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Home My WebLink AboutCB Minutes 2012-04-05 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board April 5, 2012 7:00 p.m. Final Minutes Members present: Eva Hoffmann, Ellie Stewart, James Hamilton, Kristine Shaw, Susan Perri, Tony Ingraham, Diane Conneman, Aaron Donato Staff: Mike Smith Guests: None Person to be heard: None Member Concerns: James shared the good news that the Black Diamond Trail Bridges have officially been funded. Chair and Coordinator Reports: Kristine informed the group that next Thursday 4/20 there will be a "Hydrilla Happy Hour"; a county-sponsored event on hydrilla management via the EMC, at 4:30 at Brian Nevin Welcome Center (Plantations). Mike reported that the subdivision review for the Holochuck Homes project was coming up soon; there were no other major project updates. Business: Approval of Minutes from 3/1/2012: James and Eva each had one minor edit. Minutes were approved as amended. Discussion regarding timber harvesting: Kristine reported that the CB has identified limiting timber harvesting in the Conservation Zone (CZ) as one of their goals. Their original suggestions were not adopted, and future steps need to be decided. Kristine asked for suggestions on how best to continue to approach the idea of timber harvesting for inclusion in the CZ plan. Kristine also suggested CZ outreach and resident education activities as a possibility. Diane stated her concern was that the language should be extended to all wooded areas rather than just conservation zones. James questioned whether landowners who high grade their woodlot might not be easily persuaded by an ecological argument against doing so, as compared to those who opt to selectively harvest their timber. James further suggested an informational pamphlet about the importance of responsible timber practices. Eva stated her belief that education and outreach efforts could actually be very useful_ Kristine offered to contact Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) to determine what outreach materials, if any, they might have on the subject. Diane suggested we reference DEC materials as well. Tony referenced DEC's cooperating forester program. Kristine suggested submitting an editorial piece, as a Board, to one of our local publications (like the Ithaca Journal). Tony had some ideas for incorporating this, and other relevant content, into future biannual Town newsletters. Tony asked whether sustainable forestry ethics could be incorporated into Comp Plan. Diane and others confirmed it is already represented in the working plan. James suggested a review of the new law to determine whether there are adequate protections regarding exemptions. Eva mentioned that the language of forest stewardship and sustainability is important to include in the Comp Plan because it allows the various town boards a stronger foundation when conducting certain reviews of proj ects. 1 Discussion of invasive species and possible public outreach opportunities: Kristine reported that the EMC has helped facilitate some better public awareness, in part because of hydrilla, about invasives. As a result, there are increased opportunities to collaborate with other groups and generate awareness about other species identified in the CB Work Goals for 2012. Ellie mentioned that all the available resources (i.e. funding) would likely go towards hydrilla management as a priority. Eva suggested lesser celandine as a possible addition to our list. Kristine suggested the possibility of working with Plantations as we've done in the past with swallowwort, and how we might complement each other's outreach efforts. Ellie suggested another neighborhood education initiative as was done in West Hill. Kristine suggested we bring in a guest speaker to inform us about invasives and we can better determine which to focus on in our outreach and education efforts. Aaron said that woolly adelgid management requires very specific containment/eradication that would be beyond the skill or capacity of residents or community groups. Tony and James referenced Cornell's current work using biological controls (i.e. applied to purple loosestrife). Diane suggested Rich Schoch, the Town's Park Maintenance Manager, could advise us about invasives currently in the Town parks and other lands. Action steps: obtain a broad based inventory of town lands and invasive species status, and a plan for monitoring. Regular reports and updates: • Comprehensive Plan: Diane spoke with Sue Ritter, and suggested we submit a list of suggestions as a board that can be incorporated in the review process. Diane reported that during their last meetings, the committee discussed West Hill, and South Hill with regard to development. Regarding South Hill, the committee did agree with development on the west side of 96B and the Monkemeyer property. The goal is to contain development to specific areas to protect open space, agriculture and natural resources and for economic purposes, with the option for future sustainable development. The committee is also looking at Community Corners with the objective of it being a more community-oriented site rather than just a business park, but understand they do not have control over the planning in the Village. The next meeting is Tuesday night(4/10) and will focus on East Hill. • Environmental Review Committee: Nirav was absent. There were no additional updates to report from other members. • Scenic Resources Committee: The SRC has not met since the last CB meeting. We continue to review sign fabrication alternatives: We are considering whether to go with the high- pressure laminate material and design we originally proposed or to consider a cheaper but not as durable or long-lasting material for which we could make backup sign copies to replace if needed. At James's suggestion, Tony went to Allan H. Treman State Marine Park to look at an invasive aquatic plants warning sign that was an example of an alternative panel fabrication material option. He took photographs that he shared with the committee. Tony met with Sarah Fiorello, exhibit planner for Cornell Plantations, on March 9 to look at wayside exhibits recently installed in their gardens, including frames constructed by a local ironwork artist. Sarah provided photos of these exhibits, which Tony shared with the committee. The committee will discuss whether to consider a custom-made, artistic sign support option such as this or to go with a more conventional, manufactured frame and support. Sarah also discussed the company Plantations deals with for their high-pressure laminate exhibit panels. We may want to get a quote from them. There is an additional 2 company in Cortland that uses another inexpensive sign material that Cornell Plantations has used. We need to get a sample of their sign material, and to look at the sign(s) at Plantations made of this material. • Communications Committee: James reported on the progress of the Fischer Award plans. The award will be made at West Hill Park's Community Garden on Sat. May 12 from 11 a.m. until noon. We will plant a Honeycrisp apple tree, and Mark Wittig, Cayuga Compost Manager, will be in attendance. Mike reported we have initial approval from the Town to have our own Facebook page, and suggested we use the city page as an example. There is an "unofficial" city of Ithaca planning board page. We should put together some content ideas to share with the Town Board to obtain final approval. Benefits and possible pitfalls were discussed, with all members willing to experiment with Facebook. Susan will put together a proposal with possible prototype content for the next board meeting. • Coy Glen Conservation Zone Committee: Ellie reported that the zone has been amended to extend the northeast boundary slightly towards EcoVillage. The committee plans to meet again prior to the next CB meeting. They also want to schedule a walk-through in the Culver Woods area. Tony asked why the western end of the zone does not incorporate all of the Unique Natural Area marked on the map. Ellie will review and report back. • Tompkins County EMC: Kristine reported on EMC members' interest in plastic bag reduction or a possible ban for the county, or possible dis-incentivizing of plastic grocery bags. The idea is in its very early stages. • Six Mike Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program: James reported that on March 20'', Community Sciences Institute held a BMI lab event. DEC has chosen Six Mile Creek as one of their Rotating Intensive Basin Studies (RIBS). James noted it would be interesting to see how the program data compares with DEC's. • City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission: No Report. • Cornell Plantations Natural Areas Academy: James reported that he and his wife will be mentors for"Park Park", and will invest some time in trying to manage invasive species there. The park is part of Plantations. They found a woolly adelgid invasion in Coy Glen and Flat Rocks. Todd Bittner, Plantations Director, wants to know of any ground-nesting bees (aka the mining or polyester bee). Bittner wants to make a conservation plan for these particular bees. They are important pollinators for fruit trees. If anyone knows of any sites, please share. Other business: None 2012 Work Goals and May Agenda: Kristine will follow up on sustainable forestry/timber harvesting information and material for outreach. Susan will work up some information for the rest of the CB and later the Town for a Facebook page. Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. 3