No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Packet 5.1.2025 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca NY 14850 607-273-1747 www.townithacany.gov TO: CONSERVATION BOARD MEMBERS FROM: MICHAEL SMITH, SENIOR PLANNER DATE: APRIL 24, 2025 SUBJECT: UPCOMING CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING – MAY 1, 2025 This is to confirm that the next meeting of the Conservation Board (CB) is Thursday, May 1st at 5:30 p.m. The agenda for this meeting is enclosed (see the back of this memo). The draft minutes from the April 3rd meeting are attached. Please email me any spelling, grammatical, or other minor edits you have prior to the meeting. At this meeting, Hilary Swartwood, the Town’s Sustainability Planner, will provide a summary of various Town sustainability projects. A copy of her presentation is attached. We will also continue to plan for the Fischer Award tree planting event. I will hopefully have updates to share at the meeting. We will also continue the conversation on CB member recruitment ideas. Frank is signed up to take minutes at the May meeting. If you have any questions prior to the meeting or are not able to attend, please contact me at msmith@townithacany.gov or 607-273-1747. Conservation Board Members and Associates (*) Lori Brewer (Chair), Frank Cantone (Vice-Chair), Lindsay Dombroskie*, James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Ingrid Zabel ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ TOWN OF ITHACA CONSERVATION BOARD 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 1, 2025 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ Aurora Conference Room 215 N. Tioga Street Ithaca, New York 14850 (The rear entrance is handicapped accessible) (607) 273-1747 Members of the public are welcome to attend in-person at Town Hall or virtually via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/6750593272). AGENDA 1. Hilary Swartwood, Town of Ithaca Sustainability Planner Update on Town sustainability projects 2. Persons to be heard 3. Members comments / concerns 4. Environmental Review Committee Update (Lori) 5. Chair and Coordinator reports 6. Approval of minutes from April 3, 2025 7. Plan for the 2024 Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award tree planting 8. Discussion of Conservation Board member recruitment ideas 9. Regular reports and updates (6:30 pm) a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva) b. Communications Committee (Ingrid) c. Tompkins County EMC (Ingrid) d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James) e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James) 10. Other Business (6:50 p.m.) 11. Review 2025 Work Goals (Frank) / Discuss June Agenda 12. Adjourn (7:00 p.m.) 1 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board April 3, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference) Draft Minutes Members Present: Lori Brewer, James Hamilton, Eva Homann, Ingrid Zabel Sta Present: Michael Smith (Senior Planner) Guests: Pete Loucks, interested in possibly joining the CB, and Caroline Marschner, expert from Cornell on weeds, invasives, agrovoltaics, pests 1. Caroline Marschner (Invasive Species Extension Associate) answered our questions about invasive species and other topics Question: could certain characteristics warrant conserving an invasive species? This came up in the context of the Mirabito redevelopment proposal at East Hill Plaza, and the Planning Board’s decision to allow the large Norway spruces to be cut down. Norway spruces are not native, but they are also not big spreaders. Caroline: one consideration is where the trees are. Invasive species in a paved shopping plaza won’t spread easily. Also, careful assessment of the aggressiveness of particular species is important. She suggested looking at lists that prioritize invasive species into tiers or degrees of hazard. Options: DEC, Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, and NY PRISM lists (https://www.nynhp.org/invasives/species-tiers- table/). If a plant is “untiered” it means that the plant is already widespread or there’s not enough information about it to make a determination. We can use these lists to inform our feedback for future projects and make our feedback more specific. Town of Ithaca sta use the latest EMC list Created by Robert Wesley (https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/files/assets/county/v/1/planning-amp- sustainability/documents/final-emc-invasive-plants-resource-document- 2018v1.pdf), which uses two tiers. Our discussion concluded that this list should take precedence. Note that this list does not capture “1a” tiered species which could arrive in our region in the future. Example: Palmer Amaranth, A variety of pigweed that is highly damaging. It has arrived in two places in New York State through used farm equipment from the Midwest. It is very aggressive, resistant to multiple herbicides, and produces lots of seeds. It’s important to tell people to clean their equipment. 2 Caroline mentioned two websites that might be of interest: Weed ID website: https://blogs.cornell.edu/weedid/ Invasive Plant Management Decision Analysis Tool (IPMDAT): https://www.ipmdat.org/ Ingrid will email Caroline to ask her about case studies of other towns that have saved invasives to serve some function. Caroline mentioned a concern, which is how to manage wild parsnips on roadsides. This plant is toxic and invasive. The Department of Transportation tends to mow right when it is sowing seed, which leads to spreading. It would be better to mow a little earlier or later and that could make a big dierence. Can we share our concerns with DOT? Ingrid will ask the EMC: is the County doing anything about this? Eva: It would be good to see highway mowing stopped, and instead of planting grass that needs to be continually mowed, plant native, low-growing plants. This has been done successfully in other places. There are lots of benefits to reducing mowing, such as worker safety, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Caroline noted that low growing native plants are the holy grail of agrivoltaics. One of the challenges is that native plant seeds are scarce and expensive. 2. Persons to be heard: none 3. Members comments/concerns: none 4. Environmental Review Committee: no new projects 5. Chair Report: No reply received yet from State Senator Webb or Assemblymember Kelles oices. Lori met Brian Eden and asked if he could help find out about the status of Senate bills on plastic carpets. Coordinator report: The deer program concluded on March 31, 2025, culling 18 deer total. Eorts were focused in the Coy Glen and Six Mile Creek areas. Hunters were volunteers who used crossbows. 90 pounds of venison was donated through the program. 6. Minutes: the CB approved minutes from February and March 2025 (Ingrid moved, Lori seconded.) 3 7. Fischer Award: The Town sent the letter to awardee Rich Schoch. He is talking with Joe Talbut (Parks Maintenance Manager) about location and tree type and. We are waiting to hear back about a potential date. Communications Committee should post on Facebook and Instagram about award. 8. Recruitment: a. Ingrid brought this up at the last EMC meeting. There was some brief discussion, and the most common successful strategy for recruiting members in other communities was through personal networking. b. Lori suggested the idea of some kind of volunteer fair, perhaps at the county level. c. James thought that the closer to home (Town of Ithaca) we stay, the better our chance of succeeding. d. Ingrid will contact organizers of Cooperative Extension Earth Day event (April 19th) to see if Lori could join the EMC table. e. Maybe write a press release for Tompkins Weekly? We have tried that in the past. 9. Regular Reports and updates: a. Scenic Resources (Eva): no news, but it’s encouraging to hear from Mike that Cornell seems to be working on it. b. Communications (Ingrid): i. Facebook stats – in the last 28 days the CB’s posts reached 232 people and had 3 interactions. c. EMC (Ingrid) i. A committee of the EMC has finalized an updated inventory of unique natural areas (UNAs). Committee members plan to give brief (approx. 5 minute) presentations about UNAs to all municipalities in the County, which would include the Ithaca Town Board. They said they could also come to our Conservation Board and give us a longer presentation with more time to ask questions. ii. Reminder: May 8 EMC meeting in person at Stewart Park, 4-6 pm. We are all invited. d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program and Cornell Botanic Garden (James) Volunteers sampled from Yellow Barn Road, Hammond Hill downstream. They have begun a collaboration with Ithaca college Cynthia Becker on sampling bacteria in the water. Analysis of samples from summer 2024 will be published on CSI’s website. Upcoming event: Caroline Watershed Day at Caroline Elementary School, Saturday April 5 from 2-4 pm. 4 Pete Mentioned Professor Robinson in Civil/Environmental Engineering at Cornell, who has been sampling water at Buttermilk Falls. His research group has developed a new technology that can significantly shorten the time for making water quality decisions. e. Botanic Gardens volunteers have been clearing invasive Norway spruce, buckthorn, and honeysuckle on the south bank of Cascadilla Creek close to Game Farm Road. They are also working on clearing an area near Monkey Run which the Cornell Outdoor Recreation Club uses, preparing it for native plantings. 10. Other business: Additional discussion about deer browse study: it’s a good idea, but we don’t have the capacity to follow up. It would be interesting to compare our deer program with the Cayuga Heights program. The Cornell Botanic Gardens and Cayuga Heights have their own deer programs, so the Town of Ithaca doesn’t operate its program in those parts of the Town. The Town of Ithaca deer program is decided on year by year. The DEC issues our permits. It is probably not critical to do a deer browse study right now. 11. Works Goals/ May meeting: Continue talking about recruitment ideas and planning for the Fischer Award. Invite Hilary Swartwood, the Town’s Sustainability Planner, to provide updates on her work. 12. Meeting adjourned at 7:00 pm Minutes prepared by Ingrid Zabel Green New Deal Update Hilary Swartwood, Sustainability Planner Town of Ithaca | Conservation Board May 1, 2025 Agenda Green New Deal (GND) Action Plan Process GND + Comprehensive Plan Overview GND Action Plan 2025-2026 Status of Government Operations: Transitioning to 100% Regionally Sourced Renewable Energy Status of Town Vehicle Fleet: Emission Trends Status of Town-wide Transition to Carbon Neutrality Where do we go from here? Resources 05/01/2025 2 Green New Deal Action Plan Process 05/01/2025 3 *This is a change from last year. Instead of reconvening the GND Action Plan Committee every year, the review process will occur in the Planning Committee. The Action Plan is a living document that provides a path for implementation by detailing specific actions and deliverables. New goals are developed based on the Comprehensive Plan, progress reviews and input from internal and external partners. The Planning Committee assesses progress annually.*This helps Town staff prioritize actions for the next two years. Changes are incorporated and reported to the Town Board. This year, the Action Plan and Comp Plan are represented in a single document. The Sustainability Planner acts as the project / program manager for the Green New Deal Action Plan.Tasks are designated by department. Updates are provided periodically to the Planning Committee throughout the year.* Green New Deal Comprehensive Plan Achieve an equitable transition to carbon- neutrality town-wide by 2030 Meet electricity needs of Town government operations with 100% regionally sourced renewable electricity by 2025 Reduce emissions from the Town fleet of vehicles by 50% from 2010 levels by 2025 Incorporate sustainability and climate protection into long- term planning [EC-1] Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings and infrastructure [EC-2] Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related to treatment and distribution [EC-3] Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse emissions in transportation [EC-4] Encourage and facilitate production and use of renewable energy [EC-5] Reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to waste generation and purchasing [EC-6] Build a resilient community by preparing for adapting to impacts of climate change [EC-7] 2/24/2025 4 How we measure progressDepartmentPriorityActionComp Plan Goal GND GoalSector Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventory completed and approved by Town Board in 2025.SustainabilityHighComplete government operations greenhouse gas inventory in 2025.EC-1-BGND-1 Institutionalization of Sustainability Create an analysis of possible ways to incorporate cost of planning into project selection and present to management Sustainability, Finance, Planning, Engineering, Public WorksMediumExplore incorporating internal (TOI) cost of carbon into project selection and planning (e.g., through CIP and/or budget process).EC-1-AGND-1 Provide a draft analysis and scope of work to Town Supervisor and Director of PlanningSustainability, PlanningHighDevelop a plan on how to best incorporate equity principles into decision-making processesEC-1-AGND-3 Revise website to be more accessible. Update website quarterly. Provide sustainability updates to the Town newsletter. SustainabilityMedium Use Town newsletter and website to encourage/ enable Town residents, employees, and other stakeholders to help create a vibrant and healthy community. EC-1-AGND-3 Amended code approved by Town Board and NYSSustainability, Codes & ZoningHighImplement and amend the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (Chapter 135 of Town Law)EC-2-BGND-1 Building & Infrastructure Number of projects that utilize the free assistance programSustainability, Codes & ZoningMediumManage the IECS Implementation Assistance ProgramEC-2-CGND-3 Participation in each quarterly meeting and receive $200k in grant fundsSustainability, Codes & ZoningHighParticipate in the NYSERDA Stretch to Zero (STZ) pilot programEC-2-BGND-1 Town Hall weatherization study completed in 2025 and successfully apply for grants Sustainability, Engineering, Planning, FinanceHighContinue planning and implementation towards goal of net-zero government facilities (Town Hall and Public Works).EC-2-DGND-1 Update Town Supervisor and other interested parties on deconstruction policies and develop a potential scope of workSustainabilityMediumStay informed of CR0WD and related policies (local and state level) for deconstruction / construction waste recyclingEC-2-AGND-3 Updated list of potential grant, rebate, and incentive programsSustainability, FinanceMediumExplore grant and funding opportunities to support Green New Deal initiativesEC-2-DGND-1 Collaborate with internal departments to determine feasibility of EV charging stations throughout the TownSustainability, Public WorksHighInvestigate implementation of EV charging stations town-wideEC-4-BGND-2 Transportation Complete Inventory and present analysis to Town Public Works Committee annually (summer)Sustainability, Public WorksHigh Analyze and monitor Town fleet with the annual Green Fleet InventoryEC-4-BGND-2 Revised policy approved by Town Board by December 2025Sustainability, Public Works, Town SupervisorHighReview and revise the Town's Green Fleet Policy in 2025EC-4-BGND-2 Launch CCA program when local administrators are approved by NYS.SustainabilityHigh Continue partnership with City of Ithaca and Local Power to advance the creation of a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program (Chapter 144 of Town Law) EC-5-DGND-3Renewable Energy Production Final DER Plan approved by Town Board.SustainabilityHighIn partnership with the City of Ithaca and Local Power develop a Distributed Energy Resource (DER) PlanEC-5-BGND-3 Revised policy approved by Town Board by December 2025Sustainability, Human ResourcesHighReview and, if needed, revise the Green Procurement policy.EC-6-DGND-3Waste Generation & Purchasing Continually update Town Supervisor and other interested parties on NYS climate and energy policy. Use this to inform Town policy.SustainabilityMediumStay informed of NYS CLCPA implementation and related NYS policies. EC-7-BGND-3Community Resiliency & Adaption 05/01/2025 5 6 Image courtesy of NYISO https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/2223020/2024-Power- Trends.pdf Status of Government Operations: Transitioning to 100% Regionally Sourced Renewable Energy Challenges Key Focus Areas Political Uncertainty Cost Technological Development Infrastructure and Space Limitations Develop Community Choice Aggregation Program Researching and applying for grant opportunities Develop an electrification strategy with internal Town departments 05/01/2025 Status of Town Vehicle Fleet: Emission Trends 05/01/2025 7 389,752 405,336 467,974 776,686 699,017 388,343 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 CO2 e E m i s s i o n s ( k g ) YEAR Town of Ithaca Vehicle Fleet Emissions Current Estimated Emissions 2010 Baseline Emissions 2025 Goal Emissions (10% reduction from 2010 baseline) 2025 Goal Emissions (50% reduction from the 2010 baseline) Emissions have increased from 2021 to 2023 by 78,222 kg CO2e To meet the GND Goal of 50% reductions in emissions by 2025, we need to decrease emissions by 79,631 kg CO2e UNLESS we purchase RECs. If RECs are purchased, then the Town of Ithaca will meet their fleet goal. Status of Town-wide transition to Carbon Neutrality 8 Subgoals 1.Reduce net emissions by at least 85% through efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy 2.Sequester carbon in the Town 3.Offset remaining GHG emissions through regional initiatives 05/01/2025 Review of 2020 Green New Deal Resolution 05/01/2025 9 What changes do we need to make, if any? Is our WHY the same as it was five years ago? How do we set ourselves up for future success? Where do we go from here? Resources 05/01/2025 10 Sustainability Homepage 2020 Green New Deal Resolution 2014 Comprehensive Plan Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (Chapter 144 Town Code) Community Choice Aggregation (Chapter 135 Town Code) 11 Thank you! Any questions? 05/01/2025