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Home My WebLink AboutCAC Minutes - 03_12_19Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 1 of 5 Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes of monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Danby Town Hall, 1830 Danby Road, Danby, New York Council Members present: Matt Ulinski (chair), Joel Gagnon, Ruth Sherman, Council Members absent: Bill Evans, Clare Fewtrell, Don Schaufler Others present: Elizabeth Keokosky (secretary), Ronda Roaring (Danby resident), John Czamanske (newTown Planner taking over for C.J. Randall) .Meeting opened at 7:15 pm There was no quorum, so no actions could be taken, but the assembled members nonetheless chose to update themselves as follows Agenda Review (Additions or Deletions) • Randall introduced John Czamanske. She will be attending CAC meeting next month • Next month Status of Logging. Czamanske (Ulinski added that DEC and Chemung County Highway Department are sponsoring a DEC presentation on logging May 10, 2019 from 9-12:00 on “Timber Harvest Training for Municipalities.” At Tompkins County Highway department building on Bostwick Rd. Ulinski planning to attend. Others interested.) Afterward Note: See also “A Municipal Official’s Guide to Forestry in New York State” at https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/guidetoforestry.pd f Public Comments/Privilege of the Floor (later referred to as PoF) • Roaring again emphasized the importance of getting people to come to meetings (this meeting does not have a quorum) Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 2 of 5 • John Czamske introduced himself and gave out a resume. Grew up in Rochester and lived in Ithaca for a while. Background in Coast Guard in mid 80s for 3 years in California and Maine. He graduated from Cornell City and Regional Planning after that. Gave his County Planner and other work background, which included time at Town of Ithaca Planning Office (where he worked with Sue Beeners) and also Schuyler, Yates, and Orange County. He has experience with both a CAC and a Natural Resource Inventory. He is now here on a 3-4-plus month trial basis– for both him and town. He can only work part-time but that may be enough. He was welcomed by CAC members. Email is johncz@danbytownny.org. Ulinski mentioned that Randall did come to most meetings to keep us updated and he hoped this would continue. Action Items 1. CJ Report presented next month 2. Report by Matt Ulinski (Chair) on resolutions brought to Danby Town Board March 4th • Resolution to increase membership term to 3 years was denied – New York state law limits CAC or CAB membership length to 2 years • Board didn’t vote on increasing maximum CAC membership from 7 to 9. Wording needs to be updated. • Accepted Annual Report • Accepted Gagnon introduced Resolution on Carbon Fee and Dividend Bill (because Ulinski couldn’t answer it when questioned about it, Gagnon explained to group difference between cap and trade and fee and dividend) • Cap and Trade only applies to utilities and carbon allotments can be sold and traded. Cost to utility is small and has not reduced carbon sufficiently. Carbon fees start at $15/ton and increases by $10 increments. Creates a monetary incentive that is extremely important. 3. Discussion of Management Plans Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 3 of 5 This discussion is about two town parcels 18.-1-17.2 (25 plus acres – the West Danby Water District connected by Sylvan Lane to Spencer Rd.) and 12.-1-16 (less than 10 acres on Deputron Hollow Road currently valued at $15K)) Gagnon stated questions not resolved yet. • History. Water District was taken from an adjacent farm and then acquired by town. The state gave town the Deputron Hollow property in 20s or 30s. Danby has not retained claim on Northwestern part of Deputron Hollow parcel. This needs to be looked into. • Old goals were to manage for old growth. Do we need new goals? Should there be an evaluation for new goals such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity? • Carbon sequestion discussed vs carbon storage. Growth captures carbon; decay releases carbon. Mature forest is a steady state. • PoF: Roaring has papers she has collected on the property. Secretary Keokosky offered to scan some in and create a folder on the Laserfiche Server that would hold these as background to the discussion. Roaring also said that the parcel in West Danby has two tracts. Also a plant survey was previously done. • Discussion was hampered by lack of members present and lack of hard copy draft plans available. • Ulinski is going to start a Google Doc site to edit plans. After-note: this has been started. • So far several different outlines referenced; Reports and Updates Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 4 of 5 1. Update on Knotweed and Highway Department classes on Exotic Species Management • Sherman has contacted Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM ) ( See: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/47433.html ) and will present recommendation to Highway Department. Ulinski recommended going to see Jack and Laura Shawley personally – face to face. 2. Update on Mary Wimset Property – 40 acres south of South Danby Rd intersection of Rt 96B • Gagnon talked on phone several times with Andrew Zepp, Finger Lakes Land Trust Director • Zepp said that life interest constitutes a retained ownership component that is still subject to taxation. Probability of continued, needed investment in property is main unknown risk if town takes ownership. • On another taxation topic, IRS may rule that New York State conservation easement donations are not tax deductible. Currently owners of conservation easement properties can get an annual NY state credit to offset a portion of the property taxes. Since it is open ended (repeated each year) it can end up being more than the value of the development rights donated. A legislative fix at the Federal level could take a while - a year or more. • Continued, but still unresolved, discussion on the intricacies of trying to accomplish Ms Wimset’s goals of no taxation and living in her house till she dies. 3. Update on Income from Rural Properties presentations – Don Schaufler – organizer - not present • Akiva Silver of Twisted Tree farm going to speak on Wednesday, March 20 on Passion for Growing Trees for fruit and nuts Next Meeting is on April 9 at 7p.m. Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 5 of 5 Adjournment The meeting ended at 8:25 p.m. _____________________________________________ Submitted by Elizabeth Keokosky (Secretary)