HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Packet 2023-01-05
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
215 N. Tioga St 14850
607.273.1747
www.town.ithaca.ny.us
TO: CONSERVATION BOARD MEMBERS
FROM: MICHAEL SMITH, SENIOR PLANNER
DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2022
SUBJECT: UPCOMING CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING – JANUARY 5, 2023
This is to confirm that the next meeting of the Conservation Board (CB) is Thursday,
January 5th at 5:30 p.m. The agenda for this meeting is enclosed (see the back of this
memo).
As a reminder, all full voting Conservation Board members will need to attend in-person
at Town Hall (Aurora Conference Room) for this January meeting. The Zoom link will
still be available for associate members and members of the public.
The draft minutes from the December 1st meetings are attached. The draft minutes
from the November 3rd meeting were not available to include in the packet. Please
email me any spelling, grammatical, or other minor edits you have prior to the meeting.
At this meeting we will take some time to discuss the CB’s activities and
accomplishments from 2022, the 2023 work goals, and the 2023 committee
assignments. Please review these attached documents for additions or modifications.
Mike R. will also provide an update on his thoughts on indigenous environmental justice.
As a reminder to everyone, please start thinking about nomination ideas for the next
Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award. The deadline is February 28,
2023.
Elise is signed up to take minutes at the January meeting.
If you have any questions prior to the meeting or are not able to attend, please contact
me at msmith@town.ithaca.ny.us or 607-273-1747.
Conservation Board Members and Associates (*)
Lori Brewer (Chair), Lindsay Dombroskie*, Elise Edwards*, James Hamilton,
Eva Hoffmann, Joann Kowalski (Vice-Chair), Michael Roberts, Ingrid Zabel
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TOWN OF ITHACA
CONSERVATION BOARD
5:30 p.m., Thursday, January 5, 2023
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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. Persons to be heard (5:30 pm)
2. Members comments / concerns
3. Environmental Review Committee Update (Lori)
4. Chair and Coordinator reports
5. Approval of minutes from November 3, 2022 and December 1, 2022
6. Indigenous Environmental Justice (Mike)
7. Discussion of:
- Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Activities & Accomplishments for 2022
- Conservation Board 2023 Work Goals
- Conservation Board Committees 2023
8. Regular reports and updates (6:30 pm)
a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva)
b. Communications Committee (James)
c. Tompkins County EMC
d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James)
e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James)
9. Other Business (6:50 p.m.)
10. Review 2023 Work Goals / Discuss February Agenda
11. Adjourn (7:00 p.m.)
—.ATownofIthacaConservationBoard(CB)MeetingDecember1,2022,5:30pm(InPersonatTownHallandviaZoomVideoConference)DraftMinutesMembersPresent:LanBrewer(Chair),LindsayDombroskie,EliseEdwards,JamesHamilton,EvaHoffmann,JoannKowaiski(Vice-Chair),MichaelRoberts,IngridZabelStaff:MikeSmith,SeniorPlannerGuests:FrankCantonePersonstobeheard(5:30pm)a.None2.Memberscomments/concernsa.James-NYSACCpaydues.DoesourBoardpayduestotheNYSACC?i.MikeS.—yes,wedo.b.TheSouthHillCiderparkingissuewasbroughtupbyaconcernedresident(SuePerry).ItisnotsomuchaconcerntheConservationBoardneedstoconcernitselfwith.c.MikeR.offeredtidbitsontheCornellUniversityDeerManagementProgram.ThatprogramisexpandingDeerDamagePermitactivitiestoSouthHillSwampforthecomingnuisancedeermanagementseason(February1—April30).3.EnvironmentalReviewCommitteeUpdate(Lori)a.ChairwomanBrewerofferedMr.CantoneanoverviewofwhattheConservationBoarddoes,focusingonthemainchargeoftheBoard:reviewingplansfordevelopmentwithintheTownwithafocusonenvironmentalissues.4.ChairandCoordinatorreportsa.ChairwomanBreweri.NYSACChasanordinancelibrarythatCommissionsorBoardscouldturntoforhelpprotectinglocalresources1.Itlooksliketheymaybemissinganordinanceonprotectingscenicresources.H.LorihadcontactedMr.Cantonetoinvitehimtotonight’smeeting.ShealsoreachedouttooneClaireNicholswiththesameinvitation.b.Coordinatori.Town’sdeerprogramhasconfirmed6sitessofarandwouldlikeanother3ii.TheTownhasanewphonesystem.It’sallonline,sostaffmemberscanbereachedwherevertheircomputersmightbe.Allnumbersandextensionsarethesame.Hi.ThestipendforfullBoardmemberswillbeissuedinDecember.Thestipendwillbeissuedonceayearandbebasedonthenumberofmeetingsmembersmakeatarateof$40/meeting.5.ApprovalofminutesfromNovember3,2022a.NominutestoapproveyetasEvahasyettosubmitthemfromlastmonth.1
6.Continuediscussionofa2023initiativerelatedto:YourYardCouldBeaWildlifeSanctuarya.ioannhasbeendoingmoreresearchandwouldliketopursueapublicawarenesscampaignoverademonstration/project-orientedprogram.“It’satoughsell”,shesays.ShewillbepostingtoourFacebookpage,publishingitemsintheTownnewsletter,andwouldliketousetheConservationsBoard’swebpagestoadvertisetheinitiative.i.ChairwomanBreweraskedifwewouldbeabletocollectcontactinformationfrompeoplewhoexpressinterestintheprogram.ii.BrandonBecker-Hoak(BusyBeeEcologicalDesigns)hassomesitesthatwecouldvisitifwewished.1.IngridsuggestedleveragingMr.Becker-Hoak’sworktoprovidetourstointerestedmembersofthepublic.iii.JoannwillupdatetheBoardinJanuaryonherefforts.7.DiscussproposedrevisionstoSection270-219.1(SolarEnergySystems)oftheTownZoninga.James—onpageeightthecodementions“maturewoods”butthereisnogooddefinitionofwhatonemightbe.Notallmaturestandsoftreesareequallyvaluable.Somestandsareplantationsofnon-nativetrees(e.g.NorwaySpruce),whicharenotgreathabitatformanylocalfloraorfauna.Anygooddefinitionofthistermwouldtakeintoaccountthevarietyofmaturewoodswhichmightbefoundonaproperty.b.Ingrid—Theremaybeservicesthatforests,eveniftheyaren’tnative,provide,likesequesteringcarbon.It’sacomplexissueandsomemorenuanceneedstobefleshedoutc.MikeS.—Themainchangeisallowingthelargestinstallationofsolarpanelstobe35acresasopposedto10thecodepermitscurrently.8.Regularreportsandupdatesa.ScenicResourcesCommittee(Eva)i.ioannprovidedveryusefulcommentsonthetextofthecurrentsignbeingproduced.ii.On11/14/22JamesuploadedtoCBsOneDrivefolderanewdraftview-signfortheSnyderHill!PineTreecornerwith20%fewerwordsinthetextthanthelastdraft.Checkoutthe156-wordversiontoseeifit’sstilltoowordy,URLis:https://townithacamy.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/msmithtownithacanyus/Ep1NCRuEZuVk8Bck7JleSByZ85x69RCQrBPsQkwgv6sQ?e=Pw2V5hb.CommunicationsCommittee(James)i.Noupdatec.TompkinsCountyEMCi.Noupdated.SixMileCreekVolunteerMonitoringProgram(James)i.SixMileCreekvolunteerstookasynopticwatersampleon11/9/22;theheadwatersatYellowbarn&SpurCreekweretoodrytosample!CreekinTownwasverylow,clear,about9cfs(lowestinpast27yearswas8.94cfsin2016;medianis27cfs;highestwas688cfsin1997).CSlheldaWaterQualityDatabaseWorkshopTues,November29at6pminTCPLdowntown.AdriannaHirtlerisinvitingvolunteerstohelpIDpreservedBMIsamplesThursday2
Sevenings:5:30pm-8:30pm(exceptThanksgiving),tillsummersampleshaveallbeensortedandidentified.e.CornellBotanicGardensNaturalAreasProgram(James)i.Volunteersplanted24treesonBeebeLake’snorthshore,whereseverallargeoaks&ashesfelloverrecently.Theyplantedoaks,maples&pinesonupperedgeofFallCreekgorgebelowChiPsi&trimmedtraildownhillofJohnsonArtMuseum’sMorganGarden(TigerGlen:seehttps://youtu.be/-hgR2lc6N6w).TheyalsotrimmedfencearoundFallCreekgorgebetweenHorseshoeFallsandTriphammerFalls,clearingoutinvasivesalongthechainlinkfencethere.9.OtherBusiness(6:50p.m.)-Approvalofthe2023MeetingSchedule-RecommendationofaChairfor2023-NominationandElectionofaVice-Chairfor2023a.JoannmovestoapproveandIngridseconds—allapprovethe2023meetingscheduleb.JamesmovesthatLoriremainasChairwomanoftheBoard,MikeR.seconds—allapproveandrecommendLoriBrewertotheTownBoardforthepositionofChairoftheTownofIthacaConservationBoardfor2023.i.LorinominatesJoannasVice-Chair,MikeR.seconds—allapprove.Sopassed.c.MikeR.broughtupindigenousrightsandconservation.Moreconversationstocome.10.Review2022WorkGoals!DiscussJanuaryAgendaa.James—weshouldputtheFischerAwardontheagendaforJanuary.11.Adjournat7:07pm.MeetingminutesrespectfullysubmittedbyMikeRoberts.3
TownofIthacaConservationBoardActivities&Accomplishmentsfor2022•Awardedits19IhannualRichardB.FischerEnvironmentalConservationAwardtoFingerLakesReUseandheldatreeplantingceremonyinTareytonParkwhere4BurOakswhereplanted;•EnvironmentalReviewCommitteecontinuedtoprovidecommentsforsiteplanandsubdivisionprojects;•ProvidedsupporttotheTown’sDeerManagementProgram;•ContinuedtoupdateandmonitortheConservationBoardFacebookpage(http://www.facebook.com/IthacaConservationBoard);HostedapublicinvasivespecieseducationeventatEastShoreParkinJuneaspartoftheNYS’sInvasiveSpeciesAwarenessWeek;ContinuedtomonitorandcleantheBluebirdboxesalongTowntrails,includingapublicbluebirdhousewarmingwalkinMarchintheEastIthacaNaturePreserve;UpdatedtheConservationBoardbrochureandtheScenicViewsmapandguide;ReviewedandprovidedfeedbackontheproposedchangestotheTown’ssolarenergysystemlaw;ParticipatedinapublictreeplantingeventattheEastIthacaNaturePreserveinOctoberwhere75nativetreeswereplantedandprovidedatablewitheducationalmaterialsoninvasiveandnativeplants;$AttendedtheEastHillFannersMarkettwiceoverthesummertotryandrecruitnewmembersandtodistributeeducationmaterial;Recruitedonenewfullmemberandonenewassociatememberin2022.December22,2022
ConservationBoard2023WorkGoalsGoalandSupportingactionsGoalStewardConductandimproveenvironmentalreviewprocesstobetterpromoteLorienvironmentalconservation.Promoteawarenessoftheimportanceofscenicresources.GetpermissiontoplacethethirdviewsignonTownofIthacalandattheintersectionofSnyderHillandPineTreeRoads.RefineandfinishearlierdraftlanguageanddesignforthissignandgetapprovalofthedraftfromthewholeCB.SendthedesigntoourEvalocaldesignfirmforfinallayoutbeforesendingittothemanufactureroftheearliersigns.WorkwiththeTownHighwayDepartmenttogetthesignlocatedtheoptimalwayatthesite.•UpdatetheScenicViewsmapandguidebrochure.Continueoutreachthroughbothtraditionalandnewsocialmediamethods,includingFacebookpageandnewsletterarticlestoencourageandfostermorepublicparticipationinconservationofourresourcesandenvironment.ExploretheuseofotherJoann/Lindsaysocialmediaservices,suchasTwitterand/orInstagram.•Post4-5timespermontharticlesandeventsofinterest.•Generatenoveltextperiodically.•SolicitinputatoutreacheventsandonFacebookfromresidentsonenvironmentalissuesthatareimportanttothem.
•Outreachcanfocusontopicslikewaterconservation,bluebirdboxes,composting,non-automobileinfrastructure,andpestmanagement.ContinueongoingactivitiessuchasFischerAward,EarthDay(April22”9,InvasiveSpeciesWeek.James•NominateandselectFischerawardee!•Planttreeandhostarollickingparty!Conductayear-endreviewofgoalsandaccomplishments.•Trackprogressongoals.Joann•CommunicateaccomplishmentstothepublicandtheTownBoard.ConservationBoardrecruitment•Host1-2eventsforpotentialnewCBmembersJoann/Lori•Connectwithotherlocalgroups(e.g.CayugaTrailsClub)andattendtheirmeetingsoreventstorecruitnewCBmembersRevised12/19/20222
ConservationBoardCommittees-2023EnvironmentalReviewCommittee(reviewofapplicationsforsiteplanapproval,subdivisionapproval.rezoning,specialpermitsandzoningvariancesforthePB,ZBA,TB)LoriBrewer—ChairLindsayDombroskieEvaHoffmannMichaelRobertsEliseEdwardsScenicResourcesCommittee(interpretativeviewsigns,scenicvieit’smapandguide)EvaHoffmann—ChairJamesHamiltonCommunicationsCommittee(‘RichardB.FischerEnvironmentalConservation,4ivard,Townnewsletter,CBwebsite&Facebookpages,recruitment.education&outreach,)JamesHamilton—ChairLindsayDombroskieJoanuKowalskiOtherAppointments:TompkinsCountyEnvironmentalManagementCouncil—SLyMileCreekVolunteerMonitoringProgram—JamesHamiltonCornellBotanicGardensNaturalAreasProgram—JamesHamiltonDecenther22,20223