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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlan Appendix B 04 Natural Resources Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐48 B.4 Natural resources and environment  The quality of life in the Town of Ithaca is inextricably linked to its natural environment. These rich physical, biological, ecological, geological, and scenic resources have long been recognized as assets that the Town needs to protect. The following provides a brief inventory of important natural features found in the Town of Ithaca. B.4.1 Topographic setting  Sculpted by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago, the Town is bisected by the deep valley of the southern end of Cayuga Lake and its major tributary, the Cayuga Inlet. Flanked by numerous gorges incised along the steep hillsides, the valley steadily rises up to a hilly mid-plateau that continues to rise gradually beyond the Town’s borders. This deep cut valley and the smaller Six Mile Creek valley define three major areas of the Town: East Hill, West Hill and South Hill. The Slope map provides a vivid graphic illustrating the town’s topographic variability along with its associated geographic divides. The town varies from a topographic low point of approximately 390 feet above mean sea level (MSL) along the valley floor of the Cayuga Inlet, to a topographic high point of approximately 1,420 feet above MSL on South Hill near Ridgecrest and Troy Roads, where the Town of Ithaca meets the Danby town line. As shown on the Slope map, slopes greater than 20% can be found along steep hillsides of gorges and valleys, and tend to become gentler as elevations rise. Topography and slope influence many important aspects of land use and site planning. Topography and slopes affect the flow of surface water, patterns of erosion and sedimentation, soil formation, and vegetation growth. Consideration of the slope of the land is essential in land use planning. As slopes become steeper, grading and the provision of infrastructure become more difficult and expensive, and risks from natural hazards such as flooding and slope failure are of greater concern. The cumulative effects of development on steep slopes include loss of scenic amenities, decreased water quality, increased downstream runoff and flooding problems, loss of sensitive habitats, high utility costs, access challenges (especially for emergency vehicles) and high maintenance costs of public infrastructure. Many communities have adopted regulations to protect against the costs and environmental degradation caused by hillside and steep slope development. The Town of Ithaca currently has no regulations, but should consider enacting protective measures. Zoning regulations aimed at protecting hillsides include reducing allowable development densities and establishing overlay zones in the areas of concern. Other regulatory controls generally either prohibit or carefully monitor construction on steep slopes, typically defined as anywhere between 10% and 25%. Bostwick Road    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐49 Topography/elevation  | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐50  Slope | Town  of Ithaca    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐51 B.4.2 Lakes and streams  Cayuga Lake   Cayuga Lake  The longest of the Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake is a treasured resource enjoyed for its scenic and recreational amenities by residents and visitors alike. The Lake also serves as the source of drinking water for many residents of the Town and numerous other communities throughout the watershed. The Town of Ithaca boasts having 680 acres of the southern end of Lake at its north-central border, including approximately 2.9 miles of shoreline. With the exception of the 0.3 acre East Shore Park, which is leased to the Town via an agreement with Cornell University, all of the shoreline within the Town is privately owned. Cayuga Lake ultimately drains into Ontario Lake via the New York State Canal System, a system of canals and waterways forming an extensive navigable transportation network that crosses upstate New York. Water levels in the Lake are regulated by the New York State Canal Authority through a series of locks within the canal system. Mud Lock, located at the north end of Cayuga Lake, allows the Authority to draw down lake levels just before winter to reduce ice damage to properties and to maximize storage capacity for the anticipated spring runoff. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor encompasses New York’s canal system and the communities along its shores. As part of the Canalway, the Town can benefit from State funds used for projects and programs intended to protect and celebrate the corridor’s distinctive sense of place and its tourism, recreational opportunities, and water quality. The water quality in the southern end of Cayuga Lake within the Town is considered “impaired” as reported by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).26 The report states that swimming and other recreational uses in the southern end of the Lake are affected by pathogens, nutrients, silt, and sediment. Water supply uses are also considered to be threatened and aesthetic concerns, including nuisance algal blooms, extensive rooted aquatic plant growth, and odors from decaying plants, discourage recreational use of the lake. The sources of these pollutants are reported as being “numerous,” occur throughout the watershed, and include the presence of multiple municipal wastewater discharges, urban/stormwater runoff, agricultural activity, increasing development, and stream and roadbank erosion. Mandated by the Clean Water Act, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) 26 Oswego River/Finger Lakes Basin Waterbody Inventory/Priority Waterbodies List Report. Final Draft Report, February 2008.     Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐52 program requires quantifiable goals to be set for water bodies not meeting water quality standards. No TMDLs have yet been developed for Cayuga Lake. Streams and waterbodies  Seven major streams and innumerable smaller tributaries traverse through the Town of Ithaca (see Water resources map). The major streams are Buttermilk Creek, the Cayuga Inlet, Cascadilla Creek, Enfield Creek, Fall Creek, and Six Mile Creek. All of these streams are within the Cayuga Lake watershed, meaning the Lake is the ultimate receiver of the water that flows through these tributaries. Many of these streams had a great impact on the early development of the Ithaca area by providing water power to support the growing industrial development in the 1800s and early 1900s. Today, in addition to serving as important natural areas, many of these creeks and/or their associated reservoirs also provide significant economic benefits. Recreation and tourism are centered around the gorges, cascading waterfalls, and established swimming areas associated with Buttermilk Creek (Buttermilk Falls State Park) and Enfield Creek (Robert H. Treman State Park). Six Mile Creek remains a water supply for the City of Ithaca Water System which serves most City residents, and Fall Creek is the source of water supply for the Cornell University Water System. In addition, the Cayuga Inlet is a regionally popular fishing stream, for which the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has secured public fishing rights easements along its banks on a broad stretch of reach within the Town.27 Certain Waters of the State are protected by the DEC due to their importance as drinking water supplies, fish habitat, or recreation. The Water resources map identifies those streams in the Town that are classified as protected. Any proposed activity that would result in disturbance to the bed or bank of a protected stream requires a permit from the DEC. Streams and waterbodies are greatly affected by land uses and development activities that occur within the watershed. Conversion of naturally vegetated lands in the watershed to urban and agricultural uses results in serious degradation to streams and their aquatic inhabitants and to the ultimate receiving water (Cayuga Lake). The proliferation of impervious surfaces associated with urbanization increases the frequency and severity of flooding and causes increased erosion, decreased base flow in streams from reduced natural filtration of water, and negative effects on stream health and ecology. 27 NYS DEC website, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/r7cayinlpfr.pdf, accessed 9 August 2011.  Cascadilla Creek    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐53 Water  resources | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐54 To address and mitigate the impacts to our area's waterways, including Cayuga Lake, the Town enacted a Stormwater Management and Erosion and Sedimentation Control Law in 2008. This law requires the implementation of erosion control measures for construction sites and requires new developments to install permanent onsite stormwater facilities and/or implement natural infiltration measures to slow runoff and filter out pollutants prior to its release into to area waterways. The Town also enacted a Stream Setback Law in May 2012 that requires development to be set back a specified distance from streams and protects existing vegetative corridors growing along streams in the Town. These action, along with continued support of initiatives aimed at monitoring water quality, educational and outreach programs on water awareness and other intermunicipal efforts, are vital to protect this essential resource. B.4.3 Wetlands  Wetlands are important components of our landscape. Wetlands are amongst the most productive ecosystems, providing food and habitat to a wide variety of plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals. Wetlands lessen the magnitude of flood events by acting as natural sponges that trap and slowly release flood waters, and wetlands protect water quality by serving as filters that remove pollutants and nutrients and by trapping sediment from surface and stormwater. Wetlands also provide important recreational opportunities, such as bird watching, hunting, and fishing. The Town has no municipal wetland regulation and relies on State and Federal entities to provide protection. Under the New York State Freshwater Wetlands Act of 1975, the New York Satet Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) maps and regulates wetlands encompassing at least 12.4 acres and those smaller wetlands judged to be of unusual importance. The DEC also regulates a 100-foot adjacent area (buffer zone) surrounding these state-protected wetlands. There are four state-regulated wetlands in the Town, as shown on the Wetlands and hydric soils map: Sapsucker Woods in the Town’s northeast, Larch Meadows and Fleming Meadows which straddle the Cayuga Inlet, and an unnamed wetland in the northwest corner of the Town. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers administers a federal program for wetlands protection, regardless of size, under the authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Impacts to wetlands are not banned outright under this program. Rather, impacts are regulated under a permit system. A nationwide permit (blanket permit) authorizes certain categories of development activities in wetlands that involve impacts of less than 0.5 acres, while individual permits are required for activities impacting more than 0.5 acres. This permit system does allow wetland impacts to occur but an applicant must demonstrate that steps have been taken to: (1) avoid impacts to regulated waters, (2) minimize any potential impacts, and/or (3) perform mitigation to compensate for any unavoidable impacts. Wetlands area on the Ithaca College campus    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐55 Wetlands and hydric soils | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐56  Some wetlands regulated by the Corp of Engineers have been identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a survey known as the National Wetland Inventory (NWI). However, unlike the mapped DEC wetlands, the Corps of Engineers regulates all waters of the United States, whether they have been mapped or not. The NWI maps indicate where wetlands have been identified through high altitude aerial photography surveys, but do not represent a comprehensive ground-survey of wetlands in the Town. The only way to be certain of the existence of wetland is with on-site surveys conducted by qualified professionals. The Wetlands and Hydric Soils map identifies NWI wetlands labeled as P (palustrine, excluding categories for human-made impoundments), and the locations of hydric soils. Hydric soils are included because they are often a useful indicator of wetlands. The three essential characteristics of wetlands are hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology.28 Criteria for all of the characteristics must be met for areas to be identified as wetlands. A 2001 Supreme Court decision29 excluded many isolated wetlands from federal regulation. As defined by the CWA, federal protection extends only to those wetlands located on or adjacent to navigable waters of the United States or their tributary systems. Wetlands that do not meet this requirement, specifically isolated wetlands, with no link to interstate commerce, are not regulated as waters of the United States and are therefore not protected under the CWA. As a result of this ruling, isolated wetlands existing in the Town are no longer protected by federal law. Efforts to strengthen state wetlands legislation to address this and other limitations of the state law have thus far been unsuccessful. In view of the lack of regulatory authority to protect isolated wetlands, the Town should consider establishing measures to insure protection of all wetlands within the Town. One approach would be to regulate only those wetlands that are outside of federal or state jurisdiction. This could limit the administrative challenges of developing a permitting system and providing enforcement authority and training of staff to ensure effective implementation of the regulations. Other options include modifying existing Town stormwater regulations to strengthen conservation incentives and exploring means to use site plan requirements/incentives to protect wetlands through open space setasides. B.4.4 Geology  The geologic history of the Town, and the Finger Lakes Region as a whole, is responsible for the area's defining characteristics. Devonian age sedimentary rocks (rocks that formed from mud, sand, and gravel) accumulated in the warm shallow sea more than 360 million years ago. That was followed by the action of massive sheets of ice that shaped those ancient rocks over the last two million years, which resulted in our prominent landscape of lakes, hills, gorges, and waterfalls. These ancient Devonian rocks, exposed as stacks of sedimentary rock layers along the walls of area gorges, are another distinguishing characteristic and visible reminder of our geologic past. The geology of our area has been a crucial factor in our human history and subsequent settlement patterns; it affected where people have lived and what they have done on and to the land.30   Bedrock geology  Bedrock geology describes the consolidated rock (many-mile thick) underlying the surface of the earth. Its composition influences water supply, topography, and the make-up of surficial soils. The bedrock is also a source of many important energy resources. As illustrated in the Bedrock geology map, the Ithaca Formation–West River Shale is the bedrock formation most common in the Town. 28 Wetlands Delineation Manual, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1987.  29 Solid Waste  Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers et al.  30 Paleontological Research Institution website, http://www.priweb.org/ed/finger_lakes/nystate_geo1.html, accessed 22 August 2011.      Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐57 Depth to bedrock is relatively shallow in the Ithaca area. Shallow depths to bedrock affect the location, development, and cost of public services such as sewers, water supply systems, and roads. There are also considerations for private investments such as building foundations and septic tanks. Surficial geology  Surficial geology describes the rocks and unconsolidated material that lie above the bedrock. While soil refers to the organic component of these materials, surficial geology refers to the rock and mineral component of these materials. When glaciers receded 12,000 to 25,000 years ago, they deposited the rocks and debris frozen within the ice. These formations contain variously sized particles and are classified by the shape of the formation, the thickness, and the type and size of the particles found.31 Surficial geology influences the feasibility of constructing buildings and roads. Because it is these deposits that commonly determine soil composition, their characteristics can affect such things as agricultural viability. As illustrated in the Surficial geology map, till is the most abundant glacial deposit in the Town. Till is a heterogeneous unsorted mix of silt, sand, clay, and rock. Till is often formed at the front of a glacier and is the result of the glacier’s gathering and grinding of material. Because tills contain many different grain sizes, the empty spaces between coarser grains tend to become filled with finer-grained materials, resulting in a very low porosity. Till can be very difficult to excavate and generally has poor qualities for farming and for on-site wastewater disposal. Lacustrine (“lake”) silt and clay deposits are also common in Ithaca. These laminated silt and clays deposited in lakes formed during the melting of the glaciers. Lacustrine deposits are high in calicite have low permeability, and form potentially unstable land. They have variable thickness which can range up to 160 feet deep. Two small pockets of lacustrine sand can also be found in Town’s southwest quadrant; these two well-sorted (particles of similar size) and stratified sand deposits tend to be permeable and six to 60 feet in depth.32 Shallow or exposed bedrock can also be found in several locations in the Town, including a linear strip which extends from South Hill into the Inlet Valley, and an area bordering both sides of Cayuga Lake extending into the west half of the Village of Cayuga Heights. 31 Land Resources, Tompkins  County Planning Department website,   http://www.tompkins‐co.org/planning/nri/land_resources.pdf, accessed 22 August 2011.  32 Natural Resources Inventory, Tompkins  County Planning Department,   http://www.tompkins‐co.org/planning/nri/inventory.pdf, accessed 19 August 2011.  Six Mile Creek and bedrock layer.  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐58 Bedrock geology | Town  of Ithaca   Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐59 Surficial geology | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐60 Geologic and energy resources  Mineral resource excavation in the Town includes sand and gravel operations. These are usually processed through screens and crushers and used in roadfill and construction projects. Extensive mining for salt also occurs under Cayuga Lake, outside and north of the Town of Ithaca municipal boundary. Natural gas is another important local resource. Early production of natural gas began in western New York in the early 1800s, and originated from seeps and reservoirs in the Devonian-aged sandstones. As these sandstone beds became depleted, drilling into deeper layers of bedrock become necessary and hydraulic fracturing was introduced to develop low-permeability reservoirs in "tight" gas sands. New technological advances (coupled with increased demand and cost of natural gas) have made it economically feasible for gas companies to begin extracting natural gas from impermeable shale rock. In contrast to permeable sandstone, it is very hard for fluids like water and gas to penetrate and move through the shale rock. But a new drilling process, called high volume hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) has made the huge natural gas reserves in the Marcellus Shale (a Devonian age formation which underlies the Town and much of the southern half of New York State) now recoverable. The hydrofracking process raises serious concerns for the Town and for communities throughout southern New York. The process requires enormous supplies of fresh water which is mixed with toxic chemicals and results in large quantities of toxic waste that must be disposed of. The process requires large industrial-pad sites for drilling equipment and storage of chemicals and water (5 to 15 acre site). The drilling of one well is estimated to result in over 1,000 truck trips during the drilling and hydraulic fracturing process.33 Noise and air pollution generated from drilling operations and permanent compressor stations is another serious concern. Development for gas pipelines poses concern for the local landscape and resources, especially if pipelines are routed across wetlands, steep slopes, gorges, forests, or scenic viewsheds to reach main transmission lines. The Town has begun and continues to explore ways to address the impending impacts posed by natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale. B.4.5 Soils  As in most of Tompkins County, soils in the Town of Ithaca vary considerably from place-to-place in terms of their physical properties and suitability for various uses. Ninety-one different soil types (mapping units) have been identified in the Town, with a wide variety of soil characteristics. The most common soil type is BgC (Bath and Valois gravelly silt loan with 5% to 15% slopes) which represents 9.7% of all known soil types within the town. Most other soil types in the Town each represent less than 2% of Town soil. This variability of the soil properties can equate to variability in the suitability of the land to support agricultural uses or development. Soils may be seasonally wet or subject to flooding. They may be shallow to bedrock or unstable for use as foundations for buildings or roads. Having a basic understanding of soils and of their potential and limitations, allows us to make good decisions in the use of this basic and valuable resource. In the Soils series map we have grouped the 91 different soil types (mapping units) based on their soil series. The only comprehensive survey of soils for the Town was completed in 1961 by the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service (SCS) now known as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), in cooperation with the Cornell University Agricultural Experimental Station. The Soil Survey: Tompkins County, New York was published in 1965 by the SCS and provides detailed soils maps at a scale of 1:20,000 overlaid on aerial photographs, along with detailed descriptions of soil types, their characteristics, and an interpretation of their 33 Impacts on Community Character of Horizontal Drilling and High Volume  Hydraulic Fracturing, Final Report New York  State Energy  Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), 16 September 2009.    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐61 suitability for various uses. The NRCS now also maintains an Internet site, the Web Soil Survey, which provides publicly accessible detailed information on soils for locations throughout the U.S. (including the Town of Ithaca). The SCS survey is an indispensable tool for providing soil information, but it has certain limitations. For instance, due to the scale at which the maps were originally created, soil map units can have inclusions of up to two acres that do not fit within the use and limitations for the soil series that is labeled. Therefore, site-specific soil examinations and testing are recommended. The other limitation is that soil mapping is a continual process, and for Tompkins County, the survey is almost 50 years old; in some cases, it may no longer accurately reflect existing soil conditions.34 Prime farmland soil  Soils that are likely to be highly suited for agricultural activity are known as prime farmland soils. The NRCS defines prime farmland as land that is best suited to producing food, feed, forage, fiber. and oilseed. Approximately 2,633 acres (14%) of the Town contains soils that have been identified as prime farmland soils per the USDA definition. An additional 1,153 acres (about 6%) contain soils that would meet the indicators of prime farmland if they were drained. As shown on the Prime agricultural soils map, prime farmland soils are distributed throughout the Town. Approximately 41,453 acres of soils in Tompkins County are considered prime farmland. More than half of these soils exist in the northern part of the county. For comparison, Lansing and Ulysses, municipalities immediately to the north of the Town of Ithaca have approximately 13,314 acres (38%) and 9,286 acres (47%) of prime farmland soil respectively, while Dryden to the east and Danby to the south have approximately 4,635 acres (8%) and 1,152 acres (3%), respectively.   Erodible soils  Soil erodibility is an estimate, based on the physical characteristics of each soil, of a soils susceptibility to erosion,. Slope is one factor contributing to soil erodibility; another important factor is the cohesiveness of the soil particles. Soil scientists use a measure known as the K-factor to describe the susceptibility of soil particles to detach and be transport by rainfall and runoff. Soils with high clay content have low K values (about 0.05 to 0.15) because they are resistant to detachment. Coarse-textured soils (such as sandy soils) have low K values (about 0.05 to 0.2) because of low runoff even though these soils are easily detached. Medium textured soils such as the silt loam soils have moderate K values (about 0.25 to 0.4) because they are moderately susceptible to detachment and they produce moderate runoff. Soils of high silt content are the most erodible. They are easily detached; they tend to crust and produce high rates of runoff. Values of K for these soils tend to be greater than 0.4. The Probability of highly erodible soils map identifies those soils that have a K-factor value greater than 0.4 and are located on slopes of 8% or greater. Approximately 2,587 acres of land surface in the Town have a strong probability of being highly erodible. 34 Barbee, G.C. and Morris, D.K., Web  Soil Survey: A New Horizon in the Use  of Site‐Specific Soil Data, Journal of Extension, August 2009,  Volume  47, No 4.  The West Hill Community Garden sits on a prime farmland soil area.  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐62  Soils series | Town  of Ithaca    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐63 Prime farmland soils | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐64 Probability of highly erodible soils | Town  of Ithaca   Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐65 Hydric soils and drainage capacity  Drainage classification of soils refers to the frequency and duration that a soil is saturated with water. Hydric soils loosely correspond to poor and very poor drainage designations. The NRCS defines hydric soils as being water saturated for a sufficient duration (when plants and soil microbes are active; soil temp > ~405 C), to produce anaerobic conditions and to support hydrophilic vegetation. Collectively referred to as hydric soil indicators, mineral and organic soil features created under these conditions are used in conjunction with vegetation cues to infer the presence of hydric soils. As previously described in the Wetlands subsection above, these water logged soils are also indicators for the presence of wetlands. The NRCS reports that hydric soils that have been converted to other uses are generally capable of being restored to wetlands. Approximately 1,528 acres of land in the Town are comprised of hydric soils. The Wetland and Hydric Soils map identifies the location of all hydric (857 acres) and partially hydric (671 acres) soils in the Town. According to the NRCS, an all hydric soil means that all components for a given map unit are rated as being hydric, while partially hydric means that at least one component of the map unit is rated as hydric, and at least one component is not rated as hydric, so a definitive rating for the map unit cannot be made.35 B.4.6 Terrestrial  ecology  The Town contains many habitat types that support a wide array of plant and wildlife species. Woodlands, brush lands, meadows, wetlands, streams and gorges, as well as agricultural lands and transitional areas, support a wide variety of plant species and dwelling and feeding areas for mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The Town is fortunate to have a number of open space areas that provide large contiguous habitats for plant and wildlife species. In addition to Buttermilk Falls and Robert H. Treman State Parks, there are also the Eldridge Preserve (owned by The Nature Conservancy), Lick Brook Preserve (owned by the Finger Lakes Land Trust), and a number of Cornell-owned lands such as the Sapsucker Woods Bird Sanctuary and portions of Coy Glen. Vegetation   The Town of Ithaca falls within the regional forest formation designated as the Allegheny Section of the Northern Appalachian Highland Division of the Hemlock-White Pine Northern Hardwood Region.36 The Allegheny Section is a broad forest type that begins at the northern edge of the Finger Lakes and continues south, covering most of the northern half of Pennsylvania and the southern half of New York. This mosaic forest is typical of central New York. Some of the tree species found in this forest are red, sugar, and silver maples, paper birch, quaking and bigtooth aspens, eastern cottonwood, black cherry, chokecherry, black walnut, butternut, pignut and shagbark hickories, northern red oak, white, bur and black oaks, serviceberry, hackberry, dogwood, American hornbeam, hop hornbeam, hawthorn, tuliptree, black locust, white and green ashes, boxelder, eastern white pine, American sycamore, redbud, mulberry, basswood, black willow, and eastern hemlock. 35 Natural Resources Conservation Service website, http://soils.usda.gov/use/hydric/intro.html, accessed 19 August 2011.  36 Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America,  Braun, E. Lucy, 1950.  Sapsucker Woods.  (DT)  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐66 Forests, meadows, and other open areas | Town  of Ithaca    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐67 According to Tompkins County Land Use Land Cover Mapping Project (updated in 2007 by the Tompkins County Planning Department) approximately 6800 acres, or 36% of the land area of the Town (including Village of Cayuga Heights, excluding Cayuga Lake), is forested and composed of either deciduous, conifer, or mixed woodlands or forest plantations. Brush or grassland accounts for approximately 2757 acres (15%) of the land area. The Forests, meadows, and other open space map depicts these undeveloped areas. The Finger Lakes region was a renowned botanical collecting ground as early as the 1800s,37 which was likely further advanced by the founding of the Wiegand Herbarium (merged with the L. H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium in 1977) at Cornell University in 1869; the Herbarium emphasized native and naturalized flora of central New York, as well as of national and international locations. Areas in the Town (such as the South Hill Swamp (Claussen Swamp) on South Hill, and Larch Meadows and Negundo Woods along the Cayuga Inlet) were studied because of their botanical qualities. The South Hill Swamp was an especially significant location within the Cayuga Lake basin for the presence of rare and unusual plant species, leading Cornell to purchase six acres of the core swamp in 1960, later adding 45 acres to its holdings).38 The New York State Protected Native Plants Program was created in 1989 following adoption of the protected native plants regulation.39 This regulation established four categories of listed protected plants, including endangered, threatened, rare, and exploitably vulnerable. Exploitably vulnerable species are considered likely to become rare as a result of being over-picked for commercial and personal purposes. Unlike protection of wildlife, plants are the property of and under the control of the landowner, whether that is an individual, corporation, or government agency. Protection is provided under state Environmental Conservation Law §9-1503 which states that it is a violation to sever, damage, or remove any of these listed plants without the permission of the landowner. 37 Some rare Myxomycetes of central New York, with notes on the germination of Enteridium Rozeanum, Durand, E.J., Botanical Gazette,  March 1894.  38 South Hill Swamp, Its Unique Natural Characteristics and Need for Protection, Town  of Ithaca Conservation Board, 18 March 1999.  Trillium  along South Hill Trail.  Eldridge Wilderness Preserve.  The preserve includes a variety of early and late  plant succession areas.  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐68 The New York State Natural Heritage Program (a joint venture of the New York State DEC and The Nature Conservancy) maintains a comprehensive database on the locations and status of rare plants and significant natural communities in New York State. This includes unlisted species, which while not under the same level of regulatory protection as the listed species, are ranked by the Natural Heritage Program. The Heritage list (updated annually) has no legal status but is used by the DEC as a basis for the legally protected list that the state produces. This information is housed in databases maintained by the DEC and is accessible to the public through the New York Nature Explorer, a website providing maps (showing only general plant locations) and lists of species and their protection status.40 This database lists 25 scarce plant species that were known to exist at one time in the Town of Ithaca, 18 of which are State-listed plant species. Of these, however, only four were recently confirmed; with exception of one species documented in 1977, the rest have not been documented since 1945. (Most have not been seen since the 1920s and earlier.) All of the recently confirmed listed species are sedge species. None of the plants listed by New York State as being rare are on the Federal endangered and threatened list. Unique to Tompkins County are local rarity codes. Locally rarity codes are specific to the Cayuga Lake Basin and were defined and assigned by local botanists Nancy Ostman and Robert Wesley, based on their experience in evaluating plant species of Tompkins County. These codes are used in the inventory sheets associated with the Unique Natural Areas (UNA) of Tompkins County inventory. The UNA inventory is described further below. The greatest threats to maintaining the diversity of plant species in the Town of Ithaca is the introduction of invasive plant species and plant pests, habitat loss and degradation, and the impending changes due to climate change. The UNA inventory, for instance, describes both Fleming Meadow and Larch Meadow as having been considered botanically important sites, but due to filling and disturbance of the wetlands they are now considered much less botanically interesting. Wildlife  No comprehensive fish and wildlife surveys have been completed for the Town; however, predictions based on habitat types can be made. As described in the Vegetation section above, the Town contains a mosaic of land use and vegetation types. This mosaic includes large tracts of undeveloped areas of deciduous forests, coniferous forests, mixed forests, forest plantations, wetlands, brush, and grasslands, as well as agriculture and transitional areas. This variety translates to different habitat types that can support a wide variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The New York State Gap Analysis Project (GAP) produced a database and final report in 2001 that describes land cover types with corresponding predicted distributions of native species of terrestrial vertebrate species. These distribution data were developed based on knowledge of species habitat requirements and illustrate how the diversity of vegetation types and land use equates to habitat and animal-species occurrences.41 For many wildlife species, another important component is the presence of biological corridors. Biological corridors serve as thoroughfares that allow for the safe passage of wildlife species between fragmented habitats. These are routes along which wide-ranging animals can travel, plants can propagate, genetic interchange can occur, populations can move in response to environmental changes and threatened species can be replenished from other areas. As development increases, biological corridors become more important for wildlife movements. In the Town of Ithaca, there are several areas that contain relatively long contiguous stretches of undeveloped land that potentially serve as biological corridors. One in particular is Buttermilk Falls State Park. Buttermilk Falls State Park is over 600 acres in 39 New York  State Environmental Conservation Law, 6 NYCRR 193.3, protected native plants.  40 New York  State Department of Environmental Conservation, Nature Explorer, http://www.dec.ny.gov/natureexplorer/app/, accessed  11 August 2011.  41 A Gap Analysis of New York , United States Geologic Survey (USGS), January 2001.      Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐69 size and traverses both sides of Buttermilk Creek for over two miles within the Town. This north-south corridor continues south into the Town of Danby, for almost another two miles until it reaches the headwaters of Buttermilk Creek. Many of the Town’s other large stream systems have similar qualities. The Cayuga Inlet and Six Mile Creek are especially characteristic of long, narrow, contiguous, mostly undeveloped vegetative corridors that likely function as biological passageways. This characterization also includes the valley hill slope along the western side of Route 89. This largely undeveloped tract of forest land extends from the City of Ithaca municipal boundary, north through the Town and beyond to the Town of Ulysses. Within Ulysses the land becomes a mix of forest and agricultural land with some interspersed development along with several extensive forested tracts. including the Cayuga Nature Center and Taughannock Falls State Park. The State of New York owns all fish, wildlife, and protected insects in the state, except for those that are licensed to be held in private ownership. The legal management and protection of wildlife is specified by state statute in Article 11 and 13 of the Environmental Conservation Law of New York, known as the Fish and Wildlife Law. Section 11- 0535 of the Environmental Conservation Law and 6 NYCRR (New York Code of Rules and Regulations) Part 182 lists categories of endangered, threatened, and species of special concern in New York State. As described above with plant species, the NYS DEC and NYS Heritage Program maintains a database of threatened, endangered, and rare species known to exist in the state, accessible to the public on the NYS DEC Nature Explorer webpage. Increasing human populations and development place a significant stress on our native wildlife populations. Land that was once habitat for wildlife species continues to be converted for residential and commercial uses, roads, and other types of uses. The development of land and related activities affect both the quantity and quality of wildlife habitat. Loss of habitat represents the single greatest impact to wildlife. All species require certain habitat features to survive; development typically eliminates or significantly changes habitat value. Habitat fragmentation is another significant impact, though it’s often a gradual progression, which makes it a less obvious consequence of development. Fragmentation occurs as large tracts of the natural landscape are steadily developed and subdivided until only patches of original habitat remain. Theses patches are often too small and too far apart to support the basic survival and reproductive needs of many wildlife species during the various stages of their lifecycle or in different times of the year. Roads are a particularly destructive element of the habitat fragmentation process; roads disrupt passage across the disturbed area, increase mortality, and provide an entrance for exotic species and predators. Species that require connections between habitat types to complete stages in their life cycles cannot survive if these connections are broken. For example, wood frogs and salamanders require wetlands for breeding and must have adjacent woodlands for their adult stage. Animals such as the wood thrush, cerulean warbler, and red-shouldered hawk that rely on large unbroken tracts of forest can become vulnerable when such forest lands are broken up. Reptiles and amphibians are especially susceptible to being killed while crossing roads. Human activity can also introduce changes to the surrounding environment that can negatively affect natural habitat. The introduction of domestic pets can have a profound effect on wildlife, especially cats, which often prey excessively Deer, South Hill Recreation Way.  Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐70 on wildlife, especially bird populations. Changes in light also affect some species' behavioral and biological rhythms; nocturnal species, particularly birds, can become disoriented by nighttime lighting. Unique  Natural Areas  The Environmental Management Council of Tompkins County developed an inventory of Unique Natural Areas (UNAs) in the county. UNAs are areas identified as having outstanding environmental qualities such as containing locally or regionally rare or scarce animal and plant species or plant communities, important habitats, and significant geologic features. Designations are based on the work of ecologists, botanists, animal scientists, geologists, and wetland specialists who surveyed the sites on foot, an adjacent property or road, or using topographic maps and aerial photography. The UNA inventory was started in 1973, greatly expanded in 1990, and revised in 2000. The UNA is not a regulatory designation; its purpose is to identify environmentally significant areas so municipalities can make informed choices about development in or near those areas, and encourage their conservation or preservation. 3,161 acres in the Town designated as UNAs have been zoned as C - Conservation. There are 27 UNAs in the Town of Ithaca, covering about 4,100 acres. The Unique Natural Areas and Critical Environmental Area map shows UNAs in the Town, as well as the Town’s one Critical Environmental Area along Coy Glen. The following table lists the area of UNAs in the Town. More information about each UNA can be found in the Unique Natural Areas of Tompkins County (revised January 2000). Unique  Natural Areas (UNAs) | Town  of Ithaca  UNA Area Beebe Lake Woods  and Gorge 24 ac Bull Pasture Ponds 33 ac Buttermilk Creek Gorge and Inlet 572 ac Calkins Road Glen 157 ac Cascadilla Gorge 7 ac Cascadilla Woods  and Fish Ponds 61 ac Cayuga Inlet Floodplain 182 ac Coy Glen 288 ac Culver Creek Ravine 186 ac DEC Mapped Wetland  35 ac Eldridge Preserve 131 ac Enfield Glen 252 ac Fall Creek Valley  156 ac Flaming Meadows 31 ac Hawthorn Forest 51 ac Indian Creek Gorge and Lake Slopes 225 ac Larch Meadows 39 ac Lick Brook and Inlet Valley  Slopes 263 ac McGowan Woods 26 ac Mundy Wildflower Garden 25 ac Negundo Woods  17 ac Newman Tract  8 ac Palmer Woods 44 ac Renwick Slope 67 ac Sapsucker Woods Bird Sanctuary 109 ac Six Mile Creek Valley 1027 ac South Hill Swamp 70 ac   Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐71 Unique Natural Areas and Critical Environmental Areas | Town  of Ithaca Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐72  Critical Environmental Area  Coy Glen was designated in 1976 by the Ithaca Town Board as a Critical Environmental Area (CEA). While currently the only CEA, the Town is considering the designation for several other significant areas of the Town. State Environmental Quality Review regulation (6 NYCRR 617.14(g)) allows local municipalities to designate specific geographic areas within their boundaries as CEAs. To be so designated, an area must have an exceptional or unique character covering one or more of the following: (1) a benefit or threat to human health; (2) a natural setting (e.g., fish and wildlife habitat, forest and vegetation, open space, and areas of important aesthetic or scenic quality); (3) agricultural, social, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or educational values; or (4) an inherent ecological, geological, or hydrological sensitivity to change that may be adversely affected by any change. State law requires that designation of a CEA be preceded by a written public notice and a public hearing. According to State law, once designated, potential impact of any Type I or Unlisted Action on the environmental characteristics of the CEA is a relevant area of environmental concern and must be evaluated during the SEQR process. In addition, Town Code, Chapter 148 Environmental Quality Review, requires any Unlisted action taking place in or within 250 feet of any CEA to be classified as a Type I Action. B.4.7 Aesthetics and visual quality  The Town’s rich glacial history has endowed it with a landscape of deep carved valleys, rolling hills, and long ridgelines. Nestled among the hills surrounding the City of Ithaca and the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the Town retains much of its rural character despite it close proximity to the City and increasing development pressures. Forest-clad hillside and panoramic views of agricultural fields and woodlands enhances the areas visual appeal, as do the cultural surroundings including the many historic buildings and institutional landmarks. Together these give the Town its scenic beauty which in turn reflects the community’s character and contributes to a “sense of place.” View from the Ithaca Country Club.    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐73 The Town’s Scenic Resource Inventory and Analysis report (dated May 12, 2014) inventoried and analyzed 35 views including the views from the New York State-recognized Forest Home Drive Scenic Byway and the Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway on Route 89. The inventory followed the work of the Town’s Scenic Resources Committee (a committee of the Conservation Board) which catalogued 33 views and then developed five factors to evaluate them. Three of the factors were based on composition (distinctiveness, quality, and appeal). The other two factors were practical considerations, and included how many people would see the view and how easily a view could be preserved. Once the evaluation was complete, the Scenic Resources Committee presented ten of their highest scoring views to the public with a Town Hall exhibition during April and May of 2007 and an insert published in the April 2007 Town of Ithaca newsletter mailed to Town residents. Public feedback was encouraged in the newsletter, with ballot forms for voting on favorite views in the lobby and on the Town’s website. Maps of selected scenic viewpoints with a recommended route for touring the views were also made available in the Town Hall lobby. The subsequent Scenic Resources Inventory and Analysis report builds on this initial effort, and advances the goal of protecting the Town scenic resources by outlining and describing possible regulations and programs that the Town should consider in establishing a protection program for scenic resources. While the Town currently has several zoning and site plan regulations in place that help to mitigate impacts to views from development projects, these planning tools are fairly limited and do not provide a proactive comprehensive means of protecting views. To achieve a more proactive approach the report recommends the Town consider implementing several situation dependent tools such as regulations applied to specific zoning overlay districts, conservation zoning, tree ordinances, and conservation easements or land acquisition. Especially important scenic views identified in the Town are summarized in the following table. Important scenic views | Town  of Ithaca  Danby Road/State Route 96  Danby Road pullout, just south of  Bella Vista Lane in front of Longview, a  residential senior retirement  community.    This gateway view is perhaps the best  public view of Cayuga Lake from any  of the hills in the Town  of Ithaca.  The  Lake is at its southern‐most point and  extends nearly into the horizon before  it curves around West  Hill.    Pine Tree  Road  Across the street from the  intersection of Snyder Hill Road with  Pine Tree  Road.  This is perhaps the most natural and  most expansive view in the Town  of  Ithaca looking west.  The view is  largely intact and the sparse  development that appears in the  distance is not enough to detract from  it.    Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐74 Important scenic views | Town  of Ithaca  Sandbank Road  One of several long stretches of scenic  views seen along the road.    This road meanders down the hill  through open areas and Buttermilk  Falls State Park.  This largely intact  view overlooks the Bostwick Road   farms, some of the last working farms  in Ithaca, nestled within the wooded  landscape.  It is a reflection of Ithaca’s  historic character.    East Shore Park/State Route 34B  East Shore Park on East Shore Drive,  across the street from Cornell’s Lake  Source Cooling building.  Cayuga Lake and the view from the  lake is a defining experience of the  Finger Lakes region.  Tompkins  County  Scenic Inventory identified this view  from East Shore Park  as one of the 25  Distinctive views throughout the  County.  East Shore Park is also the  Town  of Ithaca’s only public access  point to Cayuga Lake.    Sheffield Road  There are several viewpoints between  the intersections with Mecklenburg  Road and Hayts Road.  This road represents the ridgeline of  West Hill as seen from the Cayuga  Lake valley.  The road also features a  wide variety of farms, which open the  area up to provide for clear views to  the East for miles around.  Distant  hanging deltas and truncated spurs  are part of the landforms created by  glacier action in previous ice ages.  Mecklenburg Road/State Route 79  Many points along Mecklenburg  Road, looking east.  One of many eye‐catching views from  West Hill’s Route 79; as farm fields  give way to the city sights as one  begins descending toward the valley  floor.      Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐75 Important scenic views | Town  of Ithaca  Along Taughannock Boulevard/State  Route 89  This intimate westward view captures  Williams Glen Creek emerging from a  rustic culvert under the former Lehigh  Valley Railroad, splashing down  bedrock shale near Cass Park.  This  small gorge is one of seven similar  streams observed as one travels along  the road.    Bostwick Road  Bostwick Road has many scenic  stretches.    This view from Bostwick Road, with  farm fields in the foreground and  Newfield hills in the distance, is one of  many in a variety of directions.   Wooded hillsides on the south‐west  bank of Inlet Valley, farm fields off  Sandbank Road and Buttermilk Falls  can all be seen from Bostwick Road.  Trumansburg Road/State Route 96  On the east side of the road the grand  lawns of the former Odd Fellows  building (now includes the Museum  of the Earth and Finger Lakes School  of Massage).  The Odd Fellows buildings are  treasured land marks, providing a  unique character and historic context  to the area.