HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Packet 2023-03-02
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: FEBRUARY 24, 2023
SUBJECT: UPCOMING CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING – MARCH 2, 2023
This is to confirm that the next meeting of the Conservation Board (CB) is Thursday,
March 2nd 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 February meeting. The Zoom link will
still be available for associate members and members of the public.
The draft minutes from the January 5th and February 2nd meetings are attached. The
draft minutes from the November 3, 2022 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, the CB will need to review the nominations received for the 2022
Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award and select a winner. The two
nominations that we have received are:
- Friendship Donation Network
- Finger Lakes Land Trust
Attached are the nomination materials that were provided. I will email everyone if any
additional nominations are submitted by the February 28th deadline. For those not
familiar with the award, additional information about the award and criteria can be found
on the Towns website at: http://www.town.ithaca.ny.us/richard-fischer-award.
Also at this meeting we will continue the conversations on the indigenous environmental
justice (Mike R.) and your yard could be a wildlife sanctuary / garden tour (Ingrid) topics.
Eva is signed up to take minutes at the March 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, March 2, 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, January 5, 2023 and February 2, 2023
6. Discussion of the 2022 Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award nominations
and selection of a winner
7. Continue discussion of Indigenous Environmental Justice (Mike)
8. Continued discussion of Your Yard Could be a Wildlife Sanctuary / Garden Tour (Ingrid)
9. Regular reports and updates (6:30 pm)
a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva)
b. Communications Committee (James)
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 2023 Work Goals / Discuss April Agenda
12. Adjourn (7:00 p.m.)
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Town of Ithaca Conservation Board (CB) Meeting
January 5, 2023, 5:30 pm
(In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference)
Draft Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer (Chair), Elise Edwards, James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Joann Kowalski
(Vice-Chair), Michael Roberts, Ingrid Zabel
Staff: Mike Smith, Senior Planner
Guests: Frank Cantone, Elizabeth Sander (former board member), Sonny Zeng (Ithaca High School
Student)
1. Persons to be heard (5:32 pm)
a. Elizabeth Sanders requested to learn more about the board and about the names of
members.
2. Members comments / concerns
a. Joann- Lansing Open Space Survey received in the mail from the town of Lansing: Public
meeting was held November 15th 2022, but they are inquiring about the areas in the town of
Lansing that are most deserving of future conservation.
i. Mike S.- Open space needed for the town to have a conservation board.
ii. Ithaca has an open space plan, but it doesn’t seem easy to find; could add it to link of
plan to the website so that folks can find the open space plan
b. Ingrid- there is a NY state program – green purchasing communities – for resources to help
purchase more environmental resources, and she wanted to make sure the town of Ithaca
was aware of this
c. Mike R. public comment open for State University of New York Environmental Science and
Forestry (SUNY ESF) for release of blight resistant chestnut, this is something to be aware of,
and comments were due by December 27th 2022. However, links to information about this
work are here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2020-0030-8291 SUNY ESF
Project: https://www.esf.edu/chestnut/
3. Environmental Review Committee (ERC) Update (Lori)
a. Chairwoman Brewer offered Ms. Sanders and Ms. Zeng an overview of what the Conservation
Board does, focusing on the main charge of the Board: reviewing plans for development
within the Town with a focus on environmental issues. There are no new updates, however
Mike S. mentioned that there have been a number of calls/inquiries and there will be more
things to review soon.
4. Chair and Coordinator reports
a. Chairwoman Brewer
i. Joann shared with Lori that Cornell’s Center for Community Engagement was looking
for community members to participate in an event to get community partners
together. They want to find out what partners are interested in, and what Cornell can
share with them, and what mutual interests exist among community partners.
ii. This will be held from 3-4pm on January 19th at Tompkins County Public Library Borg
Warner Community Room.
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iii. Discussions were had about what our goals were in attending this event and what the
goal of the event was. Lori asked what do we want to come away with? Members
came up with the following list of items to consider
Frank- this is likely an academic oriented event, but it could be a way to get the
word out about the board.
Lori- what activities would Engage Cornell be interested in?
Eva- would be interested in hearing from them about what they are
doing/learning with local environmental efforts and would love for them to
present at a board meeting if possible.
Would be good to mention that we have open membership available
b. Coordinator
i. Mike S. mentioned that the grant for Culver Road Preserve from NY State Parks of
$200,000 was received. This will be for a parking area, trailhead, trails on the preserves,
benches and picnic tables. They will be working with a landscape architect to develop a
work plan. There are 150 acres of land in this area that the town has acquired at this
point. Eva asked if we would be able to view the plan. Mike S. – Yes.
ii. December 21st Mike sent an email about upcoming invasive species conferences that
board might want to keep on their radar. These include the Northeast Regional Invasive
species climate change management network 6th annual symposium and the Invasive
species forum.
iii. Director of planning is retiring and they have a new hire, CJ Randall who was the
director of planning in Lansing. She and Sue Ritter will overlap for 2 weeks. Lori asked if
we could have her come to a meeting so she could meet the conservation board. Mike
S. -Yes
iv. Mike S. mentioned that the town deer program is doing well. Approval for operations
from February 1st-the end of march. There is a goal to have 8-9 locations for the
program, we had lost a couple of locations from last year, but the Deer Damage Permit
will need to go to the Department of Environmental Conservation for approval.
v. Mike S. reported he would like to get new members ID cards for when members of
the ERC are out reviewing sites.
vi. Mike S. discussed comments for the conservation board minutes, all minor
comments should be directly to him, all major comments should be sent to everyone for
review.
5. Approval of minutes from December 1, 2022
a. James moved, and Ingrid seconded that December 1st minutes be approved, movement
passed promptly. The November 2022 minutes were not available.
6. Continue discussion of Indigenous Environmental Justice
a. Mike R. has been thinking about indigenous environmental justice and wanted to share some
information about what he has been learning about. If there is enough interest by other
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members and specific goals can be identified, this topic may warrant a new committee in the
future.
i. The nature conservancy and other nonprofit organizations are partnering with indigenous
communities. There is often a two pronged approach to seeing conservation, the first is the
more traditional approach, and then also including indigenous ecological knowledge. SUNY ESF
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment has a website which provides a great resource
https://www.esf.edu/nativepeoples/, schools are trying to include a new narrative of the history
in the United States that is more real, and shows the injustices of the past.
ii. Mike R. attended a talk by Stephen Henhawk, a member of the Cayuga Nation, at Cornell
University. Mike R. learned much from this talk and feels a moral obligation to do something,
such as a project that works with indigenous peoples, however he is not sure what this looks like
at this point.
iii. Discussions were had about possibly looking for advice from the Gayogo̱ hó꞉nǫ' (pronounced
Guy-yo-KO-no, Cayuga Nation) about the project on Culver Road. Considerations were made
about possibly involving the Gayogo̱ hó꞉nǫ' with the development, or some kind of formal
relation between the Cayuga Nation and the Town of Ithaca. This discussion ended with more
clarity that if we are to ask for advice or learn from the Gayogo̱ hó꞉nǫ' that any collaboration
should be started early or prior to the development or concept of plans.
iv. Mike R. will be continuously learning and exploring more regarding this effort and welcomes
others to join him.
v. Mike S. and Joann mentioned that Rod Howe has a connection with couple members of the
Gayogo̱ hó꞉nǫ' and they are planning an event in Tutelo Park this May. This might be a good
place for Mike R. to start.
vi. Ingrid mentioned that she attended a talk given by Robin Wall Kimmerer about the great
lakes people who gained knowledge about climate change and knowledge sharing with others
but then there was an issue with that knowledge that was shared being used against them. This
is something to consider moving forward with these efforts.
vii. Eva- Sherene Baugher does archeological digs across from the highway department, this
might be another location or source of efforts to consider.
viii. Frank mentioned that it might be best to ask the Cayuga Nation what they would like to be
involved in.
ix. Mike said that any project should be co-created as a joint effort, with meaningful
collaboration and engagement. Part 2 of this discussion will be held during our February
meeting.
7. Review of Activity and Accomplishments for 2022
a. Joann wants to add the number of reviews the ERC completed in 2022. Lori mentioned she will get
that number.
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b. Mike S. Once this list of accomplishments is reviewed and approved by the CB, it will be shared on the
towns Facebook page.
c. Lori mentioned we should add the scenic views digital map to the accomplishments.
d. No other changes were mentioned.
2023 Work Goals Review
a. ERC field trips to sites, we haven’t been doing these because of covid but we should make a goal to
make a trip to the sites
b. Add continued indigenous discussion and goal development
c. Communication: add language to document about invasive species and pest management, water and
land conservation but can delete non-automobile infrastructure and delete detail about compost.
d. Add in the communication section language about promoting biodiverse landscapes
e. Add explore social media services such as Instagram
i. discussions about implementing a conservation board Instagram were had, Mike S. mentioned
that as long as a town employee has access to the page it shouldn’t be a problem, but the
conservation board will need to go through a similar process through the town that they did to
make a Facebook page.
ii. Frank mentioned that given the goal of acquiring new members, he was interested in
becoming a member. Lori gave him the details and mentioned that Mike S. will send him an
email about the application process.
2023 Committees
a. Committees to keep all of the existing. With the county environmental management council, we need
an official member to be the representative for the town of Ithaca.
8. Regular reports and updates
a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva)
i. The scenic views sign license with Cornell appears to be moving forward, communication
indicates that comments will be received by the end of the month regarding the draft towns
attorney license agreement.
b. Communications Committee (James)
i. Conservation board Facebook page now has 317 followers. James saw Mike S's post of SUNY
ESF requesting public comments on EIS of draft proposal to allow deregulated planting of
Darling 58 genetically engineered blight resistant Chestnut clone, and submitted supporting
comment before 12/27/22 deadline.
ii. Fisher Award Nominations: We need an official nomination for Sara Pines' food Friendship
Donation Network for Fischer award. Can Lori do it? Lori- Yes, she just needs to find a staff
member. James mentioned that you can find the format of a nomination on the town website.
Ingrid mentioned Zero Waste Ithaca might be a good nomination. Joann mentioned considering
Blythe and Frank Baldwin, and the Colle’s who donated the land for Pine Tree Wildlife Preserve
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and East Ithaca Nature Preserve. She wrote them a letter but haven’t heard back, and she would
like to get in touch with them prior to nominating them.
iii. Lori- garden tour will be on the agenda for next time
c. Tompkins County EMC
i. No update
d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James)
i. Thursday evening 5:30-8:30 BMI pickled summer sample ID sessions continue at CSI's
Langmuir Lab near airport, and will continue till all samples have been analyzed.
e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James)
i. Recently on vacation, volunteers did manage 3 Tuesday afternoon woody invasives since my
last report: all weeding sessions on campus: clip & drip (glyphosate) honeysuckle, privet,
buckthorn, multiflora rose, Norway maple around Beebe Lake NW bank and Fall Creek by
Triphammer Falls; cutting huge Oriental bittersweet vines in Palmer Woods near CU disc golf
course to reduce seed rain. Celastrus orbiculatus vines can strangle host trees when they climb
up to 40 feet high and drop their thousands of poisonous seeds.
9. Adjourn at 7:06 pm.
Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Elise Edwards.
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Town of Ithaca Conservation Board (CB) Meeting
February 2, 2023, 5:30 pm
(In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference)
Draft Minutes
Members Present: Lori Brewer, Elise Edwards, James Hamilton, Mike Roberts, Ingrid Zabel
Staff: Mike Smith (Senior Planner) and C.J. Randall (Director of Planning)
Guests: Frank Cantone
1. Persons to be heard: Frank has submitted an application to join the CB as voting member. C.J. was
welcomed and introduced to those present. She has taken recently retired Sue Ritter's job as Director of
Planning.
2. Members comments/concerns: Mike R hopes members will look into the email he sent us Jan 25th
with URL links and info relevant to a "Verdant Views" episode Cornell Botanic Gardens is holding online
February 23rd from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. "Capturing Carbon" will show how Cornell is relying on its forests
as "nature-based solutions to the climate crisis."
3. Environmental Review Committee update:
a) The Burger King at East Hill Plaza has been abandoned, and the Town has received a Sketch Plan for a
proposed combined Mirabito gas station and Burger King that would site a drive-through loop over land
where beautiful trees now stand. Lori wanted to know how the sketch plan relates to the Environmental
Assessment Form, and how the present zoning would require special permit for the proposal. Mike S
explained that the sketch was a preliminary plan for comments and complaints before an Environmental
review would be required later in the process. Now the gas station and Burger King lots are in different
zones, and combining them into one building would need a variance in one or the other. James wanted
to be sure we do all we can to preserve the trees now growing around those buildings; he especially
likes the evergreens and the big catalpa that the sketch plan proposes to demolish. The ERC will plan a
site visit soon.
b) Lori would like a more detailed work plan for the ERC's reviewing proposed development; she wants
to be sure the Committee preserves an organizational memory from past work so it can learn from its
history.
4. Chair Report: Lori and Elise attended a Community Partnership gathering hosted by the David M.
Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell on 1/19/23 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm in the Tompkins
County Public Library. Members were given two pamphlets from the Einhorn Center about Community
Engagement and Social Justice Programs. She reported from these (slightly edited) notes:
"a. Holly Payne from Cornell Cooperative Extension suggested connecting with the Ithaca Bike Share to
promote the CB's map and guide to scenic views to folks who don't have a car. We thought putting a QR
code on the bikes, or on the map brochure might be a good idea." James agreed the scenic views map
tour should be promoted that way.
"b. Deanna English (deanna.l.english@gmail.com) from Trees Up Tompkins mentioned a desire for a
joint effort for tree planting or as a source of possible volunteers. She seemed interested in joining a
town board meeting. They clear invasives and then plant native trees and shrubs."
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"c. Nicole MacPherson, the Community Work Study Program Coordinator, mentioned that we could be
in touch to get Cornell volunteers (which we can advertise on their website) or to have a work study
student. It might be good if we have some specific job descriptions we can share with them based on
our needs for the different committees (for example an ERC project review guideline document that
might help improve our process and articulate it to others)." Mike S noted that now is a good time to
suggest projects for summer interns, as the Town is now looking for a good job such summer hires could
do. He gave as example the hiring of a student to help monitoring a deer browse study of natural areas
in the Town that Bernd Blossey at Cornell's Natural Resources & The Environment Department is doing.
"d. Might we want to find out if one of the Social Justice programs connects with our discussion and
interests in Indigenous Environmental Justice?" We'll try to address this later in the agenda when we
discuss it as planned.
"e. United Way in collaboration with this Cornell center is developing a searchable database of
community engagement/ volunteer opportunities. Keep an eye out for the launch of this."
"f. There are Community Engaged Learning grant opportunities for faculty and staff (in partnership with
a community group) https://einhorn.cornell.edu/opportunities-for-faculty-staff/. Just a couple
examples: Public Issue Network Grants—Funding teams who are creating or expanding networks around
a shared issued of public concern; Engaged Opportunity Grants—Providing seed support for a wide
range of community-engaged learning projects."
"g. In our Office 365 shared folder in sub folder "For consideration" there is an excel spread sheet listing
50 community partners who participated in this event. Are there others on the list we might reach out
to about shared interests?"
The New York State Association of Conservation Commissions (NYSACC) will be holding its next annual
Conference on the Environment in Tompkins County this Fall.
The Tompkins County EMC is planning to hold a meeting in May with all local Conservation Board’s and
Commission’s. We might want to cancel our May CB meeting to be sure we attend this event.
4. Coordinator Report: Mike S noted that the Town's Newsletter online will need a new subscription.
Those currently getting it via Internet will have to register online to continue getting it via a different
cyberplatform. Mike has received Frank Cantone's application to join us as a voting resident member; he
should be approved by next meeting. When Sue Ritter vacated her office for C.J. Randall, she gave Mike
two articles she'd found in her files from the late 1990s that Dick Fischer had written, probably for Town
Newsletters; we may be able to use them some way. Mike R took photos of them with his phone and we
all checked them out. Mike reported the beginning of the Town's special deer management program in
9 locations in Town, some in the Six Mile Creek watershed owned by the City. The treestands and deer
feeders he installed will let deer get used to them for a week before archers use them to reduce deer
over-population. Frank asked whether the deer had been counted; Mike S explained the program had
not used a census, but relied on deer browse studies and traffic accident reports to see that too many
deer here were a problem.
5. Minutes could not be approved, as we had no quorum. No minutes for 11/3/22 have yet been
received from Eva. Elise and Mike R will straighten out a problem mentioned by James in a 1/29/23
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email to CB members about the draft minutes for our 1/5/23 meeting concerning an Indigenous
Environmental Justice Committee.
6. Mike R promised a succinct report on his concerns about Indigenous Environmental Justice, and
presented an explanation of the Morrill Land Grant Acts that established public colleges by offering gifts
of land expropriated from Indigenous People and traded through scripts traded by speculators like Ezra
Cornell who could make fortunes from mining and logging lands taken from tribes who didn't
understand the notion of real estate property. He suggested we go to www.landgrabu.org to see how
our federal government funded land-grant universities like Cornell with unethical treaties and land
seizures. He wants us to honor and acknowledge the Haudenosaunee confederacy, and the Gayogohono
whose homeland was taken by whites coming to settle Ithaca. Lori wondered whether indigenous folks
find "land acknowledgement" valuable. Mike could not say he'd noticed. But indigenous people
themselves meet after acknowledging "Words Before All Else," so we might well do so, too. The Town's
Tutelo Park could benefit from the development of an Interpretive Trail in order to educate visitors
about prior indigenous inhabitants. On May 6, 2023, 11:00-3:00 pm there will be a Haudenosaunee
themed gathering there. The CB should help with the development of an ethnobotanic walk there. Elise
wonders if the CB meetings should have a preliminary values ritual like the Words Before All Else. She
and Mike R will think about it. Lori wonders if other parks besides Tutelo Park should also get special
ethnic land acknowledgement.
7. Ingrid reported her work on Garden Tours and turning lawns into Wildlife Sanctuaries. We'd like to
show Ithacans how their lawns could be replaced by pollinator gardens. She hasn't found a resident with
no lawn, but hopes to. When would a garden tour work for everybody? Would it be a sort of open
house, or a guided tour from garden to garden? What sort of info do people want, if they want to
replace their lawn? She noted the importance of planning several months ahead, but had never
organized an event like this and wondered if we could do it. She was encouraged to keep trying, as
mowing lawns was not ecologically appropriate, and reducing lawns in Ithaca should be part of our CB
mission. We'll keep this idea on our agenda for next month.
8. Regular reports and updates:
a) SRC is still waiting on Cornell for legal permission to plant an interpretive view sign on CU property at
the Pine Tree/Snyder Hill Rds intersection.
b) Communication Committee: James had posted FB promotions for various events that Mike and Ingrid
asked our FB page to "share." Cornell Botanic Gardens' Verdant Views webinar will show how Cornell's
natural areas and forests capture atmospheric carbon, an important part of Cornell's aim to becoming
carbon neutral. Check out https://events.cornell.edu/event/capturing_carbon_nature-
based_solutions_to_the_climate_crisis to see more, and to find the link for registering to attend on
Thursday, 2/23/23 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. The Finger Lakes Land Trust, whose founding president A. Carl
Leopold won Ithaca Conservation Board's Fischer Conservation Award for 2009, is planning a Finger
Lakes Ecology Series: free evening (7:30-8:30) webinars about deer, invasive species, and algal blooms
Feb 9, Mar 16, Apr 4. See https://www.fllt.org/events/ for more info and links for registration. We still
need official nominations for the 2022 Fischer Award. JoAnn & James are having problems with James'
emails not getting through to her gmail account. We want to get Ingrid on the CC committee, and she's
willing, so therefore she's thanked for joining. James has been able to get back on FB, which had
blocked him for supposed "security" problems, without any need for its "two factor authentication"
hardware. Maybe someone more cyberliterate and smartphone enabled should take over the chair of
this committee?
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c) Ingrid enjoyed her first meeting as Ithaca Town liaison with the Tompkins County Environmental
Management Council. The EMC is planning to change its format for meetings with longer presentations
about environmental concerns. CB members thanked Ingrid for taking this important job connecting
Town and County environmental work, as it had been vacant for too long, tho Lindsay was filling in
unofficially, due to the lack of members willing to take it on.
d) Six Mile Creek water quality monitor volunteers worked 7 hours Saturday 12/1/23 to analyze 2
replicate BMI samples preserved in alcohol from a riffle near 600 Rd in Slaterville Springs on 8/20/22. All
metrics proved Six Mile is very healthy at that site. All three BMI samples taken last summer from 6MC
have now been analyzed; results will be posted on CSI's website soon. CSI recently received a $50,000
gift from the Tapan Mitra Estate and will use most of it for an environmental education fund. CSI's latest
newsletter is one of their best; check out http://www.communityscience.org/wp-
content/uploads/2023/01/Final-2022-Water-Bulletin.pdf. 6MC volunteers will meet some time in the
3rd week of Feb to figure out this year's sampling schedule and to get "refresher training" to follow
"requirements of CSI's Quality Assurance Project Plan."
e) Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas volunteer stewards are working every other week as
stewardship activities are slowed by winter weather and reduced CU staff to supervise. Woody invasives
in the Varna side of Park Park preserve south of Fall Creek and east of the arboretum were cut down and
their stumps painted with glyphosate to prevent resprouting: piles of honeysuckle, multiflora rose,
privet, buckthorn, Norway maple and Japanese maple (escaped from arboretum) were stacked short
distances away from the Park Park Trail through there. The former trailer park at 440 Forest Home Drive
across the road from this NA is for sale now, priced at $3,950,000!
9. The Other Business of recommending Ingrid Zabel as official Tompkins County Environmental
Management Council member was approved by all present. Though we had no quorum, Mike S is sure
the Town Board will be glad to appoint her as Town of Ithaca representative to that county council.
10. March's CB Agenda will continue discussion of items 5 & 6 on today's agenda.
11. We adjourned at 7:00.
Draft minutes submitted 2/3/23 by James Hamilton.
Identify and provide contact information for the nominee.
Finger Lakes Land Trust
Summarize the nature of the project or action which prompts this nomination.
Building on decades of land protection work in the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes and Central
New York the Finger Lakes Land Trust took swift action and raise half a million dollars to save
the 480-acre Bell Station property and conserve it forever. Their effort galvanized the public,
agencies and politicians at every level of local and state government to put pressure on NYSEG
to move forward with a sale to the FLLT. NYSEG had intended to auction the parcel, which
boasts the largest stretch of shoreline on one parcel, online to the highest bidder.
The full-court-press publicity campaign the FLLT launched to conserve this parcel animated a
broad and powerful public outcry and widespread financial support for their cause. Only an
organization with deep roots in the community and a respected presence at the state level could
have done this. The speed with which they accomplished their fundraising and political goals
speaks to the resonance their initiative had with the local community. We’re fortunate we have
such an agile and capable leader in conservation locally who will be helping conserve, protect
and steward nature in the Finger Lakes.
Provide details about the project/action by addressing the following aspects.
Scope, locus, and orientation.
480 acres of woods, fields and ravines
3,400 feet of Cayuga Lake shoreline
The whole of their conservation effort here lies outside of the Town of Ithaca; however,
Town residents will benefit forever from this project. Indeed, there are many plant
communities, eco-types, and natural features (e.g., shoreline, escarpments, and
promontories) which lie outside of the Town boundaries and are worth conserving for the
benefit of all, including TOI residents.
There are many lands within the Town that the Land Trust has conserved which would fill
this particular qualification. The campaign to save Bell Station was extraordinary for its
speed, scope and public reach and should be recognized.
Cost-effectiveness.
To keep those lands and that shoreline protected forever, yes, it was very cost effective.
Applicability.
Are the action’s effects easily reproduced, or do they lend themselves to widespread use? Are
they likely to encourage other actions to benefit the Town environment?
Yes, a similar model have been used within the Town to conserve natural areas and will
be used again to the same ends and effects.
Visibility/public awareness.
If this project/action involved physical change to property, how obvious and visible is it? If a non-
physical action, how has the general public been made aware of it.
Yes, it avoided the potential development of that property into any number of
ownership/landuse regimes which would not have allowed for the public enjoyment or
benefit of the land.
Impact on the public image.
How does the project/action enhance the Town’s public image? Does it present potential for the
Town government to take steps to benefit the environment?
The public image of Ithacan’s is only reinforced by associated with the swift, forward-
looking, conservation initiative. We are a people who cherish and are proud of the land
we are on. This is a great example of Ithacan values in aciton.
Additional positive benefits.
These might include preservation of a valuable resource, or restoration/enlargement of one;
removal/reduction of negative conditions; creation of habitat to benefit
rare/threatened/endangered species; creation of a visual enhancement that will benefit an area or
the Town as a whole; written and/or graphic material that will educate and inspire Town residents.
Since the initial land purchase, the Land Trust has already opened public trails on the
property and is slated to add another 110 acres to the site with a purchase of the Cedar
View project.
Negative impacts.
Are there offsetting negative outcomes? Could/should these have been foreseen and possibly
avoided or reduced? Do they outweigh the benefits?
None I can think of.
Nominator contact information.
Michael Roberts
106 Penny Lane
Ithaca, NY 14850
845.905.5872
Mjr586@gmail.com
2022 Nomination for Fisher Award
Friendship Donations Network (FDN) every year rescues about 500,000 pounds of fresh food.
This good food is distributed to hunger-relief programs in our area instead of our landfill.
Coordinator: Meaghan Sheehan Rosen, MSW
Email: info@friendshipdonations.org
Mailing Address:1013 West Martin Luther King, Jr. / State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Website:https://friendshipdonations.org
The action which prompts this nomination.
The Friendship Donations Network (FDN) was founded in 1988 by Ithaca resident Sara Pines,
who noticed that many people were going hungry in our community while, at the same time, a
lot of fresh, healthy food was being thrown away by area stores and farms. In 2022 we entered
a new chapter in the food rescue story with the implementation of the Food Donation and Food
Scraps Recycling Law (https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/114499.html).Each year more and
more businesses and institutions will be required to donate their edible surplus food rather than
allow it to go to waste in our landfills. Our community was prepared to immediately act on this
law because of the support provided by the well-established and successful Friendship
Donations Network.
The scope and orientation.
The Friendship Donations Network (FDN) diverts an average of 1,500 pounds of good food per
day from our local landfill by recovering surplus food from dozens of food donors (including
stores, farms, colleges, other food-related businesses, and individuals). Food donors in the
Town of Ithaca include: Cornell University, Ithaca College, P&C Fresh, Longview, and West
Haven Farms. The Learning Farm also serves as one of the Neighborhood Food Hub where
gardeners can donate their extra bounty.
The cost-effectiveness.
This organization is able to exist because of a dedicated grassroots network of volunteers which
enables FDN to be nimble and efficient in their operations and availability. FDN calls upon its
network of volunteers to respond quickly once food becomes available, in order to ensure that
food is distributed within a few hours on the day it is picked up. Every day, volunteers deliver
these perishable items directly to local pantries and other community food programs. FDN
differs from a food bank in its approach to obtaining food. FDN never purchases food and never
sells food. They handle exclusively food donations, primarily food that is unsaleable. Food
banks must charge member programs for overhead per pound or package of food.
The applicability.
The impact of FDN's role in the community is to show people how to share the abundance of
fresh food that surrounds us – simply and equitably, with as few barriers and as little
bureaucracy as possible. The Friendship Donation Network serves as a model for other
communities establishing similar networks, which is especially timely as the 2022 Food
Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law continues to roll out.
Visibility/public awareness.
FDN provides this surplus food for free to 50 food distribution partners who share it with more
than 2,000 people each week through meal programs, food pantries, community organizations,
and grassroots distribution. Overlook Apartments is one of the many places regularly scheduled
to receive donations of fresh food.
Impact on the public image.
Food rescue effort is a positive action toward the preservation and protection of the Town’s natural
and scenic resources.Food that we throw
into our landfills damages our planet by
emitting harmful amounts of greenhouse
gases, enough to make food waste the
third largest contributor to global warming
worldwide. It also is harming the quality of
our water and threatening the biodiversity
of our community.
Furthermore, the Town of Ithaca will help
the U.S. achieve the 2030 Food Loss and
Waste Reduction goal established by the
Department of Agriculture and EPA
(www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food).
Nominator contact information.
Lori Brewer
ljb7@cornell.edu