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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2021-12-02 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Meeting December 2,2021, 5:30 pm (via Zoom Video Conference) Final Minutes Members Present: Lori Brewer(Chair),James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann,Joann Kowalski, Michael Roberts Staff: Michael Smith,Senior Planner 1. Persons to be heard: none 2. Members concerns: a. James thinks we ought to support New York Public Interest Research Group's campaign to modernize NY's bottle bill. NYPIRG's Ryan Carson wants the logos of environmental organizations in favor of requiring a ten cent deposit on more products and container types. Could our Town's logo on a "coalition membership page" linked to.w.w..vu.o_ ttl_ _.a.i_L1�40o_gr show we want the 40-year-old bill updated? Mike S. will check if it's all right to do so. 3. Environmental Review Committee Update: (Mike) a. Nothing to report 4. Chair and Coordinator reports: a. Mike—he is conducting deer program preparations i. Mike had conversations with Rod Howe and Bill Goodman about allowing Deer Damage Permit actions on one of the Town's properties on Culver Road. ii. The Town is getting anew website for submitting applications for development and subdivision. 5. Approval of minutes from November 4, 2021 a. James moves to approve the minutes, Lori seconded.All in favor. 6. Regular reports and updates: a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva) i. Nothing to report b. Communications Committee (James) i. Our Facebook page has 237 likes ii. We need to start thinking of 2021 Fischer Award 1. James mentioned Finger Lakes Reuse Center as a candidate. iii. From Lindsay by email: "I will add some scheduled Facebook posts with any remaining climate posts, but we may have run the course with those soon (e.g. year of posts). It has been a busy/exhausting time for me the last few months, and I have not taken this off my to-do list." c. Waste Awareness Committee (Lori) i. Lori -January 1, 2022,the NYS Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law goes into effect 1 1. Required of organizations that produce more than 2 tons of food waste a week d. Tompkins County EMC (Lindsay) i. There is an internal restructuring going on to help best determine goals and actions. e. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James) i. Six Mile Creek volunteers have been analyzing preserved summer Benthic Macroinvertebrate samples on Thursday evenings,though Thanksgiving's meeting date was moved to Saturday Nov 27th. ii. The November 2nd water sample hasn't been posted online yet, but the August 18th storm sample had some of the highest total suspended solids(4.54 g/L at the site I sample above the siltation pond) in 14 years of sampling. (See online trtt.p.:.//d tabase.:_com_m_un_tys i nc ...orb/e vents/27,31. if you're interested.) iii. Folks may also be interested in the 11 photos of the Six Mile Creek observation chalkboard taken since that space was installed last August by Water Quality Monitor volunteers and creek neighbors in Titus Triangle Park downtown. See f. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James) i. Volunteers collected fringed gentian seeds in Freeville: harvest was poor, maybe due to wet season?They transplanted birch, oak, maple, swamp rose in Forest Home's Park Park NA(trees were planted from seeds volunteers helped collect in Fall Creek natural area woods and grown in CUBG's Plant Production Facility in Forest Home); weeded invasives around the Hort. Center on campus;they widened Cascadilla Trail near Oak Ave in Collegetown, where invasive worm castings fall down steep slopes. 7. Other Business-Approval of the 2022 Meeting Schedule- Recommendation of a Chair for 2022- Nomination and Election of a Vice-Chair for 2022 a. We may be back in person in February. b. Mike R. moves to approve the meeting dates for 2022 and James seconds. Passed unanimously. c. James moves that Lori Brewer be recommended to the Town Board for appointment as chair for 2022 and Eva seconds. Passed unanimously. d. Eva moves that Joann Kowalski be elected as vice-chair for 2022 and James seconds. Passed unanimously. 8. Review 2021 Work Goals/Discuss January Agenda a. Lori—we ought to be modest in our ambitions given our limited membership. 9. Adjourn (6:20 p.m.) Minutes drafted by Mike Roberts—12/22/2021 2