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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2024-05-02 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board meeting May 2, 2024, 5:30 p.m. (In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference) Final Minutes Members present: Lori Brewer(Chairperson), Frank Cantone,James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Mike Roberts, Ingrid Zabel Staff present: Michael Smith, Senior Planner 1. Persons to be heard: none 2. Members comments/concerns Ingrid brought up the idea of the CB hosting a public tour of Bolton Point, based on her positive experience of touring the city's drinking water plant(as a conference field trip). It could be a way to help educate town residents about the importance of water conservation. We could also educate about how the town gets water at events. Mike S. will contact Bolton Point staff to help arrange the tour. Relatedly, questions came up about a past study on greenhouse gas emissions from town water use. The 2021 update is on the Town website. It was noted that it would also be interesting to have a tour of the wastewater treatment plant. 3. Environmental Review Committee Update(Lori) • There is nothing to respond to currently • The Soil Factory is just changing use/classification, no comments necessary. • Cornell—center campus—Meinig fieldhouse and multi-use field o They are proposing field use changes, to multi-use. They are still proposing artificial turf o The field hockey field will shift to Game Farm Road. Also artificial turf. Lori attended a webinar put on by Zero Waste Ithaca. They suggest we should call artificial turf"plastic carpet."The webinar was recorded and will be shared. Lori will share with us, and noted that the third speaker's content was the most relevant to issues we have discussed. A few takeaways from the webinar: • The EPA doesn't have a good handle on contamination from plastic carpet • The webinar mentioned high levels of cancer in young athletes who play on plastic carpet 1 • They didn't have concrete data on what contaminants are coming from fields • 10%of micro plastics in streams are from plastic carpet • Regarding disposal: plastic carpets are being warehoused Comments/Questions: • The references from the web inar might be the most useful thing to us • We should continue to raise the concern about plastics, and cite previous references • Can the Planning Board deny approval of plastic carpet if there's no town policy against it? o It would be difficult at the site plan level. They could, however,get a change at the environmental review stage(SEQR) • How close is the Game Farm site to the creek? • Cornell has put in stormwater retention ponds. How long do plastics stay in ponds like this? Bioretention filters: is there any evidence on how effective they are over time? o We could invite Kara Bugis from Cornell to educate us about this and to talk with us about microplastics in waterways, student health issues, and local&state codes o https://ehs.cornell.edu/about-us/staff-directory/kara-bugis • Mike Smith noted that the Town and Cornell have a maintenance agreement for stormwater facilities(retention ponds). Cornell does annual reporting • Plastic carpet apparently lasts only 8 to 12 years. Does the Town of Ithaca have waste disposal regulations that would apply? o Waste is more of a county-level issue. Ingrid will ask the EMC if anyone knows more about this. o Zero Waste says that plastic carpet can't be recycled,and ends up being incinerated o Can the Town or County ask for details on how it will be recycled? • During the 2016 drought,when a grass soccer field was installed, people complained about watering during a drought Summary comments: 1. We should focus on evidence-based arguments about plastic carpet 2. We should start a subcommittee to work on this issue. Lori will start this; Frank is interested Other ERC-related: Cornell's Maplewood II proposal is expected in June 4. Chair&Coordinator Reports a. Chair Report: none b. Coordinator report: i. South Hill Recreation Way extension project:all four towns have approved signing the easement with NYSEG,which owns the former rail line. The next 2 step is the Town of Caroline will apply for Federal funding this sum merfor a feasibility study and preliminary designs. ii. The Town has hired anew planner: Nick Quilty-Koval,formerly with the Town of Dewitt. iii. Regarding the idea of creating a pollinator garden in a town park,Joe Talbut has suggested Eastern Heights Park-the flatter area at the bottom of the sledding hill. How do we want to move forward? Have Joe do it?With CB help?Could the CB buy seed?What kind of signage should we have? • Possible concern that this particular location is out of view. Maybe that's OK,since this is a first attempt. If this is successful,we could do this more visibly in other parks. • It was decided that the CB could buy seed • It would be good to have signage about the benefits of pollinator gardens both on the existing board at the park and separately,to call attention to the garden • Ingrid will contact Joe 5. Minutes from Marchand April 2024 meetings:James Hamilton moved to approve,with minor edits. Mike Roberts seconded this;all approved. 6. Fischer Award tree planting(Thursday May 30) a. Location TBD, but will likely be near a stream b. Basswood has been chosen as the tree type. c. Mike Smith hasn't found anyone in Tompkins County to engrave the existing plaque. He found a place in Geneva. They will help us figure out the font,for future reference d. Mike will draft the event invitation Relatedly,the hemlock planted in Forest Home from a previous FischerAward has died. The CB has funds—do we want to replace it? Joe has funds, can buy a tree, but he's had trouble finding hemlock. Should we find something different? Lori heard that Cornell is working with a hemlock that is a resistant variety. Mike Roberts will reach out to Mark Whitmore (hemlock/hemlock wooly adelgid expert)about it. 7. Invasive species awareness week a. James proposes theme of treating the"l0 big nasties."Show the public howto recognize and abate these species. b. Location: meet at Raffensberger Gazebo (on Pew trail),Thursday,June 6 at 5:30 PM- instead of usual CB meeting. c. Communications committee will work on a strategy for encouraging participation. 3 8. Indigenous Environmental Justice report(Mike Roberts) Mike Smith submitted a proposal for a grant forth e Tutelo Park project. We're waiting to hear from the County. Steve Hen hawk has drawn down funds for his work and is on hiatus. Mike Roberts also mentioned that he will be meeting with Kristy Sullivan at East Ithaca Nature Preserve on May 14 to assess if the woods there are suited for a deer browse study. 9. Regular reports and updates a. Scenic Resources(Eva): no news. Perhaps prepare some materials to send to Cornell as a reminder, and a draft of what the sign will look like? Mike S. said all the draft information and previous example photos have been provided to Cornell. b. Communications Committee(Ingrid): Facebook,last 28 days, Reach of posts: 95, Engagement:20.We have 347 followers, none new in the last 28 days. Top post: news about South Hill Recreation Way extension. c. EMC: upcoming May meeting, in person at Stewart Park. All are invited. Ingrid will highlight the CB's activities. d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James): November 8,2023 synoptic monitoring results have been posted to CSI's database at: http://database.communityscience.org/events/3109. The BMI sample data are posted at: http://www.communityscience.org/bmi-results/. There were six different riffles sampled for BMI in 6MC lastyear! CSI posted an appreciation of Adrianna Hirtler's FischerAward on their Facebook page. e. Cornell University Botanic Gardens (James): A Hemlock Wooly Adelgid hunt had to be cancelled due to rain one Tuesday afternoon, but the Eames Bog(aka Mud Creek Swamp) near Freeville was surveyed on April 16 and 23 when HWA hiding under hemlock needles were more visible.This was the first time any considerable HWA were found here,especially in the west side of the swamp near Mud Creek. On April 30,volunteers took the annual Trollius laxux(American Globeflower)census in a fen near Salt Road in Groton. Recent weeding of woody plants there has improved sunshine for the short endangered buttercups,though we counted them a couple weeks past peak blooming. 10. Other Business: none 11. Works Goals/June Agenda:June meetingwill be cancelled,with the invasive species event taking place atthat day/time. Future agenda item: Pollinator garden in town park 12. Meeting adjourned at 6:53 pm Minutes drafted by Ingrid Zabel. 4