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Home My WebLink AboutCB 2025-02-25 CB 2025-02-25 Final CONSERVATION BOARD February 25, 2025 Virtual (via Zoom) Present: Gian Dodici (chair), Steve Bissen, *Jeanne Grace, *Andrew Miller, Craig Schutt, *Tim Woods, *Naomi Cator-Szymanski (alternate) Absent: Anne Clark, Kate McKee, Nancy Munkenbeck Liaisons: *Spring Buck (Town Board) Staff: Loren Sparling (Deputy Town Clerk) *Gina Cassidy (Town Planner) Guest(s): *Chris Skawski (Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County) “*” denotes attendance by Zoom The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The agenda was slightly revised to accommodate this evening’s guests. New Business: Natural Resources Conservation Plan (Climate Smart Communities Task Force request) Gina Cassidy related that she has been working with the Climate Smart Communities Task Force to help the Town achieve silver certification in the Climate Smart Communities program (done through the accumulation of points). Towards this end, one of the actions that the Town can do is document the “value of the parcels [identified on page 33 of the Town of Dryden Natural Resources Conservation Plan (NRCP) (2017)] in respect to natural habitat connectivity/species migration and ecosystem resilience under climate change ….” From her reading of the plan , the NRCP identifies areas and strategies but does not specifically link the individual parcels with their ecological value. If the Conservation Board can determine the values of those specific parcels tonight, the Town Board can pass an addendum to the NRCP at their meeting next month. As a start, T Woods enumerated the following “Natural Area Functions of Value to Communities” in the chat: 1. wind and water erosion prevention 2. aquifer replenishment 3. surface water aeration & stagnation prevention 4. soil oxidation prevention 5. biological carbon sequestration 6. oxygen production 7. topsoil building and enrichment 8. animal habitat development & protection 9. animal migration route connectivity and protection 10. wetland flood mitigation 11. wetland nutrient load absorption 12. biodiversity enhancement 13. community nature education, understanding & appreciation 14. community outdoor recreation 15. community mental & spiritual rejuvenation 16. edible/medicinal wild plants available for collection 17. air pollution mitigation 18. nutrient pollution mitigation 19. community viewsheds available 20. drought & wildfire prevention 21. atmospheric humidity production & extreme weather modulation CB 2025-02-25 Final 22. wild animals available for hunting and food There was some confusion regarding the five parcels under discussion, as they were not individual tax parcels but conserved lands in the Town grouped by owner: Finger Lakes Land Trust, Cornell University, local municipalities, The Nature Conservancy, and NYS DEC. G Cassidy clarified that the Climate Smart Communities program considers both individual tax parcels and broad tracts consisting of multiple tax parcels as “parcels.” She will work to determine which five parcels were submitted to the program and distribute this information to Board members. The Climate Smart Communities program also awards points for the establishment of a “conservation finance mechanism to fund local land conservation (such as an open space bond, property tax, or real estate transfer tax).” Board members did not know of the current existence of such a mechanism, so G Cassidy will investigate at the county level. The Climate Smart Communities Task Force hopes to apply for silver certification status by April 11, the deadline to do so for this round. In order for the Town Board to approve an addendum to the NRCP by this date, the Conservation Board will have to determine the values of the tendered parcels by March 20. Achieving silver certification would not only provide bragging rights, but also extra points on grant applications (e.g., Water Quality Improvement Project grants for road salt reduction). New Business: CCE Reforestation Grant Chris Skawski, Energy & Climate Change Team Lead at Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County (CCETC), was invited to speak at tonight’s meeting by J Grace, as his office is applying for a five-year Community Reforestation (CoRe) grant from DEC to fund tree planting (afforestation and reforestation efforts), tree care, and invasive species management on several parcels in Tompkins County. One parcel of interest to CCETC is a stretch of the Dryden Rail Trail that begins at Pinckney Rd and progresses towards Hallwoods Rd. He acknowledged that the power lines there may present a bit of an issue, but there is ample opportunity to do some invasive management and some planting. With its educational resources and network of volunteers, CCETC hopes to leverage this grant funding not only to plant trees, but also to develop educational programming (e.g., skill- building in the identification of trees and vegetation) and an educational curriculum (e.g., connecting the act of planting/caring for a tree to such broader topics as conservation or Climate Smart practices) to help local residents manage the sites themselves. G Dodici was very supportive of this initiative and stated that the Conservation Board could draft a letter or pass a resolution in support of CCETC’s application, as they often carry some weight in obtaining a grant. C Skawski agreed that a letter of support would help out immensely. As the Pinckney Rd site was identified by a member of the Climate Smart Task Force, C Skawski wondered if there were other sites in Dryden that the Conservation Board might consider to be better for the CCETC to concentrate their efforts. Sites must be publicly accessible and suitable for significant reforestation. Invasive management (as a precursor to reforestation) is an allowable component of the grant, but the DEC prioritizes tree planting density on a given site. It was noted that overhead power lines on the Rail Trail near Pinckney Rd may limit the types of trees that can be planted along the right-of-way. Shrubby species (e.g., elderberry), however, could be considered under these power lines. G Dodici acknowledged that this site is CB 2025-02-25 Final tricky in other ways as well; it is restricted on its southern edge by development, and there is an area where the trail was diverted through a wetland. Board members discussed other potential publicly accessible sites that might be more suitable, including areas near the Dryden Village DPW building and the section of the Rail Trail that runs from Springhouse Rd to Main St (behind the Dryden Village sewage treatment plant). It was thought that, for these sites, additional layers of approval from the Village government may be needed; given that March 12 is the deadline for the DEC grant application, sites in the village are unlikely to be considered by CCETC. Dryden Lake Park was also deemed unsuitable as it is owned by DEC and maintained as a park. The land north of Town Hall was also dismissed as it is currently not space that is accessible to the public; this would change if a boardwalk and interpretive trails were established. Campbell Meadows, near the intersection of Pinckney and Lower Creek Rds, emerged as a promising alternative site due to its open, less invasive-dominated nature, and the possibility of establishing a riparian forest to help reduce both runoff and erosion. The Board needs to investigate if there are any deed restrictions on the land there. A site visit to both proposed locations (Pinckney Rd and Campbell Meadows) is planned to assess their suitability. Because CCETC will need to have a good idea of the treatments and plantings being proposed at the time of application submission, Board members suggested various tree plantings, placing importance on the planting of native, non-cultivar tree species suitable for the local conditions. These include sycamores, red maples, pin oaks, swamp white oaks, and . The need for protection from deer (e.g., tree tubes) was also mentioned. C Skawski thanked Board members for their time and input, and Board members thanked C Skawski for all his work. New Business: Liaison to Planning Board Zoning Update Work Sessions G Dodici informed Board members that the Planning Board is seeking a volunteer from the Conservation Board to serve as a liaison at their special zoning code rewrite meetings. These are scheduled to occur on the first Thursday of the month until the zoning code update is complete. Interested parties should contact G Dodici. Old Business: Updates on Tree Planting at O. D. von Engeln J Grace informed Board members that she, A Clark, and Gwen Beck scouted out the proposed location of Bob Beck’s memorial on Saturday. The site visit revealed some raspberry bushes, buckthorns, and some small poplar seedlings, so she will consult with the Nature Conservancy regarding their commitment to these poplars. She envisions the memorial to consist of a row of three to five trees along the entrance trail to the preserve with a plaque that shows the Board’s appreciation for all that Bob had done for the community. The possibility of revegetating an adjacent clearing was raised, but that would be a bigger project. G Dodici wondered if such a project could be rolled into CCETC’s reforestation grant; J Grace will raise this with C Skawski. The main challenge in manifesting the memorial is determining how to collect and hold funds for purchasing the trees and memorial plaque. L Sparling will alert Amanda Anderson, the Town’s bookkeeper, to this and have her reach out to J Grace. The estimated cost for bare root trees (with protective cages) is around $200 each, with an additional $400 for a memorial plaque. Board members agreed that fundraising for the memorial was not going to be a concern. CB 2025-02-25 Final Planting could potentially occur in late April/early May if the logistical issues are resolved quickly. Otherwise, a fall (October) planting is more likely to ensure a wider selection of tree species and more time for fundraising. Old Business: DRYC Update No update was provided, as the DRYC will hold their monthly meeting tomorrow. Old Business: Newsletter Submissions Board members were encouraged to submit ideas and content for the Town’s newsletter. A suggestion was made to develop a pre-written collection of monthly tips related to conservation and environmental stewardship for inclusion in the newsletter as a means to save time. Report: Environmental Management Council (EMC) S Bissen had no report, as he was not in attendance at the most recent meeting of the EMC. Report: Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council (OLWMC) Anticipating her absence at tonight’s meeting, A Clark distributed the following report via email: 1. Previously the TNC was exploring transferring two parcels of land to OLWMC ownership and stewardship: a 72 acre wetland parcel in Venice and a 100 acre parcel in Groton (mixed farmland). The transfer of the wetland parcel might take place as early as Jun 25, after a decision (tbd) by the OLWMC Directors. There are various concerns still to be ironed out. I have copied and shared Adam Effler's summary statement about these lands and also an FLLT initiative that may be of interest, albeit not Dryden per se. 2. There has previously been a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL) funding proposal developed in partnership with CCSWCD and EA Engineering, for streambank stabilization along the Owasco Inlet. Project Manager Emily Cummings of EA Engineering presented the current project design for stabilization at 7 sites along the inlet of Owasco Lake near Cat Path Road and Booth Road. I took pictures of her slides showing their use of natural materials in the service of stabilizing vertical cuts and undercuts at the edges of ag fields. The project is in the late design and permitting phase with start dates in June 2025 -- finish dates in 2026. I will not be present at our Feb CB meeting to share pictures taken (and which I have not asked permission to share!) but I have shared Adam's summary leading up to the presentation in the attached document. I found the "bioengineering" materials interesting-- they include near-horizontally laid willow saplings (expected to grow both roots laterally into the bank and their shoots upward along the water) and the insertion of fallen tree root bases to break up flow and catch/stabilize materials in the banks. I think the CB would be interested to hear Emily Cummings' presentation, given our own stream stabilization needs where cement and rock and such would be undesirable. Erika Towne is the Engineer on the project. Perhaps we could invite her. Report: Town Board S Buck reported that a public hearing will be held next month in regard to 1274 Dryden Road. The developer hopes to repurpose the former Orchid Place retail facility into four CB 2025-02-25 Final apartments, an abandoned trailer onsite into a model “tiny house,” and the former greenhouse into a studio (with associated boutique) for repurposing and refurbishing materials through deconstruction. There being no further business, on motion made by G Dodici, seconded by C Schutt, the meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loren Sparling Deputy Town Clerk