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Home My WebLink AboutLP-09/17/2013 LAND PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING Minutes & Discussion Notes from Meeting held Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Town Hall Annex Executive Board Room Members Present: John Sepenoski, Chairman Anne Murray Maureen Cullinane Lillian Ball Sam McCullough Allan Connell Members Absent: Eric Keil Also present: Melissa Spiro, Land Preservation Coordinator Melanie Doroski, Land Preservation Secretary Scott A. Russell, Town Supervisor/Liaison to Town Board (7:33 p.m.) Tim Caufield, Peconic Land Trust (7:33 p. m. -8:35 p.m.) Commencement: • The meeting began at 7:06 p.m. with six LPC members present. Adoption of Meeting Minutes: • Acceptance of LPC meeting minutes from August 20, 2013 MOTION made by Maureen Cullinane, seconded by Sam McCullough, to accept the 8/20/2013 LPC meeting minutes. Motion carried: 6/0 Land Preservation Applications and Inquiries: • SCTM #1000-100-4-4 (SIDOR) Update re: NRCS-FRPP funding status and project status Amendment No. 1 to executed Cooperative Agreement has been signed allowing for subdivision waiveron the Sidor Farm. Melissa has submitted formal request to USDA-NRCS for pre-determined subdivision which is now being reviewed. Project status pending USDA-NRCS determination. • SCTM #1000-203-6.2 (EDWARDS) Update re: meeting with application (per Tim Caufield) Tim Caufield (PLT) met with landowner, Elbert Edwards and his wife Heddie to discuss preservation options available. Landowner's preference to sell fee title to land but is open to exploring other options. Property is currently farmed in conjunction with adjoining property to the east. Landowner was asked to inquire as to status of property to the east which is owned by a relative as the two properties together made a more compelling project. Tim to follow-up with landowner. Applications & Inquiries for Uses or Structures on Preserved Property: • None Stewardship and Management: • DOWNS FARM PRESERVE o Inquiry from Jim McMahon re: volunteering to remove mile-a-minute Group for the East End has volunteers that would like to remove the mile-a-minute invasive plant located on Downs Farm Preserve. LPC, although grateful for the proposed actions of these volunteers, feels that it is better to wait until springtime for removal of mile-a-minute as once the plants do go to seed, it is more detrimental than useful to remove. John Sepenoski requested that a site visit be made to assess the mile-a-minute situation in the field based on the fact that the plant located in other areas in Town has not yet gone to seed. Melissa will report back to Jim McMahon. o Potential for State grant funding Being that Fort Corchaug at Downs Farm Preserve is on the National Register of Historic Places, grant funding may be available for damages caused within the preserve from Super Storm Sandy. Jim McMahon will look into grant requirements to see if the Town would be eligible for grant funding opportunity. • MILL ROAD PRESERVE Field inspection update/discussion re: site inspection Melissa Spiro and Melanie Doroski (LPD) and John Sepenoski and Anne Murray (LPC), along with Jeff Standish (DPW), walked trails located within Mill Road Preserve for the object of determining a trail maintenance plan. Melissa wrote up draft field report and will review draft with LPC members, John Sepenoski and Anne Murray before bringing report to next LPC meeting for adoption. Since the site inspection, DPW crew has been to site and started cutting down trees along the trail route in accordance with LPC plan. • TOWN OPEN SPACE DEER DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (per John Sepenoski) John Rasweiler of the newly formed North Fork Deer Management Alliance arranged for Tom Rawinski of the USDA Forest Service, Stephen Young of the NYS Natural Heritage Program and Mike Scheibe) from The Nature Conservancy to tour some of the Town's open space properties with Jeff Standish to assess damage caused by deer. Jeff Standish invited John Sepenoski to participate. Rawinski submitted an informal report about the visits to Jeff Standish. The three Town locations visited were Ruth Oliva Preserve at Dam Pond, the Reese property and the Tall Pines property. In short, the deer have caused extensive damage to these preserves with virtually no young trees present in the understory and very little understory period. At Tall Pines Rawinski found a stand of huckleberry and showed the typical height of huckleberry that has been damaged by deer as being about 5-6 inches and pointed out that the huckleberry stand was only about 2-3 inches in height indicating severe deer damage. He also indicated that the damage he noted on the Town preserves, which he estimated as being about 30 years worth of damage, was more extensive than about 70 years worth of damage in some Pennsylvania forests that he is familiar with, another indication that we have a severe deer problem. Rawinski was also familiar with a recent report in East Hampton that claimed the deer are not an issue with their woodlands and the understory species were fine. This report was based on drive by surveys from a car and Rawinski was able to show the group at the Reese property that areas close to Route 25 did in fact feature the typical understory species expected in a woodland but that as soon as you walked about 20 feet into the property they were missing or severely damaged. The reason for this is the fact that deer are uncomfortable feeding so close to the road and avoid this area. The ultimate point that Rawinski made was that the East Hampton report was not valid because it was based on surveying only areas along streets. Rawinski will be participating in the Town's deer forum scheduled for September 26th. • PRESERVE TREE MAINTENANCE o Downs Farm Preserve Possibility of grant funding (see above) o Tall Pines Jeff Standish (DPW) felt that his work crew could deal with taking down the smaller of the leaning or downed trees along the trail route; however, there may be 3 to 4 trees that will require contracting an arborist and heavy duty tree removal equipment. Jeff will get price quotes. • MOORE'S DRAIN AND OLD MAIN ROAD RESTORATION PROJECTS Not discussed at this meeting. General Land Preservation Items: • COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TEAM LAND PRESERVATION SUGGESTION (per John Sepenoski) John Sepenoski has been attending meetings relating to several chapters of the Town's new Comprehensive Plan. At a meeting for the Land Use Chapter, the Comp Plan Team suggested that the Land Preservation Committee move their focus towards purchasing smaller parcels in each hamlet for places for public gatherings and usage. LPC opposed to changing direction of preservation to purchasing small lots within the hamlets areas. LPC believes that there may be other ways to acquire open spaces within hamlet areas for this purpose which do not require use of Community Preservation Funds. • FINANCIAL UPDATE Melissa Spiro gave a financial update on CPF projected funds, recent grant reimbursements applied for (Maarattooka North and Macari Farms projects), and impact on finances for outstanding and future projects. Additions to Agenda: • SOLAR ARRAYS (per Supervisor Russell) Supervisor Russell informed LPC of recent inquiries for potential solar farms. LPC responded that Town development rights easements will not allow for solar farms as the resulting product is a utility and a primary use and would not be considered Ag Production. The easements would allow for a smaller scaled solar array as an accessory use if it provided electricity used solely for the farm operation. Supervisor Russell will let the Town Board know that the LPC is opposed to allowing solar farms on development rights sold lands. Next Regular Meeting: • The next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Adjournment: • The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. by the six attending LPC members. Respectfully submitted by Melanie Doroski, Land Preservation Secretary