HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2024-09-05 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board
September 5,2024 5:30 pm
(In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference)
Final Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer(Chair), Frank Cantone,James Hamilton, Mike Roberts, Ingrid Zabel
Staff Present: Michael Smith (Senior Planner)
1. Persons to be heard: none.
2. Member comments/concerns: none,though Mike R reported he would have to leave early.
3. Environmental Review Committee Update: Lori could not attend the August 28t" Conifer new
neighborhood development design charrette. Mike S attended, and reported a big turnout, with lots of
feedback. There will be another charrette at Conifer's senior housing on West Hill at 5 pm, September
26. A plan for a new Verizon cell communications tower has been proposed for the lowest Wiedmaier
Court lot in the Six Mile Creek conservation zone.James wondered if the forest remediation required by
Wiedmaier's illegal clearing of that lot had been completed, as he understood that many trees that were
supposed to be transplanted there had not survived. Mike S believed the restoration had been accepted
and the lack of woods on that lot was no longer a problem for future development. He agreed to James'
request that the CB be informed of the Town's acceptance of Wiedmaier's forest restoration effort.
4. Chair and Coordinator reports: Lori had no further report. Mike reminded the CB of the upcoming tour
of the Bolton Point water treatment plant on Monday, Sept 16, at 10:00 AM.The New York State
Association of Conservation Commissions annual conference, hosted by the Tug Hill Commission, is
starting with an online session Wednesday, September 18,with field trips the next two days. CB
members interested in attending should register soon, and will have their registration fee covered by the
CB's budget.
5. Approval of Minutes:The August 1, 2024 minutes were approved, with Ingrid so moving, Mike R
seconding, all in favor.
6. Indigenous Environmental Justice: Mike R related recent progress on the Tutelo Park ethnobotanic
trail: he is now meeting Stephen Henhawk weekly to get plant labels written for the trail. Labels will
feature a quick read code for access to audio files on the Town's website that will host plant information
read in English and in Henhawk's Gayogoho:no' (Cayuga) language. Plant labels will be four by four
inches on sixteen-inch stakes. Some of the plants, such as strawberries and wild ginger, will not be easy
to see in the winter, so a celebratory opening of the trail should wait till spring. Henhawk was interested
to know how the park came to be acquired by the Town. Mike S stated that the Town acquired the park
as park land dedication requirement as part of a subdivision. Mike R looked into the 1790 military tract
to see that the area that included the park property was deeded to Robert Morris after the Sullivan
campaign had cleared off all indigenous occupation. Mike wants the trail's documentation to make clear
how colonists acquired this Cayuga land. Mike left at 6:12pm.
7. Follow up on potential actions from previous meetings: We discussed what we might do about Plastic
Carpets (PC)getting installed on more sports fields.The City of Ithaca recently found no environmental
impact (negative declaration)from their use in a new Cornell Meinig Fieldhouse development.A change
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of plans for the infill under the plastic carpet, from rubber crumbs to a plant-based material, might make
such carpets less toxic. Lori noted a New York State Senate bill (57239) now in consideration by the
Environmental Conservation Committee, would require a moratorium on plastic sport carpet installation.
Could the CB ask the Town of Ithaca Town Board for a moratorium, too? She referred to a Town of
Sharon, MA moratorium on PC installation, but noted that was only for PC on Town properties.The
Board discussed the positions on PC vocalized by Zero Waste Ithaca and members of the Tompkins
County Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board. What exactly is the scientific evidence against
PC?We should look at the NY Senate bill now in committee and discuss this more next month.
8. Regular reports and updates:
a)Scenic Resources Committee: Eva was absent, but James noted that the last news we'd had about
permission to place a scenic views sign at the corner of Snyder Hill and Pine Tree roads had been in
January, 2023, when it seemed that a license with Cornell might be considered by the end of that month.
We've been waiting, but still no news.
b) Communications Committee: Ingrid, Lindsay and James met 8/31/24 to discuss committee business.
They hope to post at least one piece of interesting conservation news per month, with photos if they
look interesting. Ingrid will draft an article hoping to encourage progress on the stalled scenic view sign.
We'll be looking to promote CB values via posts from appropriate park sites.James recently visited
Eastern Heights Park,where it looked like lawn at the downhill junction of woods and two mowed slopes
had been replaced by seed not yet up in the recent dry spell. We hope that will be wildflowers for
pollinators.
c)Tompkins County's EMC didn't meet in August, but recent change to their bylaws is looking to
include student representation on the council.
d) Six Mile Creek Volunteers took several benthic macroinverteb rate samples from three different
riffles in the creek in the towns of Ithaca, Caroline, and Dryden.The town sample from downstream of
Potters Falls was analyzed live in James' kitchen and dining room and seemed to indicate the creek's
health at that site,though the full statistical treatment of the identified population wasn't yet finished.
The other sites' samples have been preserved in alcohol for future analysis at the Community Science
Institute's Langmuir lab.
e) Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas volunteers scouted Lick Brook to see how the invasive
Japanese Stilt Grass was spreading there. It was found to be moving up into the brook, but so far no
plans have been made to eradicate it. As the Natural Areas is staffed by members of the UAW union,
which has been on strike for much of August, no other gardening was done.
9. Other Business: none.
10. Frank will check our minutes to see if we need to address any other 2024 Work Goals. For our
October agenda, we'll continue the discussion of artificial turf fields.
11. We adjourned at 6:48 PM.
Minutes drafted by James Hamilton.
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