be used as dairy pasture and for growing grapes. Wooded areas on these soils support sugar maple, red oak, white oak, American beech, white ash, and black cherry, among other types of trees. Rhinebeck, Niagara, Hudson, Dunkirk, and Collamer series soils can support hay, oats, corn, small grains, small fruits, and some vegetables. These soils can also be used as pasture. Trees that grow well with this soil include sugar maples, red oaks, black cherries, basswood, hickories, and hemlocks. Volusia, Mardin, and Lordstown series soils are often cleared but idle. Much of these soils are reverting to brush and trees. These soils can be used to support silage corn, small grains, hay, and pasture. Some farmers have grown potatoes in this soil on sloping areas. Wooded areas on these soils support sugar maple, beech, white ash, black cherry, and hemlock. Wayland, Palmyra, Howard, and Chenango series soils can support hay, corn, small grains, vegetables, fruits, and nursery stock. Chenango series soils can also be used for growing grapes. All of these soils make good 51 pasturelands. Woodlots on these soils often have sugar maples, red maples, American beech, eastern hemlocks, white pines, and black cherries. Valois Howard Bath series soils are well drained and do not get saturated easily, thus usually used for growing hay, pasture, corn or small grains, that is when the land is level or rolling. Woodlands that are located on this soil series usually have sugar maple, American Beech, red oak, and similar hardwoods. In addition to being evaluated in terms of agricultural viability, soil types have been assessed by the NRCS in terms of their suitability for various types of development. Soil characteristics that are considered in this assessment are depth to seasonal high-water table, depth to bedrock, flood potential, and permeability. Depth to seasonal high-water table affects both building foundation and septic system siting. A seasonal high-water table can cause flooding in basements or cause a septic system to malfunction. A high-water table can also affect the ability of a soil to support weighty structures. Permeability and soil types As described above in Surficial Geology, all surficial characteristics, including soil types can have a major impact on determining the characteristics of flooding as well as the structural stability of the surrounding lands. Soil types also determine land use such as agricultural, urbanized, and conserved lands, which also have major effects on the volume of runoff and thus the contamination of local and regional aquafers, wetlands, and waterbodies. Soils can be broken down into four Hydric Soil Categories (HSC) based on their permeability. The list below was originally retrieved from the Engineering Division of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Technical Release -55 and can be a useful description in determining the characteristics of local soils: NOTE: The following four soil permeability categories are sequential; in other words: permeability = A > B > C > D Group A is sand, loamy sand or sandy loam types of soils. It has low runoff potential and high infiltration rates even when thoroughly wetted. They consist chiefly of deep, well to excessively drained sands or gravels and have a high rate of water transmission. Group B is silt loam or loam. It has a moderate infiltration rate when thoroughly wetted and consists chiefly or moderately deep to deep, moderately well to well drained soils with moderately fine to moderately coarse textures. Group C soils are sandy clay loam. They have low infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted and consist chiefly of soils with a layer that impedes downward movement of water and soils with moderately fine to fine structure. Group D soils are clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay, silty clay or clay. This HSG has the highest runoff potential. They have very low infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted and consist chiefly of clay soils with a high swelling potential, soils with -a permanent high-water table, soils with a claypan or clay layer at or near the surface and shallow soils over nearly impervious material. 52 As for the soil types that exist in the Town of Dryden, the table below shows which soils belong to which Hydrologic Soil Groups: Soil Name Hydrologic Soil Group Ontario- Lim a-Lansing- Honeoye-Cones us A Valois -Howard -Bath B Volusia-Mardin-Lordstown C Wayland-Palmyra-Howard-Chenango A Rhinebeck-Niagara-Hudson-Dunkirk-Collamer C NOTE for Dual Category: The first letter applies to the drained condition/ and the second to the undrained condition. The above can help determine not just the permeability of the soil, but also the characteristics of erosion due to precipitation. Volumes of silt and sand can determine the soil's erosion factor; higher volume of silt and sand means higher erosion, and thus higher possibilities of landslides. With this information, the soil types map on page 55 can be useful when determining what areas are most suitable for development and or conservation. Maps and Data Soils are mapped at various levels of detail, the two most common being general soil maps and soil surveys. General soil maps show soil associations that share a characteristic landscape and pattern of soils. The soils within any one association may be somewhat similar, but they commonly differ in many important characteristics. These maps are suitable for planning large areas such as multi -county regions and large drainage basins. The data used to create this map comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service's Soils Division's U.S. General Soil Map, downloaded in 2015. A summary of soil types in Dryden is included in Table 9. Table 9: Soil Types in Dryden Soil Type Ontario-Lima-Lansing-Honeoye-Conesus 0.04% Valois -Howard -Bath 3.5% Volusia-Mardin-Lordstown 69.62% Wayland-Palmyra-Howard-Chenango 25.02% Rhinebeck-Niagara-Hudson-Dunkirk-Collamer 1.8% Percent of Land in Municipality Soil survey maps are more detailed. The area of soil delineated on these maps can be as small as one or two acres. These maps can be used for planning at the county or municipal level. This soil data is available via the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service's Soils Division. 53 Also included are a map of drainage based on soil type (see page 56), a map of prime agricultural soils (see page 57), and a map of hydric soils. The soil drainage map is derived from the U.S. General Soil Map. The data for the prime agricultural soils and hydric soils were provided by the USDA Soil drainage refers to a soil's ability to retain water and is influenced by soil texture and organic content. The soil drainage map classifies Wayland-Palmyra-Howard-Chenango and Ontario-Lima- Lansing-Honeoye-Conesus as soils that drain well; Valois -Howard -Bath as soils that drain moderately well; and Volusia-Mardin-Lordstown and Rhinebeck-Niagara-Hudson-Dunkirk-Collamer as somewhat poorly drained. Water and urban land are categorized as "somewhat excessively drained." Most of Dryden consists of Volusia-Mardin-Lordstown soil and is thus mostly categorized as somewhat poorly drained. According to the USDA, prime agricultural land "is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is available for these uses." This land is determined based on soil quality, the length of the growing season, and moisture supply. The map of page 57 consists of prime farmland as well as potential prime farm land if drained. As depicted in the map, most prime agricultural lands are located along the creek/ flood zones, and thus can also be a risk to flooding. Lastly, hydric soils are soils that lack oxygen for an extended period of time due to saturation or flooding, such as soils in wetlands. Hydric soils can be naturally or artificially produced. Resources and References Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell Small Farms Program, Soil Drainage, htte://smaIIfarms.cornelI.edu/Dlan- vour-farm/accessing-evaluatinL,-land/evaluatine-land-tutorial/know-vour-soils/soil-drainage/ U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Division Hydric Soils — Introduction, httas://www.nres.usda.Rov/was/portal/nres/detail/soils/use/hvdric/?cid=nresl42D2 053961 Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSDs), httDs://www.nres.usda.eov/wos/DortaI/nres/detail/soils/survev/class/data/?cid=nres142D2 053587 U.S. General Soils Map, httos://Rd2.sc. eeov.usda.eov/GDGOrd er.asox?order=QuickState U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, & Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station. (1965). Soil Survey: Tompkins County, New York (1961 No. 25). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. US Department of Agriculture National Engineering Handbook Par 630 Chapter 7: httos://directives. sc. eRov.usda.Rov/O Den NonWebCon ten t.asnx?content=17757.wba USDA Web Soil Survey: https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx M Dryden General Soil Map TOWN OF GROTON I—' J }_ -, t �iiHLE SCHOOL RU Y 2BGRr� 8 a t LL� I luN`uen HO,\` Z L - - Na, 11 RO I PERUVILLE RD C wGEylAN0.Ro-� (q0 � lEORYNkFE(1 1 / 0 1.25 2.5 Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 5 Miles Soil Type _ _ i Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Ontario-Lima-Lansing-Honeoye-Conesus (s5977) Dryden Roads Rhinebeck-Niagara-Hudson-Dunkirk-Collame r (s5987) Water N Valois -Howard -Bath (s5974) w Ii �J Volusia-Mardin-Lordstown (s5975) 2019 Dryden NRI . Created By: CCE -Tompkins S Wayland-Palmyra-Howard-Chenango (s5983) Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 55 (D z U) z a J 0 Z f - Dryden Soil Drainage TOWN OF GROTON j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Drainage Dryden Roads ! Somewhat poorly drained Water L Moderately well drained sscc Well drained 110 t Sauces: Esn, USGS, NOAH 0 1.25 2.5 5 li Miles 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 215!2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS Dryden Prime Farm Land TOWN OF GROTON PERUVILLE RD S — - -------^'--I -�-"—• /•-,`-----r- _.�..�-^^-�-��-�.w--,-----�Q ''I, �+ "_`-'j'ipP�s�p �\\C� WE ESL4ND-RD '. HLESCHOOL R. �_�E AI ,klOR1MLLE RD� — � tlDN�R1�ItfRD__.__� : 7 � - _ �PE'c P'!• /f ' ' I z Z D---"-_tVrfS7DwY SENT:D -------- I _F2 c'o Z Freev , i��GG�� q„a`}�r-MorraD ^l,- .l; c:/z g NuiuRo .' i— 4 `f — '� t 1`. �(�q eat o -� / 1��`W -��\ \ RF"'[tip• ��^� a - IL �illage'o�``�ryd�n i •� S _ _ Y�J X5 1) ` tw�j l=�_V/hWIV F MPINST', �f-'tfR96EFCa0 ERGUSONRD EHA-R0. � p�9Q �`S hiT P,AbrT RD ,-p1 / CARD RD Q vs. ,I, _ ll LL oI LOW Z J.�� • _P _.'� LISHDLLONrRD� \ _ 1 Y1P�_/f� IN I F — �`- _ 17 ; TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles Dryden Roads N — — j Tompkins Co. Municipal BoundariesW . f / , E Farmland Importance s Prime farmland 2019 Dryden NRI Farmland of statewide importance Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 I Prime farmland if drained Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83—New_York_Central_ftUS 57 Dryden Hydric Soils - --� ••�•` i Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAH 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles — — N WE 0 j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries — — S ---- Dryden Roads 2019 Dryden NRI O Hydric Soils Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 215/2019 Water Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83—New_York_Central—ftUS 58 Section 3: Land Use and Protected Lands wil LAND USE AND LAND COVER What Are Land Use and Land Cover? Land use refers to how humans use the landscape and includes categories such as residential development and agriculture. Land cover refers to the physical cover of the land, whether natural or manmade. These categories range from forests and wetlands to impervious surfaces and cleared fields (Dryden Open Space Inventory). Why Are Land Use and Land Cover Important? The current land use and land cover information enables communities to identify existing land use patterns, and, consequently, make better informed decisions concerning proposed land uses, development suitability analyses, and comprehensive planning. These data provide a static picture of development patterns and may be used as a benchmark for future land use and land cover analyses. In addition to future development patterns, this data may also be used for historical analyses when old data becomes available in Geographic Information System (GIS) format. As previously discussed, due to increasing extreme weather patterns, it is important for a community to carefully plan development and future land use to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to the area. It is also helpful to consider how the land cover will change with the increasing temperatures and how, as a result, land use and development can be affected. According to the USDA, native tree species such as the Sugar Maple are projected to migrate north between now and 2100. In addition to changing species, the density of forests is expected to thin -out over time, causing less ground stability and thus increased potential for landslides. Between 2000 and 2050, the northeast is expected to have an overall decline in forest and cropland by 7 and 6% respectively. While it is not possible to predict exactly how the land cover will change over time, it is possible to forecast change by referring to and cross -comparing current with historical land cover maps. Because land use and land cover can directly be controlled by government, updating land use and zoning laws according to current projections can have a drastic positive impact on both the well-being of the community and environment. Historical Land cover data can be retrieved from the USDA website (httt)s://dataRateway.nres.usda.gov/). The maps below are also useful as they depict the present land uses. As developed and agricultural land uses increase, it is vital to fully understand current land cover characteristics and agricultural lands and identify the changing trends of the municipality. By comparing current land covers and FEMA flood maps, it is possible to see how changing land cover has influenced the behavior of flooding. Also, by overlaying soil types with land cover, it is possible to determine the parcels that should be protected versus those that can potentially be developed without causing disturbance to current wildlife corridors or floodplains. Land Use and Land Cover in Dryden Land use and land cover data from 2015 have been mapped into a single GIS coverage, Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), which form a basis for comprehensive study of the land surface in Tompkins County. Individual classes are grouped into main categories. The data for the Town of Dryden is as follows: Agricultural Districts Agricultural Districts provide the framework to limit unreasonable local regulation on farm practices, to limit public agencies' ability to acquire farmland by eminent domain and to limit the use of public funds of to construct facilities that encourage development of farmland. Also, benefit assessments, special ad valorem levies, or other rates and fees for financing of improvements such as water, sewer or non-farm drainage may not be imposed upon land used in agricultural production and within an New York State Certified Agricultural District (Dryden Open Space Inventory). Participation in this program is voluntary. Much of the eastern side of Dryden is designated as an agricultural district by New York State. Table 10: Land Use and Land Cover by Category Category Percentage of Total Area Including Water Bodies Agriculture 15.3% Barren or Disturbed 0.3% Commercial Inactive Agriculture Industrial, Transportation, and Transmission Public/Institutional Recreation Residential Water Wetlands Vegetative Cover 0.7% 2.8% 1% 0.5% 0.3% 9.3% 2.6% 8.5% 58.3% Percentage of Total Examples of Individual Land Area Classes 15.5% 0.3% 0.7% 3% 1% 0.5% 0.4% 9.3% 8.6% 58.5% Cropland, pastures Vegetation has been cleared but no development Retail stores, offices Agricultural land not in use Utilities, pipelines, highways, railroads Educational facilities, cemeteries, public works Golf courses, ball fields, parks High, medium, and low density residential Natural lakes, ponds NYSDEC or national wetlands Forests, brush Maps and Data The map on page 63 shows land use/land cover in Dryden. Data for this map was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Division and was last updated in 2015. Although the 2015 data is not available online, the 2012 data is available from CUGIR under the name "Land Use and Land Cover. Tompkins County NY 2012." For more information on the Land Use Land Cover Project methodology, contact the Tompkins County Planning Department. Resources and References Cornell Cooperative Extension, ulster.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/farmland-access-protection/agricultural-districts Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (CUGIR), httos://cugir.librarv.cornell.edu/ Cornell University Institute for Resource Information Systems (IRIS), http://iris.css.cornell.edu/index.html Dryden Open Space Inventory (Town of Dryden) http://drvden.nv.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Open-Space- I nventorv-2003.pdf US Department of Agriculture, https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/species-distribution-models 61 Dryden Land Use Land Cover I TOWN OF GROTON 1 PERMLLE RD r / :-'p eiSYb -li _Ci.W�ETIANO.RD-� O /gi —_ HLESCHOMRD_ 1 �,%j M Lt CR'MLLE RD to a o Ct WtSI UH 1�EN ftD t� '% I Lr ' 90� z � -• I - ,, .. F�,sx� .. q�i�on r'' U I+ o r tt �� . ?a .FFRF m ` ttiIE+in -_ rt . 1 lage of rycl n°.% R i IFi' O'6'F I hyQ ST�'Eh1AIN STi R PoI. - M `..: €T RO __-_-- O r'E G. _ - o,__ .l- 11.1LINiDGK RO,i --_\\ •. \ "I F 'Y I bwi E(itC ¢ t �jUSON RD t F RGUSO IR �LL NIQ.G ji Dy C ` l- o , as"oi m HM 1 /•. I � 0 d. - .• •.P-� �,./ �� '` �.J FD RO_r �F�9o-. P2 _nPILCASANT HD �Z- �� a l V S?VENSo4 RD -s. %' I`� PUPVISRDi a LL l.(��lS Hol low-L'q�1 0 1 A i ---------------------- m TOWN OF CAROLINE i Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles — '— N L —.I Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Industrial, Transportation, Transmission -- - --- Dryden Roads PubliGlnsGlutional W E Land Cover Type Recreation Agriculture Residential S Barren or Disturbed Vegetative Cover 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Commercial water Date Created: 2/5/2019 Inactive Agriculture Wetlands Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 62 Dryden Agricultural Districts Dryden Roads j Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Water Dryden Agricultural Dist. 63 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles N W+ - S 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS NATURAL HERITAGE SITES What Is a Natural Heritage Site? A Natural Heritage Site is a point or area representing specific natural resource information documented by the New York Natural Heritage Program. The goal of this program, a joint venture of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) since 1985, is to compile and maintain an up-to-date inventory of the location and status of New York State's rarest animal and plant species and its ecological communities. As of 2017, the Natural Heritage Program monitors the status of 802 rare plant species, 466 rare animal species, and 179 ecological community types in New York State. Why Are Natural Heritage Sites Important? The databases maintained by the New York Natural Heritage Program can assist in identifying threatened or endangered species and ecological communities in Dryden. This knowledge can be incorporated into planning, conservation, and natural resources management to help conserve the plants, animals, and ecological communities that represent the County's natural heritage. Though not a requirement of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the Natural Heritage Program will search its databases upon request for proposed actions subject to SEQRA review. Natural Heritage Sites in Dryden Currently, the Natural Heritage Program database lists one significant ecological community within the town of Dryden. For information concerning the data, or to request site specific information, contact the New York Natural Heritage Program. Maps and Data The map on page 66 shows significant natural communities and rare plants and animals in the Town of Dryden. This data was provided by the following source: New York Natural Heritage Program, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. January 2018. Element Occurrence Spatial Data Set. Albany, New York. Information on the status and distribution of rare and endangered animals and plants, and the best examples of New York State's ecological communities, is collected, stored, and analyzed in databases maintained by the Natural Heritage Program. This information has been assembled from historical records and collections maintained by scientific institutions such as the New York State Museum, and from field surveys by staff from the New York Natural Heritage Program and other scientific groups. Neither site-specific nor comprehensive surveys for rare species and significant natural communities have been conducted for the entire state. Therefore, these data cannot be relied on as a definitive statement of the presence or absence of rare species or significant ecological communities and cannot be substituted for on-site surveys that may be required for environmental assessment. 64 Resources and References New York Natural Heritage Program, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. January 2018. Element Occurrence Spatial Data Set. Albany, New York. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish and Wildlife, htto://www.dec.nv.pov/about/634.html Division of Marine Resources, htto://www.dec.nv.aov/about/796.htmi List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Fish & Wildlife, Species of New York State, htti3://www.dec.nv.gov/animals/7494.html New York Natural Heritage Program, htto://www.dec.nv.aov/animals/29338.html 65 Dryden Natural Heritage Sites t TOWN OF GROTON� Q PERU LLL H0--_..••- Fv I 4, � HLE SCHOOL RU_ _ _ �`�� -� EM+4bO2YV1[4E 80 J n 6U(JS�LA�ttRO � J a RRO Sn:L4R d _ L__-,_-..... I_-..-� -I Wr Tdri'DCN RD to .-� �_ '- Z r..— l� trr� j'1-''it�unn'r.. MorrR re% _ _aztt� WEIMI R4 _._.-...-. '� �: •�R. ,._�. :'_�Rff� �R�y -.. ° �¢ ° a _ I R ilia gejorydfin 0 ° .tr t;,u•[sr= e rsr N ET Jr ql \ QEF.,- pdA /ll J'I) o iRU wra.R, ap� c " FI 'EPSANT RD i L.._4- I e9 1 Iq I i R t 4", -'-iyt4S NOL40'(f-RO �0 SODO-- -- I; TOWN OF CAROLINE Sources: Esn, USGS, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 . Miles -- Dryden Roads WA�'�-E Rich Sloping Fen��?y Rare Plants and Animals S Water 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins _ (Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS R• UNIQUE NATURAL AREAS What Is a Unique Natural Area? Unique Natural Areas (UNAs) are sites with outstanding environmental qualities, as defined by the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council, that are deserving of special attention for preservation and protection UNAs include such natural features as gorges, woods, swamps, fens, cliffs, and streams. They lie on both publicly and privately -owned lands, and anyone wishing to visit a site on private land must obtain permission from the owner or owners. Why Are Unique Natural Areas Important? Unique Natural Areas are recognized because of the outstanding qualities that render them "unique" within Dryden. Often, the characteristics that make a site unique are extremely vulnerable to a wide range of both direct and indirect impacts and may be compromised by disturbing the site. For this reason, the UNA Inventory incorporates an array of data that can be utilized in planning efforts to help identify and mitigate potential impacts to a UNA. What Are the Criteria for a Unique Natural Area? At least one of five criteria must be met to classify an area as a UNA: 1. Important Natural Community: the site includes a state -designated wetland, a designated natural area/preserve, historical botanical/zoological characteristics, important teaching characteristics, an old-growth forest, a plant or animal community type that is rare or scarce in the County, diverse flora or fauna, a birding site, and/or a wilderness character. 2. Quality of Example: the site is considered the best representative, for example, of an ecosystem, plant community, or animal community of high quality within the County. These sites typically contain especially large individuals, dense populations, and/or a particularly diverse mixture of species. 3. Rare or Scarce Plants or Animals: the site contains plant or animal species that have been recognized as rare or scarce at a national, state, or local level; has critical migration, reproductive, or feeding habitat for rare or scarce animal species; and/or has reports of large mammals. 4. Geological Importance: the site includes a rare or outstanding example of geological features or processes and/or a paleontological site. 5. Aesthetic/Cultural Qualities: the site contains acknowledged outstanding natural or scenic beauty as viewed from within or from a distance, has recreational value, is designated as urban greenspace, and/or has cultural/historic/archeological significance. 67 Unique Natural Areas in Dryden The Town of Dryden contains 51 UNAs•amounting to 11412 acres or approximately 18.95% of the total municipal land area. Table 11 provides more information about the UNAs in Dryden. Table 11: Unique Natural Areas in Dryden UNA Name Acres % of municipality Beaver Brook Fens 70.45788 0.116635 Beaver Brook Springs 17.560485 0.029069 Beaver Brook Swamp 140.947872 0.233323 Caswell Road Swamp 88.347131 Cooks Corner Gully 1163.92361 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code DR3) 15.505824 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code GR17) 11.435374 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code TA4) 33.287385 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code TAS) 177.636555 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code TA9) 56.792359 DEC Mapped Wetland (Code WG19) 82.639202 DEC Mapped Wetland (Codes TA2 and 226.626623 TA3) 0.060144 Dryden-Slaterville Fir Tree Swamp 133.695033 Dryden Firehouse Wetland 49.45266 Dryden Lake Outlet Swamp 143.725532 Dryden Lake, Marshes and Swamp 378.853212 Durland Bird Preserve 1437.943631 East Malloryville Tamarack Swamp and 14.825915 Fen 0.146248 0.271356 0.025668 0.01893 0.055103 0.294056 0.094013 0.136799 0.375154 0.055778 0.081863 0.072383 10.627147 0.724964 0.024543 Ellis Hollow Swamp 351.74139 0.582267 Etna Bird Sanctuary (Etna Marsh) 36.332459 0.060144 Etna Swamp 81.385054 0.134723 Fall Creek Road, Moss Seep 2.312618 10.003828 Fall Creek Valley, Ithaca 1254.71063 0.421644 Freeville Fir Tree Swamp 406.67981 0.673211 Fringed Gentian Meadow 177.514696 0.128316 68 Frost Ravine 126.4696 0.209356 Hurd Road Woods 189.524743 0.313736 Malloryville Bog, Swamp, Fens and 60.775593 0.100607 Esker Malloryville Fen 33.969104 0.056232 McLean Preserve and Adjacent 244.135019 0.404137 Wetlands McLean Woods 61.123509 0.101183 Monkey Run 543.703291 0.900037 Mud Creek Swamp 168.709208 0.279278 Mud Creek Woods 40.522371 0.066583 North Malloryville 326.011169 0.539673 Peruton Swamp and Fens 460.630031 0.762519 Pine Woods 466.191971 0.771726 Pleasant Hollow Swamp, North 49.915228 0.082629 Pleasant Hollow Swamp, South 40.3313 0.066764 Polson Preserve and Snyder Hill 646.053556 1.06947 Ringwood Ponds 628.791099 1.04089 Sheldon Road Wetland 120.358457 0.199239 Six Mile Creek Valley, Ithaca 1468.900192 2.43159 Slaterville Wildflower Preserve (old 1109.145943 1.83606 600) Star Stanton Hill 408.341339 0.675961 Thomas Road Wetlands 186.694792 0.309051 Townley Swamp, East 197.361139 0.326708 Townley Swamp, West 196.48636 0.32526 Wood Road Swamp 213.217802 0.352957 Woodwardia Bog 40.079977 0.066348 Wyckoff Swamp 130.738485 0.216422 Total 11412.606666 18.892231 Maps and Data The following map shows the location and names of the 51 UNAs in Dryden. The data for this map was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Division and was last updated in 2017. Information available for each UNA includes the reason for selecting the site, special land use information, adjacent land use data, vulnerability of the site, vegetation cover types, ecological communities, rare, threatened or endangered species, geologic and water features, slope, and soils. This information is available from the Town of Dryden and the Tompkins County Planning Department. Resources and References Dryden Open Space Inventory (2003 —Town of Dryden) httD://drvden.nv.us/wo-content/uDloads/2019/02/0r)en- Spa ce-1 nvento rv-2003. D df Tompkins County Unique Natural Areas, htto://www.tomokinscountvnv.gov/emc/educational-materials 70 Z 0 Z a J 0 Q Z 3 0 H- Dryden Natural Heritage Sites Note: This map's scale is 1:150,000 Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Water — Dryden Roads NAME Beaver Brook Fens U Beaver Brook Springs IBeaver Brook Swamp Caswell Road Swamp Cooks Corner Gully Dryden Firehouse Welland Dryden Lake Outlet Swamp Dryden Lake, Marshes and Swamp Dryden-Slaterville Fir Tree Swamp Durland Bnd Preserve East Mallory4le Tamarack Swamp and Fen Ellis Hollow Swamp 3S, NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles . Etna Bud Sanctuary (Etna Marsh) iPerulon Swamp and Fens Etna Swamp Pine Woods Fall Creek Road, Moss Seep Pleasant Hollow Swamp, North Fall Creek Valley. Ithaca Pleasant Hollow Swamp, South N F—Alle Fu Tree Swamp Polson Preserve and Snyder Hfll Fringed Gentian Meadow ® Ringwood Ponds W R Frost Ravine Sheldon Road Wetland Hurtl Road Woods Six Mde Creek Valley, Ithaca S OMallorywlle Bog, Swamp, Fens and Esker Slaterville WldOower Preserve (old 600) Malloryville Fen Star Stanton Hill McLean Preserve and Adjacent Wetlandsr'.�.'�,.', Thomas Road Wetlands McLean Woods Townley Swamp, East Monkey Run : Townley Swamp, West 2019 Dryden NRI Mud Creek Swamp Wood Road Swamp Created By: CCE -Tompkins Mud Creek Woods Woodward. Bog Date Created: 2/5/2019 North Mallorywlle Wyckolf Swamp Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS 71 PROTECTED OPEN SPACE What Is Protected Open Space? In Tompkins County, some open space is protected by various public and private organizations, namely the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, Cornell University, the National Audubon Society, and the Cayuga Nature Center. Reasons for protecting land range from protection of species and natural resources to preserving land for research. New York State also protects land as State Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Management Areas. Over the years, the Town of Dryden has been quite successful in conserving and protecting open space despite active development and the town's growing population. In total, there are over 10,000 acres of designated protected open space, or 16 private preserves, according to the Dryden NRCS, that are owned and maintained by Cornell University, Cayuga Nature Center, Finger Lakes Land Trust, and the Nature Conservancy. New York State Parks in Dryden New York State owns public lands throughout the state. Because they are owned by the State, all citizens have access to the lands. These lands include state forests, state parks, and wildlife management areas. State forests are managed by the DEC and include reforestation areas, multiple -use areas, unique areas, and state nature and historic preserves. State forests can be used for recreational purposes or for managing ecosystem health and protecting rare, threatened, and endangered species. State parks serve similar purposes but are not limited to forest ecosystems. Parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, primarily for recreation and tourism. These lands often contain outstanding natural or historic resources. Permitted uses, such as hunting, fishing, biking, camping, ATV, and snowmobile and horseback riding, vary from park to park. In the Town of Dryden, there are two major state forests, one state park, and one wildlife management area. Yellow Barn State Forest is a 1289 -acre space that acts as a wildlife sanctuary and recreational land to the local community. The forest is often used by campers, hunters, fishers, and winter recreational vehicles. Hammond Hill State Forest is a 3618 -acre space that is actively used for outdoor recreation. The park is often used by hikers, but is also known for skiing, camping, hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. The park is a significant site for wildlife. Dryden Lake Park is a 106 -acre park that is known for its scenic views and offers bird watching, hiking, boating, and golfing. While the park is relatively small, it provides sanctuary to local wildlife and offers an array of activities to the local community. What Are the Finger Lakes Land Trust/ Nature Conservancy Preserves and Conservation Easements? The Finger Lakes Land Trust and Nature Conservancy Preserves and Conservation Easements are tracts of land protected by a private, non-profit organization, the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT). Each of the FLLT's preserves and conservation easements is monitored by volunteers. Preserves are areas of 72 significant natural resources that are owned outright by the FLLT or Nature Conservancy, while conservation easements are voluntary agreements that allow a landowner to limit the type or amount of development on their property while retaining private ownership of the land. The easement is signed by the landowner, who is the easement donor, and the FLLT or Nature Conservancy, who is the party receiving the easement. Both preserves and easements are managed by the FLLT to or Nature Conservancy to help preserve the natural integrity of the Finger Lakes Region, and, in the case of its nature preserves, for education, research, and quiet forms of recreation, such as hiking and bird watching. Preserves and Conservation Easements in Dryden As mentioned above, there are many preserves that exist within the Town of Dryden. According to the Dryden NRCS, the most important and major preserves that exist in the municipality are the following: • Jim Schug Trail (Dryden Lake Trail): NYS DEC Lands • O.D. Von Engeln Preserve at Malloryville: The Nature Conservancy Lands • Genung Nature Preserve: Municipal Conservation Lands • Etna Nature Preserve: FLTT Nature Preserve • Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary (Eastern half): CU Conserved Lands • Monkey Run Natural Area: CU Conserved Lands • Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve: FLLT Nature Preserve • Roy H. Park Nature Preserve: FLLT Nature Preserve Other conserved/ protected open spaces can be found on the map below on page 75 of this document. Why Are These Preserves, Conservation Easements, Natural Areas, and State Lands Important? Nature preserves, conservation easements, natural areas, and state lands protect important landscapes from development and uses that may damage their natural features. These lands protect key plant and animal species and their habitats, protect watersheds and the quality of water in the area, and provide recreational opportunities to everyone. Most importantly, open space can act as a retention and relief zone for excess water during flood events. They also add economic value to their surrounding areas by providing areas for recreation, enhancing tourism and increasing land values. In addition, they provide important educational opportunities for teaching about botany, natural history, entomology and cultural history. Although municipal governments do not have direct control of these lands, they may be able to use them in their planning efforts to create greenways, biological corridors, and recreational trails. New York State WMAs and Forests are also utilized for logging. Logging in State Forests are monitored by the DEC to ensure that trees of varying sizes and ages are left for future generations. The focus of logging activities in WMAs is to manage habitat and provide a diversity of vegetation types and wildlife species. Maps and Data The map on page 75 shows state parks, nature preserves, archaeological sites, community parks, trails, and municipal parks. This data is available from the Tompkins County Open Data Portal under the name "GenForestPark." 73 For a map of this information, in paper or digital format, contact the Tompkins County Planning Department. For information on Finger Lakes Land Trust Preserves and Conservation Easements, contact the Finger Lakes Land Trust. For information on the Nature Conservancy Preserves, contact the Nature Conservancy. For information on Cornell Natural Areas, contact the Cornell Botanic Gardens Resources and References Cornell University, Cornell Botanic Gardens, Natural Areas, htto://www.cornellbotaniceardens.orR/our- gardens/natural-areas Dryden Open Space Inventory (2003 —Town of Dryden) http://drvden.nv.us/wp-content/uoloads/2019/02/Ooen- Space-Inventorv-2001odf Finger Lakes Land Trust Find a Preserve, http://www.fllt.oriz/learntheland/Dreserves/ About the Finger Lakes Land Trust, http://www.fllt.org/about/ The Nature Conservancy, Places and Preserves, Central & Western New York, httos://www.nature.orR/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/newvork/Diaces-Dreserves/central- western-n ew-vork-preserves.xm I New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Forests, http://www.dec.nv.gov/lands/40672.html Wildlife Management Areas, http://www.dec.nv.gov/outdoor/7768.html New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, htt s: Darks.nv.eov/ 74 Dryden Open Space i DF+ybFN RD - O hIT,L£ASMIT R. A T, Si EVEN. -R0 --x I I �1 0 � SNOLLOW fR � �O. ,,� A I •lam � / L=L J �y z 3 �tiH I Y SDDOh1 RD ;y \ �y�gEVIANarso RQ ,� EMALkO YL'�LtERU'�- n QORVIS vERuwuE a� TOWN OF GROTON TOWN OF CAROLINE ---'-------------'--'-- \ \\ ` Sources: Esri, USGS; NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles — Dryden Road, O Etna Park I Montgomery Park N Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Etna Preserve RD Water Freeville Dryden Trail FPear—N ature Preserve W I: SITE NAME Genung Nature Preserve Peter M Rinaldo Preserve Dryden Lake Trail ( Hammond Hill Slate Forest O Sapsucker Woods 2019 Dryden NRI Dryden Lake Wildlife Mana MaDoryville Fen Preserve Six Mlle Creek Preserve Created By: CCE -Tompkins L J Ellis Hollow Preserve Mill St Playground ST DR ENR.��••�•__I '�-*- Date Created: 215/2019 [—] Ellis Hollow Com.Ctr apt 11 I �I�t�egvlll� 1 LST. TJX/-'iJ_p4R�0A05�_ _ q Ic ` fir!-, � NEItAI RU 0 -_.._..._._ � i DF+ybFN RD - O hIT,L£ASMIT R. A T, Si EVEN. -R0 --x I I �1 0 � SNOLLOW fR � �O. ,,� A I •lam � / L=L J �y z 3 �tiH I Y SDDOh1 RD ;y \ �y�gEVIANarso RQ ,� EMALkO YL'�LtERU'�- n QORVIS Projection: NAD83_New_York _Central_ftUS 75 TOWN OF CAROLINE ---'-------------'--'-- \ \\ ` Sources: Esri, USGS; NOAA 0 1.25 2.5 5 Miles — Dryden Road, O Etna Park I Montgomery Park N Tompkins Co. Municipal Boundaries Etna Preserve Park Nature Preserve Water Freeville Dryden Trail FPear—N ature Preserve W I: SITE NAME Genung Nature Preserve Peter M Rinaldo Preserve Dryden Lake Trail ( Hammond Hill Slate Forest O Sapsucker Woods 2019 Dryden NRI Dryden Lake Wildlife Mana MaDoryville Fen Preserve Six Mlle Creek Preserve Created By: CCE -Tompkins L J Ellis Hollow Preserve Mill St Playground Yellow Barn Stale Forest Date Created: 215/2019 [—] Ellis Hollow Com.Ctr Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York _Central_ftUS 75 SCENIC RESOURCES What is a Scenic Resource? A scenic resource is an "area of intense visual appeal," both natural and human made. In 2007, Tompkins County created an inventory of scenic resources based on public input. This process resulted in categorization of scenic resources into three categories: Distinctive Views, Noteworthy Views, and Characteristic Views. Distinctive views are those that "make a clear, unmistakable impression;" noteworthy views are those that "are worthy of attracting attention and are better than many of the scenic views in the County;" and characteristic views are scenic views that are seen frequently that are characteristic of the County. For further information on these definitions, please refer to the Tompkins County Scenic Resource Inventory which can be found in the resources and information section below. Scenic Resources in Dryden In total, the Town of Dryden contains 111 views which covers 18.7% of the total number of views in the county. Out of those 111 views, the town contains a total of 11 distinctive views and 5 noteworthy views. As noted above, distinctive and noteworthy views are determined to "make a clear, unmistakable impression" on the viewer, and are supposed to be the best views within the Town of Dryden. The featured views are listed below: View D10 is found on the Monkey Run Trail in the Town of Dryden. The photograph is looking SSW and the view is approximately 180° wide. 76 View N12 is found on Turkey Hill Road approximately 0.2 miles from its intersection with Stevenson Road in the Town of Dryden. The photograph is looking WSW and the view is approximately 135° wide. View N15 is found on Route 13 approximately 0.2 miles from its intersection with Gulf Hill Road in the Town of Dryden. The photograph is looking NW and the view is 360° wide. View N13 is found on the Monkey Run Trail in the Town of Dryden. The photograph is looking SSW and the view is approximately 180° wide. 77 View N14 of Dryden Lake is found on West Lake Road approximately 0.2 miles from its intersection with Lake Road in the Town of Dryden. The photograph is looking E and the view is approximately 180° wide. The information and pictures have been retrieved from the Tompkins County Scenic Resource Inventory. For more information on the Scenic Resources and the evaluation methods used, please refer to the document which can be accessed below: http://tompkinscountvnv.gov/files2/pla nning/Natural Agri culture/TCS R%20rep ort%20J a n%2017. pdf Why are Scenic Resources Important? Scenic resources contribute to the day-to-day quality of life of Dryden residents, as well as attract visitors to the area. They are a large part of what makes this region such a beautiful and desirable place to live, work, and visit. Documenting where these resources are makes it easier to protect and manage them. Scenic views can be protected through measures such as zoning ordinances. Maps and Data The map on page 80 shows the locations of Distinctive, Noteworthy, and Characteristic Views in the Town of Dryden, as well as views that were inventoried but did not fall under any of these three categories. Data was provided by the Tompkins County GIS Division Resources and References Tompkins County Protecting Our Scenic Resources (2010), htto://www.tomDkinscountvnv.Rov/files2/Dlanning/nri/documents/ScenicResourcesProtectionDec20lO 000.ndf Scenic Resources, httD://www.tomr)kinscountvnv.gov/DlanninR/nri-scenic resources Tompkins County Scenic Resources Inventory (2007), prepared by Peter J. Smith & Company, Inc., htto://www.tomDkinscountvnv.Rov/files2/olanninR/nri/documents/TCSRrenortJanl7.Ddf 78 Dryden Scenic Resources C s000raso t o a" TOWN OF CAROLINE l Sources: Esri, USGS, NOAA 1.25 2.5 5 Miles View Type Distinot- Vew Noteworthy View -- -- - - Dryden Roads Tompkins Co Municipal Boundaries Nater 79 0 2019 Dryden NRI Created By: CCE -Tompkins Date Created: 2/5/2019 Data Source: CUGIR, USGS Projection: NAD83_New_York_Central_ftUS Implementation Tools Once parcels have been identified, the following tools are meant to help municipal officials implement actions that they believe are necessary to protect the community and environment to prepare for the effects of climate change. While the primary goal of this document is meant to help communities identify potential areas of interest within municipal boundaries, this section is meant to provide supplemental assistance to guide communities towards a more sustainable future. As this NRI is intended and designed for a specific municipality, it is possible to consider parcels on an individual basis. While there is no specific method to identifying specific parcels, having an overview of the general process of a land evaluation can be useful before proceeding. The main activities in a land evaluation are as follows: 1. Initial consultations, concerned with the objectives of the evaluation, and the data and assumptions on which it is to be based 2. Description of the kinds of land use to be considered, and establishment of their requirements 3. Description of land mapping units, and derivation of land qualities 4. Comparison of kinds of land use with the types of land present 5. Economic and social analysis 6. Land suitability classification (qualitative or quantitative) 7. Presentation of the results of the evaluation. List from A Framework for Land Evaluation, 4.2 Assuming that the economic and social analyses are conducted separately, there are many ways to conduct a land suitability analysis. This can be done using the evaluation instruction manual provided by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: htto://www.fao.orL7/docreo/x5310e/x53lOeOO.htm#Contents Once parcels have been evaluated and selected, the following methods could be used to preserve or protect the parcels. Transfer or Purchase of Development Rights When development rights are transferred, the development potential of a site becomes its own good that can be bought and sold by the owner and sold to an individual land owner or developer who wishes to build on another property at higher density that the zoning allows. A transfer of development rights for multiple parcels can also be coupled with cluster zoning ordinance. This would allow for property owners to earn back some of the value of their land that they will forego by not developing it and will accommodate residential or commercial growth without sprawling into properties with ecological or historic significance. Source: httos://www.dos.nv.eov/le/oublications/Transfer of Develooment Rights.Ddf 80 o Advantages: ■ Properties remain on tax rolls ■ The program does not create a financial shortfall for the landowner ■ No direct expenditure of municipal funds to purchase property. o Disadvantages: ■ A transfer of development rights program necessitates ongoing administration and careful oversight Conservation Easement Conservation easements are used to protect wildlife, ecosystems, natural habitats, wetlands, and other valuable ecological resources while maintaining a property's private ownership. As a result, the properties do not have to be purchased outright by a public organization in order to preserve the parcel. Easements would be permanent, legally binding, and would prevent or strictly regulate future development that would occur on the property. This assessment would thus be the compensation to the landowner who would have the monetary loss by conserving his/ her land. If the two parties (land owner and governmental agency) agree upon a price for the easement, the governmental agency would then purchase these rights which would subsequently enforce the agreement made in the easement. Source: httD://www.dec.nv.aov/lands/41156.htmi o Advantages: ■ Straight forward ■ Future modifications that enhance quality or public use do not require the consent of a private owner. ■ Ultimate ownership control of property o Disadvantages: ■ Local government must take direct expenditure ■ Property is removed from tax rolls ■ Acquisition is likely to be subject to public debate Private Acquisition by Non -Profit Conservation Groups Non-profit conservation groups, such as land trusts, can be a vital resource for preserving scenic, historic, and ecological resources. In New York State, 90 land trusts are at work preserving land throughout the state, in both rural and urban areas. Mission based organizations often have extensive experience writing grants, and if their sole mission is acquisition and maintenance, they may be able to expedite the acquisition process through sharp negotiation skills and legal expertise. It will be important for the municipality to be vigilant in vetting the mission of each organization to ensure that the ecological resource will be treated in a way to enhance its quality. Less than fee -simple acquisition is a more common technique used to protect natural resources. The acquisition of conservation easements (through purchase or donation from a willing seller) is used by land trusts and municipalities to restrict the type and amount of development permitted on a particular parcel of land. The Purchase of Development Rights on agricultural lands is an example of a conservation easement program. o Advantages: ■ No direct acquisition expense for the municipality. ■ No direct maintenance expense for the municipality. o Disadvantages: ■ Private Ownership ■ Property removed from tax rolls. 81 • Zoning: Zoning is another useful tool that can be directly used at a municipal level to control development. While much of Upstate New York is underdeveloped, that is likely to change with the increasing population and changing climate. Therefore, utilizing and updating municipal zoning will not only increase resiliency but will lead to more sustainable growth within the region. o Advantages: Property owners maintain the value of their property Properties maintain their historic and ecological significance • Disadvantages: Some developers may forgo development due to stringent review requirements Performance Zoning: Performance zoning is an alternate technique to conventional zoning. While conventional zoning has static standards for designated areas, performance zoning regulates the design and location of development based on land's suitability and geographical orientation. Once the criteria for performance is developed, a municipality can use this as a tool to guide development and protect important natural resources. At the same time, land owners and developers would have greater flexibility to meet their zoning requirements. • Advantages ■ Utilizes existing characteristics of property and conserves energy use. ■ Can be customized based on each property. ■ Can be controlled by municipality to protect specific lands. ■ Encourages mixed use development and in general more variety in use ■ Does not need to be consistently modified • Districts ■ Eliminates districts and a sense of uniformity which can be difficult for a community to handle ■ Could give developer too much authority and power which might create conflicting situations within the community ■ Could potentially be a complex system to manage, especially for municipalities with limited resources and staff. Impact Fee An impact fee is imposed by the municipal government. The fee is for developers who want to build or modify the local land use and thus permanently change the existing landscape. While this can be extremely useful in urban settings, this could also be used in rural communities to protect natural resources. The fees received from the developer could be then used to fix or mitigate any damage caused by the development. • Advantages ■ No cost to municipalities ■ Can be controlled to protect certain areas • Disadvantages ■ Discourages development and investment 82 Sources: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5310e/x5310e05. htm#4.3%20kinds%20of%201 and%20use%20and%20thei r%20. reauirements%20and%201 imitations New York State Division of Local governmental Services: https://www.dos.nv.Rov/lg/publications/Transfer of Development Rights.pdf New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: http://www.dec.nv..Qov/lands/41156.htmi 83 TOWN OF DRYDEN CONSERVATION EASEMENT HANDBOOK Table of Contents Introductions Goals of Conservation Easements Responsibilities New Conservations Easements Monitoring Established Easements Easement Violations Appendix Methods and Selection Criteria for Land Protection and Acquisition Exploratory Observation Report Form Baseline Assessment Report Form Annual Monitoring Inspection Report Form Follow-up Inspection Form General Easement Criteria Introduction Volunteers from the Dryden Conservation Board are responsible for the field visits to monitor Conservation Easements for the Town of Dryden. This document is indented to: • Provide background and guidance for acquiring new conservation easements • Establish a protocol for the initial visit of properties offering easements • Establish a standard for comments of observations supplied to the Planning Department and Town Board on specific suggested restrictions for proposed easements and initial findings • Establish a protocol for annual monitoring and reporting on existing easements Goals of Conservation Easements The purpose of the Town of Dryden entering into conservation easement are to: • Conserve unique or high quality natural areas from future degradation of development • Maintain wildlife corridors and create large contiguous areas of protected lands • Protect rare species or rare ecological communities • Protect surface and ground water resources such as, wetlands, stream corridors, floodplains and similar watershed sensitive areas • Provide open space in populated areas • Accommodate conservation subdivisions • Preserve high quality agricultural lands • Preserve the character of the rural Town of Dryden community • Preserve sites with unique geological or archaeological significance The Conservation Board should be consulted at the early stages of conservation easement negotiations. While the Planning Board and Town Council have the ultimate determination on conservation easements the Conservation Board consists of many members that have educational background and experience with ecological topics. For example, if a property owner requests to retain the right to harvest firewood off the easement land and one goal of the conservation easement is preservation of wildlife habitat, restricting the removal of standing dead trees which provide vital habitat for some species may be appropriate. Amendment requests and interpretation requests from property owners should be directed to the Town Planning Department and the Conservation Board should be asked to comment on these requests. Easements agreements should have a standard structure, which can then be tailored to specifics of a particular property. Easement restrictions should address only the most important issues and eliminate any extraneous restrictions or restrictions that are complex, vague or difficult to monitor and enforce. Resource extraction activates and new building structures generally should be prohibited by the easement agreement. Properties should be surveyed and boundaries posted prior to completion of the conservation easement and property owners shall be required to maintain the boundary posts and markers. This will make annual monitoring easier and collection of initial site characteristics more clear. Protocol for new Conservation Easements • The concept of an easement of a property is initiated by property owner by contacting the Planning Department. • The Planning Department gets initial information on the site location, size of easement being offered and any special restrictions the property owner is or is not in favor of including in the easement. The property owner is told members of the Conservation Board will need to visit the property for an initial site visit. • This information (including property map) is sent to the Conservation Board for review and interested volunteers contact the property owner to set up an initial site visit. It is best if the property owner is present during the visit. • Conservation Board volunteers report backto the Planning department on observations, including perceived ecological value, habitat quality, etc and recommendations for any specific easements restrictions for the particular site outside of the standard easement language. • The Planning Department and the Town Board will then establish a conservation easement with the property owner if they deem it valuable based on the recommendation and information provided by the Conservation Board. • Once an easement contract is in place, Conservation Board volunteers will again arrange a time to visit the site to gather more in depth baseline conditions information. This info will be used as reference for the annual inspections. • Sites of new easements with active construction, planned construction or construction on areas adjacent to existing easements should be visited and monitored to ensure easement restrictions are being adhered to. • All site visit records will be sent to the Planning Department for records retention. Monitoring established easements Conservation easements should be regularly monitored to confirm the maintenance of the conservation agreement, identify any changes to the property and potential violations of the conservation easement. Annual monitoring of the easement properties provides a regular record of changes and activity on the property overtime as well as maintain a positive relationship with the property owner. Annual inspections are important to ensuring the specific land use restrictions of the easement are being upheld and to prevent easement violations. Detecting violations early and correcting them is vital to maintain the integrity and quality of the easement land. Conservation Board members acting as volunteer monitors will maintain a courteous and professional manner while interacting with property owners and inspecting conservation easement lands. Observed violations are not the responsibility of the Conservation Board to enforce. The Planning Department will initiate enforcement with property owners if violations are suspected or directly observed. The Conservation Board volunteers may be asked by the Planning Department to inspect a property once violation corrections have been made by the land owner. Besides annual inspections, construction on areas adjacent to existing easements should be visited and monitored to ensure easement restrictions are not being violated by the nearby construction activity. Inspection Protocol 1. Property owners are contacted by a representative of the Planning Department to notify them of the need to schedule an annual inspection. 2. The Planning Department representative supplies the Conservation Board with information for the site. Conservation Board volunteer inspectors should review all documentation before inspecting the site or contacting the property owner. This will familiarize the Conservation Board monitors with any specific restriction on the particular easement and help estimate how long the inspection may take. 3. The Conservation Board volunteer contacts the property owner to set up an inspection time. Inspections should be done in pairs as a minimum. 4. When doing the inspection Conservation Board monitors will mapthe inspection route, document any changes to the property (positive or negative), document any observations of suspected easement violations and check easement boundary markers. 5. Original data forms and a summary of the inspection will be sent to the Planning Department for follow up. Conservation Board volunteer inspectors will be available to assist Planning Department staff if a violation is found and follow-up is required. The Conservation Board will make recommendations for correction of violations upon request from the Planning Department. Common problems to be aware of during monitoring • Encroachments onto the easement area by adjacent lot owner (i.e., fences, gardens, wood piles, sheds yard waste dumps) • Clearing of trees to expand yards, snowmobile/4 wheeler trails • Vehicular trails or vehicular intrusions • Informal Campsites or other newly established gathering sites APPENDIX Methods and Selection Criteria for Land Protection and Acquisition Exploratory Observation Report Form - data sheet for proposed conservation easement properties Baseline Assessment Form- data sheet to collect initial data on a newly acquired conservation easement Annual Monitoring Inspection Report Form- data sheet for annual inspections of existing conservation easements Follow-up Inspection Form- data sheet for conservation easement violation corrections General Easement Criteria — describe general criteria for conservation easement restrictions Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 1 5/2018 ExWoratory Observation Report This observation report is intended to describe and document existing conditions observed on the easement property and will be used to help Conservation Board make an easement recommendation to the Planning Department. Tax Parcel#: Roads: Acres Under Restriction: Original Grantor and date: Current Land Owner: Name: Phone number: Mailing Address: Additional Contact Person: Name and relation to owner: Phone number: Mailing Address: Observations Date of Inspection: Name of inspectors: Land owner present during inspections: Others accompanying inspection: What are the land types on this property? (i.e., wetland, wooded, old timber plantation, agricultural land, abandoned pasture, etc.) Description What are the dominate plant species or plant communities? Description What wildlife species are observed or suspected to be present? Description Does the property have portions with significant slopes, estimated greater than 15%? Description Have the recent uses been restricted to compatible outdoor recreational activities such as walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, nature study and observation, swimming, hunting, fishing, and biking; sustainable forest management; and low impact research or educational activities. Description if No Has there been any use of motor vehicles that would likely not be permitted in future agreement? Description if Yes Has there been any installation of buildings, structures, or other improvements anywhere on the property that should be suggested to be removed prior to an easement agreement? Description if Yes Have there been any restoration or enhancement projects? Are any restoration projects needed to restore or protect the natural resource value of the property? Description if Yes/No Is this land used for agriculture? If so are the agricultural activities and land uses limited to those that would allowed in a Conservation easement agreement? Description if Yes/No If applicable, are forest management activities limited to those that would be permitted in a Conservation Agreement? Description if No Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 1 5/2018 Is there any evidence of the storage, dumping, burial, or burning of trash, garbage, including vehicles, trailers, boats, household appliances, agricultural or other equipment, construction materials, oil, chemicals, hazardous materials, or other debris or substances anywhere on the property, except for plant or animal materials that are not within 100 feet of any stream, wetland, or other natural waterbody, as per the Agreement? Description if Yes Is there any evidence that activity on adjacent properties will have negative "spill over" effect on the property? ie stormwater run-off, waste dumping, use of motorized vehicles, etc. Description if Yes To what extent are invasive species present throughout the property? What species, Where? Mark location on Map Description if present Is the property adjacent to other sensitive or currently protected lands? Description if Yes Attach property map showing approximate route of inspection tour Were photographs taken of observations? Attach photos with labels and a short description to this report. Place number of photo location on map. Recommended potential easement agreement Suggested special stipulations of Easement Agreement Name of persons conducting the inspection: Phone number: Email: Signature .............................................................................. Date: Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 1 5/2018 Baseline Observation Report This observation report is intended to describe and document existing conditions observed on the easement property and will be used to help Conservation Board make baseline documentation of conditions on a property. Tax Parcel#: Roads: Acres Under Restriction: Original Grantor and date: Current Land Owner: Name: Phone number: Mailing Address: Additional Contact Person: Name and relation to owner: Phone number: Mailing Address: Observations Date of Inspection: Name of inspectors: Land owner present during inspections: Others accompanying inspection: Are property boundary markers present and in good condition? What are the land types on this property? (i.e., wetland, wooded, old timber plantation, agricultural land, abandoned pasture, etc.) Description What are the dominate plant species or plant communities? Description What wildlife species are observed or suspected to be present? Description Does the property have portions with significant slopes, estimated greater than 15%? Where are they located on the property? Place markers on property map. Description Have the recent uses been restricted to compatible outdoor recreational activities such as walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, nature study and observation, swimming, hunting, fishing, and biking; sustainable forest management; and low impact research or educational activities? Description if No Has there been any recent use of motor vehicles that are not permitted in the Conservation Easement agreement? Description if Yes Are there any installation of buildings, structures, or other improvements anywhere on the property that are approved to remain as part of the easement agreement? Description if Yes Have there been any recent restoration or enhancement projects? Are there any ongoing projects planned? Description Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 1 5/2018 Is this land used for agriculture? If so, are the observed agricultural activities and land uses limited to those that are allowed in a Conservation easement agreement? Description If applicable, are recent forest management activities limited to those permitted in a Conservation Agreement? Description if No Is there any evidence of the storage, dumping, burial, or burning of trash, garbage, including vehicles, trailers, boats, household appliances, agricultural or other equipment, construction materials, oil, chemicals, hazardous materials, or other debris or substances anywhere on the property, except for plant or animal materials that are not within 100 feet of any stream, wetland, or other natural waterbody, as per the easement agreement? Description if Yes Is there any evidence that activity on adjacent properties will have negative "spill over" effect on the property that should be monitored in future inspections? i.e., stormwater run-off, waste dumping, use of motorized vehicles, etc. Description if Yes To what extent are invasive species present throughout the property? What species, where? Mark on map. Description Is the property adjacent to other sensitive or currently protected lands? Description Attach property map showing approximate route of inspection tour Were photographs taken of observations? Attach photos with labels and a short description to this report. Place number of photo location on map. Recommended follow-up actions Reminders for next monitoring inspection Name of persons conducting the inspection: Phone number: Email: Signature ................................................................................... Date: Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 1 5/2018 Annual Monitorinu Inspection Report This observation report is intended to describe and document changes observed on the easement property and does not render any opinion as to whether or not any of the observations conflict with the terms of the easement. Tax Parcel#: Roads: Acres Under Restriction: Original Grantor and date: Current Land Owner: Name: Phone number: Mailing Address: Additional Contact Person: Name and relation to owner: Phone number: Mailing Address: Observations Date of Inspection: Name of inspectors: Land owner present during inspections: Others accompanying inspection: Are there any previous observations of violations or special circumstances that inspections should be aware of? Description Are property boundary markers present and well maintained? Description Have the uses been restricted to compatible outdoor recreational activities such as walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, nature study and observation, swimming, hunting, fishing, and biking; sustainable forest management; and low impact research or educational activities. Description if No Has there been any use of motor vehicles not permitted in the agreement? Description if Yes Has there been any installation of buildings, structures, or other improvements anywhere on the Property except as originally present or permitted by the agreement? Are there any structures that has fallen into disuse and disrepair and should be removed? Description if Yes Have there been any restoration or enhancement projects? Have these received prior permission? Description if Yes/No Is this land used for agriculture? If so are the agricultural activities and land uses limited to those permitted below in the agreement. Description if Yes/No If applicable, are forest management activities limited to those permitted in the Agreement. Description if No Is there any evidence of the storage, dumping, burial, or burning of trash, garbage, including vehicles, trailers, boats, household appliances, agricultural or other equipment, construction materials, oil, chemicals, hazardous materials, or other debris or substances anywhere on the Property, except for plant or animal materials that are not within 100 feet of any stream, wetland, or other natural waterbody, as per the Agreement? Description if Yes Has there been any alteration of the topography of the Property? If so was it for special habitat creation or restoration projects or for permitted protection of the property from erosion? If Yes, were changes from natural causes out of property owners control? Description if Yes Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 15/2018 Has there been any extraction of mineral resources from the property? Description if Yes Attach property map showing approximate route of inspection tour. Were photographs taken of observations? Attach photos with labels and a short description to this report. Place number of photo location on map. Recommended follow-up actions Reminders for next monitoring visit Name of persons conducting the inspection: Phone number: Email: Signature ................................................................................... Date: Town of Dryden - Conservation Easement Evaluation Criteria V 15/2018 Violation Follow- Up Inspection Report This observation report is intended to describe and document existing conditions observed on the easement property and will be used to help Conservation Board make an easement recommendation to the Planning Department. Tax Parcel#: Roads: Acres Under Restriction: Original Grantor and date: Current Land Owner: Name: Phone number: Mailing Address: Additional Contact Person: Name and relation to owner: Phone number: Mailing Address: Description of the previously observed violation. Description of the recommended corrective action Description of observed corrected actions taken. Does corrective actions adequately resolve violation? Date of Inspection: Name of inspectors: Land owner present during inspections: Others accompanying inspection: Are additional inspection or actions required? Attach property map showing approximate route of inspection tour Were photographs taken of observations? Attach photos with labels and a short description to this report. Place number of photo location on map. Name of persons conducting the inspection: Phone number: Email: Signature ................................................................................... Date: CONSERVATION EASEMENT EVALUATION CRITERIA These guidelines are for the purpose of evaluating the status of any Property on which the Town Of Dryden holds a conservation easement. Inspections should be conducted on an annual basis. This document may also be used, with additional notes as needed, to describe the initial state of the property at the time that the Conservation Easement � goes into force. The following are tvpical terms incorporated in the CEs. When conducting evaluations use the specific terms in the individual CE as signed and recorded for each property. Article I. Rights and Duties of the Holder The Right to Inspection The Holder has the right and duty to protect and maintain the Conservation Values on the Property by administering and enforcing the purpose, terms, restrictions, limitations, and provisions set forth in this Conservation Easement. Specifically, the Holder retains the right to enter the Property to inspect and monitor the condition and uses of the Property, to investigate a suspected, alleged, or threatened violation of the Easement. Article II. Use of the Property (A) Compatible Uses Permitted compatible activities and uses include outdoor recreational activities such as walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, nature study and observation, swimming, hunting, fishing, and biking; sustainable forest management; and low impact research or educational activities. Sustainable land management practices are those that provide goods and services without degrading or perceivably diminishing productivity and environmental resource values at the site over time. (B) Motor Vehicles The use of motor vehicles on the Property shall be only for customary purposes such as access and inspection of the Property, and emergency access for vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances; and for purposes and activities specifically permitted according to this Easement, such as the construction and maintenance of any permitted structures and improvements and conducting permitted agricultural and forest management activities. Article III. Structures and Improvements 1 General Prohibition The placement, construction, or storage of buildings, structures, or other improvements anywhere on the Property is prohibited, except as permitted below. 2 Permitted Structures The structures and improvements listed below are permitted provided that such activities are limited in scope, frequency, and intensity, do not cause sedimentation or pollution of any stream or wetland, are undertaken in a manner consistent with the purpose and terms of this Conservation Easement, and the character of the natural habitat is not altered or diminished. (A) Improved Access Roads and Parking Areas Owner may maintain any existing improved access roads or parking areas on the Property. Owner may construct new improved access roads or parking areas only with approval and specific requirements therein. Improved access roads are those roads or paths that are graded and/or improved with shale, gravel, stone, or other surface material, and which may also have associated ditches, culverts, or bridges. (B) Recreational Trails and Unimproved Access Lanes Owner may maintain existing recreational trails and unimproved access lanes on the Property, and create new foot paths, cross-country ski trails, horse trails, snowmobile trails or unimproved access lanes anywhere on the Property, without prior approval of Holder, provided that any such trails and access lanes are located, constructed, and maintained in a manner that is compatible with the natural and aesthetic characteristics of the Property, and avoid or minimize erosion or other adverse effects to the Conservation Values. Unimproved access lanes are those dirt or grass pathways that might be used by slow-moving motor vehicles to access the Property, but which are not graded or improved with shale, gravel, stone, pavement, or other surface material. Recreational trails, paths, and unimproved access lanes may not be converted to an improved road or otherwise graded or improved with shale, gravel, or other material unless such conversion or improvement is in accordance with prior written approval. (C) Recreational Structures Certain recreational structures are compatible with the purpose of this Easement and may be placed anywhere on the Property without prior approval of Holder, provided that such structures are small, non -habitable, predominantly made of wood or other materials that blend in with the natural surroundings. Examples of such recreational structures include bird houses or feeders; benches; picnic tables; hunting tree -stands; wildlife viewing ground -blinds; wildlife viewing platforms, and footbridges. (D) Forest Management Structures and Improvements Structures and improvements (whether temporary or permanent) related to permitted forest management activities, such as improved access roads, bridges, culverts, water bars, gates, log landings, and fencing to exclude deer or for other purpose around an area larger than one (1) acre may be constructed and maintained on the Property only in accordance with an approved Forest Management Plan. The use of tubes or wire mesh to protect individual tree seedlings or saplings, and the use of fencing to exclude deer from an area smaller than one (1) acre, does not require prior written approval of Holder. (E) Research Devices and Equipment The placement of scientific devices or equipment for the purpose of conducting scientific research, gathering data, or documenting conditions on the Property, whether temporary or permanent, shall require the prior written approval of Holder only if such devices or equipment have the potential to disrupt wildlife or habitat, or otherwise impair the Conservation Values of the Property. (F) Miscellaneous Structures Other miscellaneous small, movable/removable structures or improvements of a de minimus nature and which would not harm or diminish the Conservation Values of the Property or conflict with the purpose of the Conservation Easement may be permitted on the Property on a case by case basis with prior written approval of Holder. 3 Special Protections (A) Restoration or Enhancement Projects Holder may grant prior written approval for certain structures, improvements, or work activities specifically related to the protection, maintenance, improvement, enhancement, or restoration of the Conservation Values on the Property. For example, such structures, improvements, or activities might be permitted for purposes such as wetland restoration and grassland management. (B) Abandoned and Relocated Structures and Improvements Holder retains the right to require Owner to remove any structure or improvement, or remnants thereof, that has fallen into disuse and disrepair, or that has been damaged by fire or natural disaster and has been abandoned by Owner without plans for replacement or repair. Owner is obligated to restore any site formerly occupied by a structure or other improvement that has been removed or relocated to an open, vegetated condition, and Holder may require grading and seeding of such sites as necessary. Article IV. Agriculture 1 General Prohibition Agricultural activities and land uses are permitted on lands so designated and limited to those permitted below in this Article, provided that the intensity or frequency of any one or more activities or land uses do not adversely affect the Conservation Values of the Property. 2 Permitted Uses and Activities (A) The Owner may keep agricultural livestock in accordance with Best Agricultural Practices. (B) Owner may keep bees and collect maple sap or other natural forest products anywhere on the Property without prior approval of Holder. (C) Owner may maintain and mow fields and meadows; (D) Owner may cut and remove shrubs and trees to maintain fields, reclaim former fields or manage hedgerows provided that the removal of said vegetation is done in a manner that does not diminish or impair the water quality or Conservation Values of the Property; (E) In addition to agricultural crops the Owner may plant trees, shrubs, or other vegetation; provided that the plants are of a variety native to this area, and further provided that it is not done with the intent to harvest such plants for a pecuniary purpose; (F) The Owner must provide for the protection and minimal disturbance of any steep slopes, watercourses, wetlands, and riparian area, and address the prevention of soil loss or erosion, and the prevention or mitigation of non -point source pollution runoff. Article V. Forest Management 1 General Prohibition. Forest management activities are limited to those permitted below in this Article, provided that the intensity or frequency of those activities does not diminish or adversely affect the forest- related Conservation Values on the Property. The purposeful introduction of non-native species on the Property is permitted only with prior approval of the Holder. 2 Permitted Uses and Activities The forest management activities listed below are permitted throughout the Property, without prior approval of Holder, provided that such activities are limited in scope, frequency, and intensity, do not cause sedimentation or pollution of any stream or wetland, are undertaken in a manner consistent with the purpose and terms of this Conservation Easement, and the character of the natural habitat is not altered or diminished. (A) Protection of Personal Property or Safety The cutting or removal of trees, alive or dead, to protect buildings, structures, or other significant personal property on the Property is permitted. (B) Non -Native, Invasive Species The killing, control, or removal of non-native, invasive species is permitted. Non-native vegetation may be planted solely with prior approval of Holder. (C) Collection of Non -Wood Forest Products The collection of non -wood forest products such as maple sap, nuts, berries, honey and mushrooms is permitted. (D) Collection of Wood Products for Personal Use and Small Scale Forest. Stand Improvement Owner may cut trees, dead or alive, for firewood or for personal, non-commercial use only, and which shall be limited to a sustained -yield basis. In addition, Owner may trim, prune, or selectively cut individual trees for the purpose of improving the health, vitality, or productivity of individual trees or stands of trees, or to enhance wildlife habitat provided that said cutting results in forest clearings of no more than 50 feet in diameter. 3 Forest Stand or Habitat Improvement Forest stand or habitat improvement activities that exceed the intended limitations, scope, and nature of the small-scale forest stand or habitat improvement activities, including the opening of forest patches, or clearings more than fifty (50) feet in diameter, may only be conducted in accordance with a Forest Management Plan. 4 Cutting or Clearing to Exercise Other Reserved Rights Owner may trim or cut trees and brush, dead or alive, for the purpose of exercising other reserved rights retained in this Conservation Easement, such as for the clearing of recreational trails. 5 Cutting or Clearing for Commercial or Agricultural Purposes Owner may plant, cut, and manage trees and shrubs to maintain or reclaim fields as per a submitted plan based on sustainable forestry practices including the maintenance or improvement of soil productivity, water quality, timber and forest product value, wildlife habitat, unique or sensitive natural areas, non -motorized outdoor recreation, and aesthetics and specifically address safeguards and provide for the protection and minimal disturbance of any steep slopes, watercourses, wetlands, and riparian areas. Article VI. Dumping; Disposal and Storage of Debris and Wastes 1 General Prohibition The storage, dumping, burial, or burning of trash, garbage, vehicles, trailers, boats, household appliances, agricultural or other equipment, construction materials, oil, chemicals, hazardous materials, or other debris or substances anywhere on the Property is prohibited, except as permitted below. 2 Permitted Uses and Activities Plant or animal materials generated on the Property may be disposed of on the Property, provided that the intensity or frequency of the activity or use does not adversely affect the Conservation Values, and is not within one hundred (100) feet of any stream, wetland, or other natural waterbody. This right includes the production of compost for use on the Property, the piling, scattering, or burning of brush and other vegetation to the extent reasonably necessary to accommodate permitted agricultural, forestry, and landscaping activities, and the occasional burial of animals. Article VII. Alteration of Topography 1 General Prohibition Alteration of the topography of the Property is prohibited, except as may be permitted according to an approved Agricultural Management Plan or Forest Management Plan, as may be required to construct or maintain a structure or other improvement permitted according to this Easement, or as permitted below in this Article. 2 Best Management Practices Any permitted activity that alters the topography of the Property, or has the potential to cause erosion, including agricultural, forest management, construction of buildings or other improvements, and other activities permitted by this Easement, must be conducted in a way that avoids or minimizes erosion, or the potential for erosion, and other negative environmental impacts. Such environmental protection is achieved through the use and employment of Best Management Practices (BMP's), which are methods, procedures, devices, guidelines, and/or minimum standards that are designed and used for the purpose of preventing or minimizing erosion, run-off, pollution, habitat destruction, pathogens, noise, or other negative environmental impacts that can occur from conducting activities that can disturb soil or other natural resources. 3 Ponds Owner may maintain any existing ponds on the Property, including the storm water retainage ponds. Owner may create and maintain new ponds provided that such activities do not cause significant sedimentation or pollution of any natural surface or subsurface waters on or off of the Property, and only with the prior written approval of Holder. 4 Special Habitat Creation or Restoration Projects Certain activities or projects that would alter the topography of the Property may be conducted for specific purposes that seek to protect, enhance, or restore Conservation Values on the Property, such as the creation, restoration, or manipulation of wetlands, or the stabilization or restoration of a streambank or other erosion site. Any such activity or project may only be conducted with the prior written approval of Holder. 5 Agricultural Drainage and Soil Control Owner may alter the natural flow of water over the Property to improve the drainage of soils, reduce soil erosion, or improve the forest management potential of the Property, provided such alteration is consistent with sound agricultural practices. Article VIII. Mineral Resources 1 General Prohibition Extraction of mineral resources from the Property, including the mining, drilling, excavation or any other surface development of the property to extract, store, or transport mineral resources, including soil, sand, salt, gravel, rock, sod, oil, coal, or natural gas from the Property is expressly prohibited.