HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Natural Resources Committee - 05/06/2015South Burlington Natural Resources Committee
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
(802) 846-4106
www.sburl.com
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
6:00pm
South Burlington Municipal Offices, 575 Dorset Street
MEETING MINUTES for Regular Monthly Meeting
APPROVED 6/3/2015
Present: Betty Milizia (NRC Chair), Patrick Clemins (NRC Clerk), Russell Agne (NRC Member), Jeff
Dickson (NRC Member), Cathyann LaRose (NRC Staff Liaison - SB City Planner), Tom Chittenden
(City Council), Walt Poleman (UVM), Craig Lambert (City Arborist)
The meeting was called to order at 6:06pm.
Walt Poleman: Poleman is leading a group of students doing sugaring in Wheeler and thinks
that the sugar bush is one of the more significant and important resources in the Park. He is
leading a walk through at the Park for the Committee and others on Monday, May 11th at
7:00am. Milizia asked about the impact of the increasing footprint of the shrub land, forest, and
invasives on the Park. Poleman responded that one effect is the changing habitat types for the
bird populations in the Park as each species of bird has their own habitat preferences.
Future plans for his class include the management of the sugar bush in the Park with a
sensitivity to bird populations. Poleman noted that Common Roots, who now rents the
Homestead, could be a good partner in managing the sugar bush as a community. Walt asked
about our progress on the Wheeler Management Plan and the Committee reported that it will
likely be approved at this meeting.
Poleman’s main interests in the Park are sugaring, the bird population, and the trail system.
Agne asked about the expected lifetime of the sugar bush in the Park. Poleman noted that the
trees appear healthy and Lambert backed up this assessment. Lambert added that there is
some management that needs to take place to maintain the health of the sugar bush and keep
it safe for visitors.
Poleman suggested that a nice addition to the Park would be a permanent structure that could
be used for park activities such a gathering point for nature programs and management tasks
such as a place for an evaporator for sugaring. Poleman looks forward to continued
collaboration with the city.
Craig Lambert: Lambert came to talk to the Committee about the Emerald Ash Borer, an
invasive, exotic beetle. It has yet to be found in VT, but it has been found in surrounding areas.
There are a number of communities in South Burlington, especially those built in the 1990s,
whose tree populations are almost exclusively ash trees. Thus, the arrival of this beetle is a
serious concern for the City. Lambert passed around a specimen of the beetle and samples of
ash trees that were infested with the beetle to aid in identification.
Chittenden asked about the feasibility of Bernie Paquette’s idea of establishing a tree nursery
to grow trees which could replace the endangered ash trees. Lambert replied that the city did
not have the resources to embark on such a project and that it would likely require fewer
resources to simply purchase new trees. Milizia expressed her interest in advocating for more
resources to expand the City’s tree nursery, with Lambert’s direction.
Chittenden asked about the time frame in which the beetle decimates the ash population once
it is discovered in a region. Lambert replied that once discovered, the beetle has typically been
in the region for 2-3 years and that trees begin to die about 2 years after initial discovery.
4/1/15 Minutes: Agne moved to approve the draft minutes and Dickson seconded. The motion
passed unanimously.
Wheeler Nature Park Management Plan: Milizia moved to approve the Wheeler Nature Park
Management Plan, send and present it to City Council, and notify relevant city committees of
the presentation of the report to City Council. Agne seconded.
Agne noted that it is important that we keep the lines of communication open with other
committees (i.e. Underwood, Red Rocks, Recreation and Leisure Arts) so that our efforts do not
overlap or conflict.
City Staff Report: LaRose noted that the Planning Commission has been considering the Open
Space Report recommendations and have accepted most of the recommendations with the
exception of the recommendation on prioritizing natural resource concerns during the siting of
solar farms because it conflicts with the Energy Committee’s recommendation on the same
topic. The Planning Commission is resolving those differences and appears to be using the Open
Space Report’s definitions of Primary and Secondary Conservation Resources to prioritize solar
farm siting and help resolve those differences.
City Council has been discussing the possibility of using up to 50% of the Open Space Fund for
the maintenance of the City’s natural areas. This change to the use of the Open Space Fund
would require a public referendum.
Action Items:
LaRose: Contact the Recreation Department about putting up trail signs and removing
unauthorized / inappropriate trails at Wheeler Park.
Clemins and LaRose: Continue to work with Winooski Nat Res Conservation District to
plan rain barrel workshop on June 7th.
Michaels: Reach out to the Energy Committee regarding the Georgetown University
Energy Prize and how our Committee could help.
Milizia and LaRose: Schedule visit from the Fellowship of the Wheel at a future
Committee meeting.
Consider organizing a Wheeler Park walk for 150th Anniversary Event.
Next Meetings: The Natural Resources Committee normally meets on the first Wednesday of
each month.
The next meeting will be:
June 3rd, 6:00pm – Future projects for the Committee.
Meeting adjourned at 7:59pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Patrick Clemins