HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2014-03-06 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board
March 6, 2014 5:30 p.m.
Final Minutes
Members present: James Hamilton, Eva Hoffman, Jon Meigs, Vladimir Micic, Mike Roberts,
Ellie Stewart
Staff: Mike Smith
Guests: Carrie Simon, prospective member
Persons to be heard: none
Members concerns: James, Mike R, and Vlad regretted that they had to leave by 7:00 for other
engagements, so we agreed to do our best to finish early. Eva noted that we would do well,
especially with our new members, to be reminded of the legal foundation defining the CB's
official status, powers, and duties. Mike S has just given Mike R a copy of the Town Code
sections establishing the CB as it was redefined in 1993 when it was formerly the Conservation
Advisory Counsel. Mike S agreed to email us copies of that law. James was concerned that the
CB's meeting minutes for 2012-2013 were missing from the Town's website. Mike agreed to
look into this glitch and to make sure the minutes would be posted where they're supposed to
be.
Chair and Coordinator Reports:
Chair: Ellie will report on her conversation with Herb under Deer Management item.
Coordinator: Mike S explained that the Town Board is working on a Draft Generic Environmental
Impact Statement for the new Comprehensive Plan, which will be made public in April, when we
can look at it and comment if needed. Late March is the deadline for the Town's Newsletter,
which could use news of our Scenic Resources View Sign Project winning The 2013 Community
Action and Engagement Award from the New York State Association of Conservation
Commissions. Mike has photos of Tony Ingraham accepting that award from the NYSACC in
Buffalo on October 4, 2013. The Planning Board is considering approval of 3 proposals on East
Hill: a real estate sign for the Belle Sherman Cottages, temporary catering tents for the parking
lot in back of Agava, and the development of a Dunkin' Donuts in the building where the First
Niagara, previously HSBC, bank branch used to be. He also had a sketch plan for the ERC's
consideration of a 31-unit clustered medium density housing project called Amabel that would
require rezoning of a 7 acre lot east off of Five Mile Drive near the Coy Glen Rd intersection. For
our new members, Mike S explained how building development plans progressed around the
sketch plan, which is the best stage at which the CB can propose changes to reduce and
mitigate negative environmental impact of building development. Eva concurred that the sketch
plan review was the best place to settle needed changes to a developer's plans, which at this
stage are preliminary, more flexible, and open to suggestions for improvement.
Minutes for the Jan 16, 2014 and Feb 6, 2014 meetings were approved with minor corrections.
Deer Management: Ellie reported her conversation with Town Supervisor Herb Engman about
the role the CB should play in advising the Town on deer pest management policy. She says
Herb believes the problem needs to be addressed at a county- and state-wide level, and doesn't
want the CB proposing a merely town-based solution. The politics of making this happen is not
something the CB is organized to deal with, so we should focus on research and education on
the need for concerted politically feasible action based on sound factual evidence. First we need
to prove that deer overpopulation is truly a big problem, before we might suggest anything to do
about it. The NYSDEC needs to change its policy, as well. James noted that the November 4,
2004 Report for the Town Board on "Deer in the Town of Ithaca" compiled by Conrad Istock
contained no mention of the harm deer cause to their natural environment. James believes that
Native plants going extinct is a more compelling reason for killing deer than the harm they cause
to gardens or landscape plants. The December 2009 "Special Issue" of the FLNPS newsletter,
"Solidago" (Vol 19, No 4) which James emailed to members on March 2, made a clear case for
the need to kill more deer than hunters have been killing. Eva was reminded of a program to
distribute venison from a deer harvest that fell apart when objectionable amounts of hair in the
meat proved that successful plans take much closer attention to fine details. Mike R noted that
the huge spike in Lyme Disease prevalence since 2004 was another reason to reduce deer
population. Ellie wanted volunteers to update the report; Mike R and James volunteered to do
so. Carrie was also willing to help with specific research items. Mike S reminded us that Rich
Schoch (Town's Park Maintenance Manager) is willing to work with the CB to install some deer
exclosure cages to protect important plants in Town Parks. These could include posters
educating park visitors about the problem of deer overbrowsing. Mike S said he'd seen such an
installation in Upper Buttermilk Park. Jon wants us to do research, get data, and present
important facts to the public in order to educate people on the need to manage deer pest
pressure.
Pest Management Policies in Other Communities: Kristine and Susan were working on this;
check on status at next meeting. For sure we'll want to organize some sort of community
outreach for the July 6-12 Invasive Species Awareness Week proposed by Cornell's
Cooperative Extension's Invasive Species Program. James hopes we can do something like the
swallowwort weeding session we held several summers ago in Westhaven Preserve.
Demonstration of Environmental Mapping Websites: Mike S agreed to do this for us next month.
Regular Reports and Updates:
Environmental Review Committee: They will schedule a site visit and provide comments on the
Amabel development in time for its March 18th sketch plan review.
Scenic Resources Committee: Eva will arrange a meeting next week to design the Danby Rd.
View Sign and to make needed revisions in the Scenic Views Map and Guide brochure.
Communications Committee: James has been studying the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society,
and attended an excellent talk at their last meeting. He proposed they get the 2013 Fischer
Award. Eva moved we resolve to approve it. Ellie seconded. All present unanimously approved.
James will draft the award letter to FLNPS for Ellie to sign.
Tompkins County EMC: Vlad attended a talk by Guillermo Metz of the Green Building &
Renewable Energy Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension, who explained why pellet stoves
heat much better—more efficiently and with less polluting emissions—than conventional wood
stoves. A Green Community grant should allow for bulk delivery of pellet fuel in larger
containers than the standard 40-pound bags. Vlad also reported that the Ratepayers &
Community Intervenors, a citizen attempt to prevent allowing the Lansing electric power plant to
convert to natural gas fuel, don't want the electricity rate increases that such conversion would
cause. They prefer to promote the improvement of electric transmission lines to make them
more efficient.
Sixmile Creek Volunteer Monitors: Nine volunteers and 3 Community Science Staff met on
March 19 to plan the next 4 chemical analysis sampling days in 2014-2015, with a "floating" day
for a flood. Four BMI sampling teams would do a biological analysis the last week in August.
The annual Water Monitor symposium will be held in the library at the same time as our CB
meeting, so James will regretfully be absent from Town Hall next month while he attends the
April 3rd CSI Symposium, "From Hydrilla to Hydrofracking: Why Community Science Matters,"
from 5:30 to 8:30 PM.
City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission: Jon noted that volunteers recently surveyed the
Sixmile Creek watershed for Hemlock Wooly Adelgids. James attended that survey on Saturday
morning, February 22, where several developing infestations of adelgid in hemlock stands
between Giles St. and Burns Rd. were observed to see if they might be bad enough to introduce
a beetle that Mark Whitmore is raising as an experiment in biocontrol.
Cornell Plantations Natural Areas: James reported killing invasives in the Fall Creek and
Cascadilla Plantations lands. Mark Whitmore has recently posted an article on the NY Invasive
Species Clearinghouse (www.nyis.info) explaining how this cold winter is not hurting hemlock
wooly adelgids or emerald ash borers; if anything, the cold helps select local pests for tolerance
to low temperatures.
Other Business: Mike Bennett has expressed interest in joining the CB. Ellie and Eva
participated in an interview with him and provided details to CB. The CB agreed he should
attend at least one CB meeting to meet everyone and to see how he likes it.
Adjourned at 6:54 pm
Minutes written by James Hamilton