HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2021-12-02 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Meeting
December 2,2021, 5:30 pm
(via Zoom Video Conference)
Final Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer(Chair),James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann,Joann Kowalski, Michael
Roberts
Staff: Michael Smith,Senior Planner
1. Persons to be heard: none
2. Members concerns:
a. James thinks we ought to support New York Public Interest Research Group's campaign
to modernize NY's bottle bill. NYPIRG's Ryan Carson wants the logos of environmental
organizations in favor of requiring a ten cent deposit on more products and container
types. Could our Town's logo on a "coalition membership page" linked
to.w.w..vu.o_ ttl_ _.a.i_L1�40o_gr show we want the 40-year-old bill updated? Mike S. will check
if it's all right to do so.
3. Environmental Review Committee Update: (Mike)
a. Nothing to report
4. Chair and Coordinator reports:
a. Mike—he is conducting deer program preparations
i. Mike had conversations with Rod Howe and Bill Goodman about allowing Deer
Damage Permit actions on one of the Town's properties on Culver Road.
ii. The Town is getting anew website for submitting applications for development
and subdivision.
5. Approval of minutes from November 4, 2021
a. James moves to approve the minutes, Lori seconded.All in favor.
6. Regular reports and updates:
a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva)
i. Nothing to report
b. Communications Committee (James)
i. Our Facebook page has 237 likes
ii. We need to start thinking of 2021 Fischer Award
1. James mentioned Finger Lakes Reuse Center as a candidate.
iii. From Lindsay by email: "I will add some scheduled Facebook posts with any
remaining climate posts, but we may have run the course with those soon (e.g.
year of posts). It has been a busy/exhausting time for me the last few months,
and I have not taken this off my to-do list."
c. Waste Awareness Committee (Lori)
i. Lori -January 1, 2022,the NYS Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling law
goes into effect
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1. Required of organizations that produce more than 2 tons of food waste
a week
d. Tompkins County EMC (Lindsay)
i. There is an internal restructuring going on to help best determine goals and
actions.
e. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James)
i. Six Mile Creek volunteers have been analyzing preserved summer Benthic
Macroinvertebrate samples on Thursday evenings,though Thanksgiving's
meeting date was moved to Saturday Nov 27th.
ii. The November 2nd water sample hasn't been posted online yet, but the August
18th storm sample had some of the highest total suspended solids(4.54 g/L at
the site I sample above the siltation pond) in 14 years of sampling. (See online
trtt.p.:.//d tabase.:_com_m_un_tys i nc ...orb/e vents/27,31. if you're interested.)
iii. Folks may also be interested in the 11 photos of the Six Mile Creek observation
chalkboard taken since that space was installed last August by Water Quality
Monitor volunteers and creek neighbors in Titus Triangle Park downtown. See
f. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James)
i. Volunteers collected fringed gentian seeds in Freeville: harvest was poor, maybe
due to wet season?They transplanted birch, oak, maple, swamp rose in Forest
Home's Park Park NA(trees were planted from seeds volunteers helped collect
in Fall Creek natural area woods and grown in CUBG's Plant Production Facility
in Forest Home); weeded invasives around the Hort. Center on campus;they
widened Cascadilla Trail near Oak Ave in Collegetown, where invasive worm
castings fall down steep slopes.
7. Other Business-Approval of the 2022 Meeting Schedule- Recommendation of a Chair for 2022-
Nomination and Election of a Vice-Chair for 2022
a. We may be back in person in February.
b. Mike R. moves to approve the meeting dates for 2022 and James seconds. Passed
unanimously.
c. James moves that Lori Brewer be recommended to the Town Board for appointment as
chair for 2022 and Eva seconds. Passed unanimously.
d. Eva moves that Joann Kowalski be elected as vice-chair for 2022 and James seconds.
Passed unanimously.
8. Review 2021 Work Goals/Discuss January Agenda
a. Lori—we ought to be modest in our ambitions given our limited membership.
9. Adjourn (6:20 p.m.)
Minutes drafted by Mike Roberts—12/22/2021
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