HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Minutes 2018-02-01 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Meeting
Thursday February V,2018
Final Minutes
Members Present:James Hamilton, Elizabeth Hageman,Jon Meigs, Mike Roberts, Ellie Stewart, Lindsay
Dombroskie, Eva Hoffmann
Staff: Mike Smith (Senior Planner)
Guest: Hannah George,Town Resident
1. Persons to be heard: None
2. Member concerns: None
3. Chair and Coordinator reports:
a. Chair- Mike Roberts and Lindsey attended a Conservation Board meeting in Dryden to
observe how they ran their meeting.
b. Mike Smith
i. Town of Ithaca currently has a Parks and Open Space Fund started around 1999.
Each year approximately$50,000-$100,000 is designated to the fund. This year
part of the funding will go to the Babcock subdivision. Currently, the Finger
Lakes Land Trust owns it and the Town of Ithaca will buy about half which is
around 35 acres
ii. 70 acres of land off RT 79 has recently been sold.They are clearing invasives and
might use it as temporary pasture. Unsure of future use
iii. Nothing to report from the Planning Board
iv. Inlet Valley Economic Development plan will be presented to the town board.
The area covered is between Treman and Buttermilk State Parks. A copy of the
report is available on the Town's website.
4. No minutes for approval.
5. The draft letter to the Task Force on Lyme Disease and Tick Born Diseases was approved after
some minor corrections.
6. The 2018 Work Goals were reviewed and updated. Supporting action items were added for
each goal and were assigned to various committees/individuals.
7. Reports/Updates
a. ERC- meeting next week
b. SRC- Nothing to report
c. Communications Committee-The Fischer Award press release has gone out for
nominations.
d. Tompkins County EMC- Nothing to report.
e. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program-Annual meeting was held on Jan 29. Six
Mile Creek is healthier than other areas in the watershed. Four sampling dates have
been set.
f. City of Ithaca Natural Areas- Unsure about the new committee structure for the City of
Ithaca as well as how information will be shared.
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g. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas-Weeding was recently done on the north bank
of Fall Creek.
h. Deer Management Committee
i. Intro meeting recently occurred. Linda Woodard (mayor)from the Village of
Cayuga Heights reported that deer density has decreased. Cornell University is
continuing their program.The agriculture committee for the Town has reached
out to farmers to hear their stories regarding how they deal with deer.There is
a database of deer collisions for the Town. Deer meningeal disease was
discussed.
8. Other Business- Fischer Award nominations are accepted until February 28, 2018.
Adjourned at 7:24pm
Drafted by Elizabeth Hageman
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