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Home My WebLink AboutCB Packet 2024.12.05 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING 215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca NY 14850 607-273-1747 www.townithacany.gov TO: CONSERVATION BOARD MEMBERS FROM: MICHAEL SMITH, SENIOR PLANNER DATE: NOVEMBER 26, 2024 SUBJECT: UPCOMING CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING – DECEMBER 5, 2024 This is to confirm that the next meeting of the Conservation Board (CB) is Thursday, December 5th at 5:30 p.m. The agenda for this meeting is enclosed (see the back of this memo). The draft minutes from the November 7th meeting are attached. Please email me any spelling, grammatical, or other minor edits you have prior to the meeting. At this meeting we will have a discussion of CB member recruitment ideas. Under Other Business, the usual end of the year items are included as we prepare for 2025. The CB will need to discuss nominations for the 2025 chair and vice-chair positions, along with the approval of the 2025 meeting schedule. We will need to discuss the January 2025 meeting date and if the meeting should be scheduled for January 9th (second Thursday), instead of the usual first Thursday when members may be traveling. Ingrid is signed up to take minutes at the December meeting. If you have any questions prior to the meeting or are not able to attend, please contact me at msmith@townithacany.gov or 607-273-1747. Conservation Board Members and Associates (*) Lori Brewer (Chair), Frank Cantone (Vice-Chair), Lindsay Dombroskie*, James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Michael Roberts, Ingrid Zabel ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ TOWN OF ITHACA CONSERVATION BOARD 5:30 p.m., Thursday, December 5, 2024 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 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 2. Members comments / concerns 3. Environmental Review Committee Update (Lori) 4. Chair and Coordinator reports 5. Approval of minutes from November 7, 2024 6. Discussion of Conservation Board member recruitment ideas 7. Regular reports and updates (6:30 pm) a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva) b. Communications Committee (Ingrid) c. Tompkins County EMC (Ingrid) d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James) e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James) 8. Other Business (6:50 p.m.) - Approval of the 2025 Meeting Schedule - Recommendation of a Chair for 2025 - Nomination and Election of a Vice-Chair for 2025 9. Review 2024 Work Goals (Frank) / Discuss January Agenda 10. Adjourn (7:00 p.m.) 1 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board November 7, 2024, 5:30pm (In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference) Draft Minutes Members Present: Lori Brewer (Chair), Frank Cantone, James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Michael Roberts, Ingrid Zabel Staff Present: Michael Smith (Senior Planner) 1. Persons to be heard: none 2. Members comments / concerns: i. James – The cell tower issue. Went to the first meeting on this project with Wiedmaier. The lawyer put forward a misleading aerial imagery showing forested land where no forest exists. He is concerned the woods will never be restored. He would like the ERC to issue another memo that can be reviewed at the November 19th Planning Board meeting. 1. Lori heard that they tabled the prospect of building the tower there in favor of a new location. 2. Mike S – The developer will be back in front of the Planning Board on the 19th of November. 3. Mike R – Do we want to issue yet another memo to the Planning Board stating that our concerns went unanswered and that we cannot support the project? a. Yes, there’s general agreement to do this. Lori will draft this and include a request to the Planning Board to ask for more information from the applicant, to ask for a response to the ERC, and include the point that the map provided by the applicant shows there is forest there where no forest is. ii. Cornell Field on Game Farm Road 1. Lori raised a concern about staging area and its proximity to the creek. It is not within the buffer from the creek and there is no real possibility of runoff from the lot. 3. Environmental Review Committee Update (Lori) i. See Member comments / concerns 4. Chair and Coordinator reports i. Cayuga Medical Center is submitting plans for a generator building at the hospital. ii. Our memo to the Town Board on artificial turf has been handed off to the Planning Committee, which meets November 21st. iii. Deer Management Program – Mike is going to try and get back up to 9 sites and has been contacting hunters. iv. There is a presentation on County UNA’s on Wednesday, November 13 from 6:00-7:30 PM at the Tompkins County Public Library. Eva and Frank may be able to attend. 5. Approval of minutes from September 5, 2024 and October 3, 2024 i. Mike R moves to approve the minutes from both months and Ingrid seconds the approval for both meeting minutes. All in favor. 6. Update on the Tutelo Park Ethnobotanic Trail Project (Mike) i. Mike R described the layout of the plant labels that Steve Henhawk and he have been working on. They have completed a total of 11 signs and handed them off to Mike S for fabrication. ii. Mike R read some of the content of the labels 7. Regular reports and updates (6:30 pm) 2 1. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva) a. Ingrid contacted Susan Riley (Deputy Director for Community Relations) at Cornell but hasn’t gotten anywhere regarding the sign at Pine Tree Rd. b. Mike S – Cornell is working with the Town (through the DPW) on this and it has been group with several other easement type issues. i. Eva would like to see maintenance of the adjacent horse fence and the weeds growing through cut. 2. Communications Committee (Ingrid) a. Our engagement metrics have been going up. b. There was a pollinator garden the Town put in on Winner’s Circle, but neighbors complained and the Town went back to mowing the area. 3. Tompkins County EMC (Ingrid) a. October meeting i. Discussions are focused mainly on internal Board matters and less on Environmental concerns. ii. There will be a meeting on the County’s Unique Natural Areas and the effort to update the boundaries of the Areas. 1. Wednesday, November 13 from 6:00-7:30 PM, Tompkins County Public Library, Borg Warner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca 4. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James) a. The Community Science Institute (CSI) is inviting Benthic Macroinvertebrate sample analysis volunteers to their lab in Langmuir near Ithaca’s airport from 6 to 9 pm evenings, the first Wednesday of each month, then the monthly Thursdays on subsequent weeks. BMI samples, preserved in alcohol, were taken from Six Mile Creek riffles at various sites in late August. We're still waiting for the mathematical analysis of the live sample taken from below Potters Falls, though it seemed pretty healthy unofficially. CSI held its annual volunteer appreciation supper party at the library November 2nd, inviting us to participate in sessions to discuss future plans for water quality monitoring. The Harmful Algal Bloom monitors found HABs breaking records for earliest and latest blooms in Cayuga Lake. 5. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James) a. Volunteers weeded woody invasives (buckthorn, honeysuckle, privet, multiflora rose, autumn olive, Oriental bittersweet) from the South Hill Swamp Natural Area three Tuesdays in a row. They collected seed from rare fringed gentian around the experimental ponds on Neimi Road northeast of the airport for sowing in the nearby Etna Fringed Gentian Area, where some gentians can be protected by deer exclosures. Then they went back to kill more invasives around the South Hill Swamp again. They especially enjoyed the annual volunteer lunch party at the Nevin Welcome Center Friday afternoon, October 25th. 8. Other Business (6:50 p.m.) i. Mike R will be leaving the Board at the end of the year. He gave his sincere thanks to the members and to Mike S for the many years of collaboration and fellowship. 9. Review 2024 Work Goals / Discuss December Agenda i. The Conservation Board needs to reinvigorate the discussion about getting new members. ii. We also need to focus on planning for next year. 10. Adjourn (6:57 p.m.) Minutes drafted by Mike Roberts (11/08/2024) PROPOSED RESOLUTION: Town of Ithaca Conservation Board Schedule of Meetings for the Year 2025 Conservation Board Meeting, December 5, 2024 Motion by: ____ ____ Seconded by: ____________________ BE IT RESOLVED, that the Conservation Board of the Town of Ithaca adopts the following schedule of meetings for the Conservation Board for the year 2025. The Town of Ithaca Conservation Board will meet at 5:30 p.m., on the first Thursday of the month in the Aurora Conference Room in Town of Ithaca Town Hall, unless otherwise noted. THE 2025 SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS: January 9 (2nd Thursday) February 6 March 6 April 3 May 1 June 5 July 3 August 7 September 4 October 2 November 6 December 4 A vote on the motion was as follows: Ayes: Nays: Abstentions: PROPOSED RESOLUTION: Town of Ithaca Conservation Board 2025 Conservation Board Chairperson Recommendation to Town Board December 5, 2024 Motion by: __________________ Seconded by: ___________________ BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Ithaca Conservation Board recommends to the Town Board that _______________________ be appointed as Chairperson of the Conservation Board for the year 2025. A vote on the motion was as follows: Ayes: Nays: Abstentions: PROPOSED RESOLUTION: Town of Ithaca Conservation Board 2025 Conservation Board Vice Chairperson Nomination and Election December 5, 2024 Motion by: __________________ Seconded by: ___________________ BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Ithaca Conservation Board does hereby nominate and elect ________________________ as Vice Chairperson of the Conservation Board for the year 2025. A vote on the motion was as follows: Ayes: Nays: Abstentions: