Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCB Packet 2026-03-05 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: FEBRUARY 26, 2026 SUBJECT: UPCOMING CONSERVATION BOARD MEETING – MARCH 5, 2026 This is to confirm that the next meeting of the Conservation Board (CB) is Thursday, March 5th at 4:00 p.m. The agenda for this meeting is enclosed (see the back of this memo). The draft minutes from the February 5th meeting are attached. 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 2025 Richard B. Fischer Environmental Award and select a winner. The nomination material for the one nomination is attached. 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, criteria, and previous winners can be found on the Towns website at: https://townithacany.gov/richard-fischer-award/. We will also continue the discussion on ways to support the Town’s parks, trails, and preserves and Eva will provide a brief recap of the scenic resources sign project. Richard 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@townithacany.gov or 607-273-1747. Conservation Board Members and Associates (*) Lori Brewer (Chair), Frank Cantone (Vice-Chair), James Hamilton, Eva Hoffmann, Pete Loucks, Richard Martinez ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ TOWN OF ITHACA CONSERVATION BOARD 4:00 p.m., Thursday, March 5, 2026 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 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 February 5, 2026 6. Discussion of the 2025 Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award nominations and selection of a winner 7. Continue discussion of ideas to support the Town’s parks, trails and preserves 8. Recap of the scenic resources sign project (Eva) 9. Regular reports and updates (5:00 pm) a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva) b. Communications Committee (James) c. Tompkins County EMC (Pete) d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James) e. Cornell Botanic Gardens Natural Areas Program (James) 10. Other Business (5:20 p.m.) 11. Review 2026 Work Goals (Frank) / Discuss April Agenda 12. Adjourn (5:30 p.m.) 1 Town of Ithaca Conservation Board (CB) Meeting February 5, 2026, 4:00 PM. (In Person at Town Hall and via Zoom Video Conference) DRAFT Minutes Members present: Lori Brewer (Chairperson), James Hamilton, Pete Loucks, and Richard Martinez. Staff: Michael Smith, Senior Planner. Guests: Two students from Ithaca High School fulfilling a course requirement. 1. Persons to be heard None • The chair explained that this was an opportunity for any of the public who wished to attend any CB meeting to voice their concerns or questions or to share information with the Board. 2. Members comments / concerns • The chair explained the usual procedure for the conduct of CB meetings for the benefit of the guests. The chair and other members of the board welcomed Pete and Richard as new members. • There was a discussion on the need to create a document explaining the purposes, objectives, and operating procedures of the ERC in reviewing projects. 3. Environmental Review Committee Update (Lori). • Lori shared with us a solar farm project and went over some of the considerable information presented on the town of Ithaca planning board’s website. This website contains information on all proposed projects and their application materials that are available to the Planning Board. • Issues regarding the effectiveness of CB recommendations, suggestions, enforcement, the value of site visits, and the steps from project proposal to project inception were discussed. • Lori suggested the Board consider making a site visit to the proposed solar project site. Any resulting comments by the Board can be positive and negative. Each comment does not have to point out things wrong with a project. The Board has the opportunity of having a positive impact by highlighting aspects that benefit the environment or promote conservation. • The discussion focused on our project review process. Should only the ERC be involved, or all of the CB? The memo should be the product of the entire Board and reflect all our input, before submitting it to Mike who then sends it on to the Planning Board. 2 4. Chair and Coordinator reports. • Mike mentioned the deer program started February 1st and would have more information at the next meeting. 5. Approval of minutes from January 15, 2026, CB meeting • A motion to approve January’s minutes was moved by James and seconded by Richard, unanimously approved. We were reminded that any changes needed in any CB minutes draft can be sent to Mike prior to the meeting and he will correct them. 6. Continue discussion of ideas to support the Town’s parks, trails, and preserves. • A discussion took place on how best to produce, distribute, and display posters showing the town’s available parks, trails, and preserves. We want to encourage as many people as we can to use as many of the town’s recreational sites as possible and to advertise to others who have not used them their existence and benefits. • We want our publicity of the town’s many outdoor recreation sites to encourage folks who are out enjoying one place to try visiting and using others. We’ll be especially trying to send people around to the parks, preserves, and trails that don't have that much traffic, so people can see what a great town they're in. • The display of posters can also serve to help recruit people to this board. • A draft poster was sent to Joe Talbut (town public works) last week to make sure he was okay with it, and he was good with it the way it is. It was suggested we start with 6 locations. Specific locations were mentioned. James and Richard offered to post the signs once Mike has them printed and laminated. • We recognized some of what we were considering could cost money. We were informed the town provides the CB with some funding. We continued our discussion of where and how we might obtain additional funding and what could be accomplished with additional funding. This includes advertising and promotion on social as well as printed media. 7. Recap of the scenic resources sign project (Eva). • This discussion was postponed due to Eva’s absence. 8. Regular reports and updates. a. Scenic Resources Committee (Eva). o Discussion was postponed due to Eva’s absence. b Communications Committee (James). 3 o James has nominated Cornell on Fire for the 2025 Fischer Award, and they may also submit a nomination of their own. James has asked them to do it completely independently without his involvement. James feels Cornell on Fire has a very impressive website and a blog that addresses important issues. James encourages us to submit another nomination if that person or organization is doing something important in a tree- hugging, sustainable green sort of way. o We discussed many of the details and requirements of the Fischer award. The submission deadline occurs before our next CB meeting. Mike offered to send out a list of potential nominations that have been discussed in the past, but didn’t win. c. Tompkins County EMC (Pete). o Pete could not attend this month’s EMC meeting. He has attended the group focused on unique natural areas (UNAs). This group includes the botanist Robert Wesley who has identified a lot of plants in Tompkins County. d. Six Mile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program (James). o Six Mile Creek had some interesting things going on, but one of them was Michelle Henry, who's a contractor with the City of Ithaca's Watershed. Michelle Henry has asked 6MC volunteers to help her scout for and remove a nasty aquatic invasive, Trapa natans, first found in the reservoir in 2017 near the 60-foot dam. Trapa, aka water chestnut, water caltrop, devil pod, buffalo nut, ling nut, is NOT the water chestnut common name for Eleocharis dulcis, eaten in Asian food. Its horned fruit was used in feudal Japan as an area denial weapon, as they’re sharp enough to pierce soft-soled shoes and can cause bad injury to bare feet. The name “Mitsubishi,” and the logo for that company, refers to the water caltrop. The invasive has spread from the Harvard University Botanic Garden since it was introduced there around 1874. Its fruits and seeds are edible, but dried fruit on the ground can be dangerous near recreational waters and the plants grow so fast and thick that they ruin the water for most other living things. The caltrops can spread by floating and by attaching to birds and mammals that eat it. e. Cornell University Botanic Garden Natural Areas Program (James). o CU botanical garden (BG) natural area (NA) Stewards postponed a woody invasive weeding gig last week due to weather too cold for glyphosate application. Instead, we met in my basement to sharpen the tools we use for that work: loppers and pruners were disassembled, cleaned, sharpened, lubricated, and reassembled; Pulaski axes, shovel points filed and ground sharp, saws cleaned, a chainsaw bar dressed, etc. We held the McLean bogs weeding session this week when weather allowed 4 mostly honeysuckle cut & paint shrub killing: two CU staff painted herbicide on flagged stumps that six volunteers cut from the east bank of a fen in the McLean preserve. Snow makes this job easier, surprisingly. o James’ discussion continued summarizing the pros and cons of different ways to remove woody invasives and on a project on eliminating an aquatic invasive called Trapanatans that impacts water quality. in 2017, it was first found in the Ithaca Reservoir above the 60-foot dam on 6-mile Creek, and it's been spreading from there, even now into Fall Creek. Michelle Henry is doing her best to pull it up. 9. Other Business None 10. Review 2026 Work Goals (Frank) / Discuss March Agenda • Plans for our March meeting were discussed. This will include continuing the discussion related to parks and trails, including Frank’s ideas as presented below, and a discussion and vote on each Fischer Award nominee. • Vie email, Frank submitted some ideas regarding projects for 2026: o Trail promotion via Facebook o Google coordinates for park trailheads o Clearing trails and other activities with Joe Talbut’s group. o Host an education event (e.g., invasive species, protecting green space) at one or two parks. o Highlight specific parks/trails with photos and text on social media, print publications, town newsletter. o Partner with other environmental/nature organizations such as the FLLT 11. Adjourn • The meeting adjourned at 5:11 PM. Minutes submitted by Pete Loucks.