HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB 2024-12-17CB 2024-12-17
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CONSERVATION BOARD
December 17, 2024
Hybrid
Present: Gian Dodici (chair), Anne Clark, Jeanne Grace, Kate McKee (alternate), Andrew
Miller, Nancy Munkenbeck, Craig Schutt
Absent: Steve Bissen, Naomi Cator -Szymanski, Tim Woods
Liaisons: *Spring Buck (Town Board)
Staff: Loren Sparling (Deputy Town Clerk)
The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m.
Review and Acceptance of Minutes from October 29, 2024
L Sparling revised the draft minutes to incorporate a suggestion made by G Dodici.
RESOLUTION – ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 29, 2024
C Schutt offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
RESOLVED, that the Conservation Board of the Town of Dryden hereby accepts the
meeting minutes of October 29, 2024, as amended.
2nd A Miller
Roll Call Vote G Dodici Yes
A Clark Yes
J Grace Yes
K McKee Yes
A Miller Yes
N Munkenbeck Yes
C Schutt Yes
Report: Agriculture Advisory Committee
C Schutt reported that the Ag Committee met last week and discussed potential topics
that they might work on in the coming year. Prime among these is the zoning update, as the
Committee wants to ensure that agriculture is properly represented throughout this process.
As to the update, L Sparling informed Board members that the consultant has
submitted their audit report to the Town. This is currently under consideration by the Planning
Board, who are looking at next steps.
Report: Climate Smart Communities Task Force
A Clark reported via email that there was no meeting of the Climate Smart Communities
Task Force this month and thus no report.
Report: Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council (OLWMC)
A Clark reported that a talk was delivered at the meeting today by some ESF folks who
have been monitoring certain Owasco Lake tributaries for signs of chemical input. They hope to
set up good monitoring systems, including flow monitoring, for all of its tributaries, but they
need money to do that. They are also undertaking analysis of the datasets they have amassed
thus far.
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The Town could do something similar in certain of its locales, going so far as to monitor
the chemical input into the larger ditches to explain what is being seen in the tributaries. ESF
might be interested in such a project. A Clark is hopeful that ESF can get some money to set
up some real long-term monitoring of the health of the lakes. One of the biggest datasets that
they don’t have currently is flow rates, so while they have concentrations, they cannot really
tell which inputs are most important.
New Business: Cargill’s Permit Resolution
An email seeking input on Cargill Incorporated’s permit application for the Cayuga Salt
Mine was sent out to various boards this morning from Town Board member Leonardo Vargas-
Mendez. S Buck explained that Cargill wants to flood a portion of its abandoned mine beneath
Cayuga Lake with wastewater, potentially impacting the surrounding environment and
community. Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) (cleancayugalake.org), an
independent advocacy group that is working to protect Cayuga Lake, is calling for the DEC to
deny this permit application and has provided area municipalities with a template resolution
for them to consider adopting in support. It would be helpful for the Town Board to know how
the Conservation Board feels about this in general and the specific language used in the
template resolution so as to guide their thinking at the first Town Board meeting in January.
Given that comments are due to the DEC by mid-January , Board members reviewed the
language of the template resolution and felt that it was straightforward and level-headed.
RESOLUTION THAT THE TOWN BOARD PASS A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEC TO
DENY CARGILL INCORPORATED’S PERMIT APPLICATION FOR THE CAYUGA SALT MINE
G Dodici offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption:
RESOLVED, that the Conservation Board of the Town of Dryden authorizes G Dodici to
draft a letter to Jason Leifer (Town Supervisor) on its behalf, recommending that the Town
Board adopt the following resolution:
Resolution Regarding Cargill Incorporated’s Permit Application for the Cayuga Salt Mine
WHEREAS, Cargill Incorporated has submitted a permit application (0-9999-00075/00001) to renew and
modify its Mined Land Reclamation Permit for the Cayuga Salt Mine, which includes plans to flood the
abandoned S3 Zone of the mine beneath Cayuga Lake with wastewater, potentially impacting the
environment and the community;
WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has declared itself the
lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and issued a Negative Declaration
despite the application being classified as a Type I action, which typically requires a more thorough
environmental review;
WHEREAS, significant concerns have been raised regarding the adequacy of Cargill’s application,
including compliance with the Mined Land Reclamation Law, monitoring and treatment of waste
materials, the potential for groundwater pollution, the stability of the mine, and the long-term
reclamation of the affected areas;
WHEREAS, the proposed flooding of the S3 Zone raises serious questions about the safety and
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environmental integrity of Cayuga Lake, particularly in light of prior instability noted in this area and the
implications of storing not-fully-saturated brine beneath the lake;
WHEREAS, various stakeholders, including environmental groups and local officials, have expressed
concerns regarding the potential adverse impacts of Cargill’s proposed activities, highlighting the need
for a more comprehensive environmental impact statement and public engagement;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Dryden formally requests that the DEC:
1. Deny Cargill’s permit application or, alternatively, rescind the Negative Declaration and require the
preparation of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement to assess all potential environmental
risks associated with the proposed activities.
2. Conduct a public hearing to allow for community input and address the substantive concerns raised by
residents and stakeholders regarding the application.
3. Ensure that Cargill’s Reclamation Plan and accompanying bond are revised to adequately address
environmental protection and public safety, and that sufficient measures are implemented to prevent
potential pollution and ensure the long-term stability of shore-line areas.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to
Comment.CayugaSaltMine2023@dec.ny.gov, DEC Commissioner Dereth Glance
(dereth.glance@dec.ny.gov), OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy (officeofthecommissioner@ogs.ny.gov),
and DEC Permit Administrator Jonathan Stercho (jonathan.stercho@dec.ny.gov) to ensure that the
voices of the Town of Dryden’s residents are heard in this critical decision-making process.
Roll Call Vote G Dodici Yes
A Clark Yes
J Grace Yes
K McKee Yes
A Miller Yes
N Munkenbeck Yes
C Schutt Yes
New Business: Proposed Culvert on Midline Rd at Unnamed Tributary to Six Mile Creek
Last month, the Board authorized G Dodici to send comments to Tompkins County in
response to a proposed culvert on Midline Rd at an unnamed tributary to Six Mile Creek. (The
importance of Six Mile Creek lies in the fact that it serves as the drinking water supply to the
City of Ithaca and contains native brook trout.) The County has since acknowledged receipt of
this letter, adding that their consultant will respond when they are able.
G Dodici expressed his frustration that Tompkins County Highway is not leading the
State in doing best management practices in all their activities. We are potentially the most
progressive County in upstate New York, yet we are doing the same old thing.
New Business: New Town Website
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The new Town website (dryden.ny.us) went live earlier today. S Buck informed Board
members that the material displayed on the new website was uploaded earlier this year and
thus to pass along any items that need updating. L Sparling added that Board members had
talked previously about adding a resource page to the Conservation Board’s web presence, and
if that is still a point of interest, to forward items to him in order to develop that page.
Expiring Terms
G Dodici noted that the terms of six Board members will expire at the end of the year,
reminding them that they will need to express their interest to re-up with Cassie Byrnes,
Confidential Secretary to the Town Supervisor.
Old Business: Tree Planting at O. D. von Engeln
Progress on the tree planting project has yet to commence. J Grace will make some calls
in January to obtain permission.
Old Business: Update on Chaffee and West Lake Roads
C Schutt indicated that the road’s shoulders have been rebuilt back into the Town’s
right-of-way, presumably by the Town’s Highway Department. In addition, the owner of the
parcel seems to have stopped all work there.
Dryden Lake Dam
C Schutt reported on the status of the Dryden Lake Dam per his conversations with
Scott Prindle (Regional Fisheries Manager, Cortland Office, DEC). The dam is currently in a
state of disrepair and will be renovated/replaced by the DEC. Engineering plans have been
made, and the DEC will have an in-house review of those plans very soon. Construction will
probably occur in 2025.
Rail Trail Flooding
S Buck informed Board members that she has heard that some flooding has occurred
on the Rail Trail out towards Purvis Rd due to beaver activity. C Schutt offered to assess the
situation firsthand.
Old Business: DRYC Update
L Sparling has heard that the contract with CHA to provide recreational design plans for
seven acres of land near Town Hall has passed muster with the Town’s lawyers and is now
being reviewed by CHA’s lawyers.
Tompkins County Amphibian Migration Patrol (TCAMP)
A Miller informed Board members of the Tompkins County Amphibian Migration Patrol
(TCAMP), a new volunteer group founded by Stephen Bredin, who is a graduate student at
Cornell’s Vet School. The aim of TCAMP is to help wayward amphibians cross roads in
Tompkins County, especially during the Spotted Salamander and Jefferson Salamander
breeding seasons. The hotspots in Dryden for such migrations include Ringwood Rd, Thomas
Rd, and the Sapsucker Woods area.
The group (in collaboration with an Ithaca College professor) is currently applying for
funding through the infrastructure bill to make an underground wildlife corridor on Thomas
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Rd in Caroline, just over the Dryden line. (The infrastructure bill has money set aside for the
specific purpose of creating wildlife corridors.) The proposed project has already gone before the
Caroline Town Board, who have unanimously signaled their approval of it.
Addressing the use of abandoned culverts for similar purposes (e.g., on Ringwood Rd), A
Miller stated that they do not work, whereas the underground corridors have been proven to
work very well by replicating the environment (debris, moisture, etc.) that the salamanders are
used to. Ringwood Rd is monitored all the time, and for every 10 salamanders that have been
found crossing the road, one has been found in the culvert there, presumably through dumb
luck.
A Miller ventured that if the wildlife corridor project comes to fruition, Board members
could think about supporting the group in other places with similar projects. G Dodici offered
that the Board could write a letter of support for any future grant application that TCAMP
might apply for.
J Grace noted that she has seen spotted salamanders on Neimi Rd (between Hanshaw
Rd and Sheldon Rd). A Miller will forward this information to TCAMP, as the group may not
know of that location and are always looking for more hotspots in the county to monitor.
There being no further business, o n motion made by N Munkenbeck and seconded by A
Miller , the meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Loren Sparling
Deputy Town Clerk
