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Home My WebLink AboutCAC Minutes - 10_12_21Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 1 of 6 Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) Minutes of Video Conference (Zoom) Meeting on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 Danby, New York Council Members present: Clare Fewtrell (chair), Joel Gagnon, Don Schaufler, Margaret Corbit, Mary Woodsen, Jonathan Zisk Council Members absent: Brittany Lagaly Others present: Elizabeth Keokosky (secretary), Ronda Roaring (Danby resident), Katharine Hunter (Danby resident and former CAC member), Choon James (a Zoom visitor from Hawaii) Zoom Meeting was officially called to order at 7:08. Deletions or Additions to Agenda: none Privilege of the Floor (PoF): Roaring raised the problem of the town board hearing on proposed Norbut Solar farm. She tried to make an environmental point against the solar farm location (off of Bald Hill Rd). by addressing the 33 acres of trees that will have to be cut down (https://norbutsolarfarms.com/all- projects/projects/601-danby/ ). She had looked up information on tree banking and tree ordinances and sent the links to CAC members (https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5276.html and http://phytosphere.com/treeord/contents.htm ). She thought a tree ordinance might be complementary to the logging ordinance. She noted that the oxygen supplied by 33 acres of trees can supply 100s of people annually, which is a sizable proportion of Danby’s population. Gagnon said it wasn’t a good avenue to discredit the plan because Danby doesn’t regulate the number of trees being cut on private property anywhere in town. We only have regulations for trees in Hamlet zone with new zoning being discussed. (Roaring noted, as an aside, that John Clancy, Supervising Forester at Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 2 of 6 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is retiring and has left public service.) Zisk commented that in Maine (where he is from) rules restrict cutting any tree, especially in development along coast line. But in Danby he makes the case for, not a tree ordinance, but forest management, which he thinks is more appropriate here. The visitor from Hawaii noted that in Oahu, 76,000 trees had been cut down in the name of development. Fewtrell thought that not much could be done on Norbut now, but if members wanted to discuss this problem for the future we could add it to agenda. Roaring’s main goal was to get members to read the material she sent. Hunter acknowledged the importance of the discussion and the visitor from Hawaii. Approval Minutes MOTION for August 13, 2021 and September 14, 2021 Gagnon moved to approve both Fewtrell seconded Unanimous, except for Lagaly, who was absent. REPORTS AND UPDATES from agenda. 1. Status of annual easement monitoring – Don Schaufler, Jonathan Zisk & Margaret Corbit Schaufler has had trouble with the new Danby email system and has been sick so he was kind of out of commission. Corbit reported that the Ted Melchin draft easement monitoring was done. She had also walked Ed Schott’s property (eastern end of Melchen easement) with him and seen his favorite spot – a hemlock stand – that was having health problems. Zisk was going to follow up on that and call him back about treatment. Neighbors also walk the property, where there is a white variety of pink lady slipper. One of the neighbors noted that forest ephemerals come and go; one can only maintain the forest to preserve habitat. Zisk, who has had a home house emergency he’s dealing with, has called easement holders, Curtis, Steve Sellin, Kate O’Neal and Eric Palmer but Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 3 of 6 visits to their their properties have yet to be arranged. For Palmer, monitoring has to work around hunting season. Corbit is leaving Nov. 5 for a three-week family trip. Corbit had made notes on the baseline report. There was some discussion about only noting changes, not re-documenting what was there already. 2. Status of timber harvesting ordinance – Don Schaufler The ways to respond to complaints about the logging ordinance at a past town board meeting were discussed. Schaufler had been ill and now had to play catch-up contacting people. Woodsen, also, had not been able to contact Kitty Hall-Thurnheer, in the family of one of the people who had objected. Corbit, in last month’s meeting, had thought it was a good idea for the committee to thank people for their input, but so far no response had been made by CAC. Gagnon noted that, since the thrust of the comments was that it was ridiculous for the Town to be regulating logging in any way, the comments were difficult to respond to. However, Zisk complimented Gagnon on the tactful email he had sent to one of the opposing people, in the name of the Town Board. The group thought that it was sufficient for the Town Board to respond, since the emails had been addressed to the Town Board. Secretary Keokosky suggested putting up some pictures documenting the logging damage being done on the Danby website along with the link on the ordinance. This was well received, especially if it showed multiple examples on different properties. Fewtrell wanted to be sure that everyone had been responded to, either by CAC or the Town Board. Main complaints had been from Russ Nitchman, Anne and Ira Brous, and John Hall-Thurnheer . (Ulinski on Town Board had forwarded their emails to CAC). She thought it would be good to have written comments from people whom the committee had asked advice (Angel Hinickle, Laura and Jack Shawley, and Bruce Richardson.) She requested that the committee obtain these. Schaufler had thought that what we needed to do was incorporate changes made in response to advice received and upload a new revised draft Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 4 of 6 document before we responded . Only the 3 above people had complained. Fewtrell urged Schaufler and the logging committee to get the Timber Harvesting Ordinance moving again. 3. Status of changes to easement template – Joel Gagnon The Town Board approved the easement template changes but the new file didn’t get to the new website, along with some other files that didn’t get migrated. Fewtrell would like to see all easement info together. Question: Should CAC put up a Word document to download for people to change or keep it as a pdf file? Conclusion was that request for a Template Word document that can be modified should go through CAC members working on easement to ensure that changes could be tracked. 4. Status of Agricultural Presentation Series – Elizabeth Keokosky Keokosky reported on two of the three presentations being organized as part of this series. The first, scheduled for Oct 21, includes speakers Barb Neal (Tioga Cooperative Extension), Lindsay Wickham (Farm Bureau), Paul Gier (TC Soil and Water), local farmers from Danby and Caroline (Kristen Loria, Steven Woinoski, John Whitmore, and trying to get an old-school farmer from area (After-note: Calvin Snow, third generation farmer from Caroline came), and is advertising so far on Facebook, Cooperative Extension website, Danby Newsletter, and radio. That presentation is on “Common Misperceptions and Local Partners,” local partners also including partnering with other farmers or groups. 2nd presentation speakers are also coming together. That presentation is on Nov 18th on regenerative agriculture with Graham Savio from Tompkins County, and Jonathan Bates from Food Forest Farm. Keokosky is looking for someone to talk on biological explanations and working with the Town Clerk on Zoom-related issues. 5. Status of easement signs, website & rack cards – Joel Gagnon, Margaret Corbit & Mary Woodsen Payment is still held up by Town clerk hitting snag with tax exempt forms needed from company that made easement signs – website and email Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 5 of 6 changes have consumed her time. New mail system (and possible scams) and change in website have been a continuing challenge. Fewtrell will follow up. Changing rack cards are still being held up by inability to find original file. Corbit will follow-up. 6. Native plants – Jonathan Zisk (This was an agenda item mistake. Lagaly has taken over this presentation and she is absent from today’s meeting.) Zisk will follow up with Lagaly. . 7. Easement updates – Clare Fewtrell Easements begun earlier have stalled. Gagnon reported that the Carlsons and Hoffman have not followed through with their initial enthusiasm to finish easements before zoning changes. Neither is Gladstone property moving forward. One exception is Roaring property: Corbit is working on baseline documentation. Roaring took the initiative to write her own easement. Residential zone needs to be a little better defined. Rest of property is in environmental protection zone with nothing done to it. It does not include a strip of land to the south that might also be part of residential zone. Roaring noted that a culvert has been flooding and damaging creek by taking down trees. It’s a county road and it was suggested that being an easement would perhaps encourage Danby to move more rapidly in notifying county. As noted earlier, Corbit leaves for a trip on Nov 1. 9. Zoning update – Joel Gagnon New zoning proposal is still in the comment period. Fourteen people showed up at a Planning Board Meeting that attempted to model problems. Gagnon again worried that the proposal was difficult for many to understand as currently written. Jim Holahan and Matt Ulinski, members of the town board, have serious concerns. Town Board is meeting Oct 18 from 6-7 on budget and from 7 to 9 to discuss town business that will include zoning. Town of Danby Conservation Advisory Council Minutes Page 6 of 6 There was no Executive session Next Meeting via Zoom is on November 9th at 7p.m. Adjournment at 8:36 _____________________________________________ Submitted by Elizabeth Keokosky (Secretary)