HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2022-10-06 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board (CB) Meeting
October 6, 2022 5:30 pm
(In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference)
Final Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer, Chair;James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann,JoAnn Kowalski, Mike
Roberts (Zoom) and Elise Edwards (Zoom)
Staff: Mike Smith, Senior Planner
Guests: Zan Gerrity, Carl Gelderloos, Ingrid Zabel and Emily Kim (Zoom)
1. Persons to be Heard: None
2. Members Concerns: Mike Roberts indicated that Cornell University hired contractors to
work on and repair the wall at Cascadilla Gorge so it is passable now.
Eva Hoffmann offered information about a former Board member, Tony Ingraham, who has
a show on Channel 13, "Walk in the Park". One of his videos is on our CB website
highlighting our scenic views.
3. Environmental Review Committee Update: For 2022, the committee has reviewed 15 plans
so far. Half of them have been subdivisions. A recent plan submitted is for an expansion of
the Learning Farm. The Learning Farm project will be discussed by ERC members on October
24 at 5:30 pm. Anyone is invited to attend the meeting via Zoom.
4. Chair and Coordinator Reports: Lori attempted to attend the NYS Conservation Board
Annual Conference, but was late in joining the session about engaging students in
Conservation Boards. The platform that was used was not user-friendly. Eva Hoffmann also
attempted to join the conference and had similar difficulties and was not able to join at all.
Mike Smith, CB coordinator, reported that the Town has opened a new park, Saunders Park,
corner of Ridgecrest and East King Road. Town has had the property for 25 years and
recently a Town resident gave a donation and so a trail, parking area and a playground were
constructed. Scenic Views are a definite plus from this location.
The Town has a solar law and the law limits solar fields up to 10 acres. The planning
department is looking to update the law to include possibly larger areas, with development
mostly on agricultural land. It was mentioned as to whether the law considers noise the
inverter makes. Mike mentioned he would need to look at the current law to see if that's an
aspect that's included.
S. Approval of Minutes: Minutes from September were not able to be approved since there
was not a quorum present in person at Town Hall.
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6. Discussion of 2023 Initiative: Your Yard Could be a Wildlife Sanctuary: Many resources are
available to access the information to be presented for residents to reduce lawn and limit
mowing. Lori met two professors from the Environmental Sciences at Ithaca College, Ann
Stork and Paula Turkon, indicated they would be interested in working with the CB along
with students to present the information to residents.
Are there any Town laws or ordinances that prohibit lawns from being reduced or
eliminated. Also need to consider neighborhood associations as potential resources. Provide
answers to objections for residents to educate them.
7. Regular reports and updates
a. Scenic Resources Committee: Because of guests being present, Eva explained the
purpose of the committee and the reason the Town has such great views because of
being on a hill. The one Drive jpg of latest draft of Pine Tree/Snyder Hill Rds view
sign was shown; text still too wordy.
b. Communications Committee: JoAnn provided information regarding some of the
recent Facebook posts and how popular they were with followers. Metrics were
provided as to number of interactions with posts.
c. Tompkins County EMC: Lindsay did not attend the EMC meeting in September and
the October meeting will be an outreach event about flooding.
d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program: Six Mile Creek volunteers took BMI
samples upstream and downstream of the CUBO well site in Cascadilla Creek
9/19/22; critters are preserved in alcohol and will be analyzed as time permits to see
if the drilling had any effect on stream health.
e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program: CU Botanic Gardens volunteers
enjoyed an "appreciation" party this afternoon, 10/6/22, with tasty catering and
plants to take to their home gardens. Natural Areas Stewardship volunteers trimmed
and blazed the red trail in Fischer Old Growth Forest; widened the Cascadilla trail
downstream of Collegetown; weeded buckthorn, bittersweet, privet, honeysuckle
etc around Beebe Lake, and surveyed the Finger Lakes Trail in Lick Brook with
representative stewards from Finger Lakes Trail and Finger Lakes Land Trust for
invasive Japanese stilt grass, which is particularly bad near the RR bridge over brook.
8. Other Business: None was presented.
Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 3.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:01 pm.
Minutes drafted by Joann Kowalski, October 24, 2022
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