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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026.02.04 CAC Minutes CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL February 4, 2026 6:30 In Person Lansing Town Hall MINUTES 1. Call Meeting to Order Present: Ed Dubovi, Robyn Bailey, Travis Kitch, John Fleming, John Hatfield, Brian Boerman, Kristin Maushart, Emily Phillips Excused Absence: Aziza Benson Non-CAC attendees: Christine Montague and Ruth Groff, Town Board A quorum of the CAC members was present. 2. Two new CAC members were welcomed and introduced to the returning members of the CAC. 3. The major agenda item was discussion of a work plan for 2026. An issue from 2025 was the inability of the CAC to identify a long-term project that could form the basis of a grant for external funding. Numerous sources of state funding exist, but a significant amount of work is necessary to establish the basis of a funding request. The CAC and the Town Board need to identify a conservation project about which preliminary data can be generated to form the basis of a state grant next year. Items that were previously identified were Critical Environmental Areas designation and Climate Resiliency planning. Efforts will be made to obtain copies of Climate Resiliency Plans from other communities to be used as guides for efforts by the Town if so desired. A draft resolution to be considered by the Town Board was presented that updated the tasks of the CAC some which were identified in previous resolutions. One item that needs immediate attention is the Climate Smart Communities program. The Town is registered for participating in the program, but little has been done to move forward. Efforts were begun in 2025, but the state contract for the program was moved from Cornell Cooperative Extension to the Southern Tier 8 Regional Economic Board. The coordinator assigned to the Town of Lansing will be meeting with the CAC on March 4, to identify items that the Town has accomplished which qualify for inclusion in the program and to assist with the process of submitting documents to the CSC program for credit. This could include the Open Space Conservation Plan and the Natural Resources Inventory. Information on the CSC will be sent to CAC members so that they can become familiar with CSC program. A request was made to have the contractor for the zoning rewrite to check with the CSC actions checklist to see if zoning language can be crafted in certain instances to receive CSC credit. A discussion ensued regarding a potential Earth Day event (Wed, Apr 22). A typical event for many communities is a clean-up effort along highways and bodies of water. It became evident that multiple groups in the Town may already have such programs. Council members will explore what already exists. Other Earth Day activities could be tree plantings or developing some educational material on the newly enacted New York State native plants program. One of the original tasks identified in the resolution creating the CAC was to develop management plans for Town-owned properties. An identified Town property is the “meadow” area enclosed by the Lansing Center Trail. Much of the area is becoming overgrown with invasive species of shrubs and small trees. To maintain a meadow environment, sections of the property should be mowed to discourage shrub growth and enhance a meadow ecology. It was suggested that a “BioBlitz” be organized to identify the plant and animal species currently on the property. This information can then guide the steps to be taken to restore a meadow environment. CAC members will be looking into the feasibility of action this spring. Details to be worked out will be a source of funding and a contractor.