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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAC-12/10/2025 Carol Brown,Chairperson }4 d Town Hall,53095 Route 25 Lauren Standish,Secretary tiff ® P.O.Box 1179 Southold,New York 11971-0959 zxxrx Fax(631)765-1823 Telephone(631)765-1889 CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL TOWN OF SOUTHOLD MINUTES Wed., December 10, 2025 4:30 PM Conference Room and Zoom Online Platform A meeting of the Southold Town Conservation Advisory Council was held Wed., December 10, 2025 in the Town Hall Conference Room and via Zoom. Present were: Carol Brown, Chairperson Inga Van Eysden, Member—Via Zoom Maggie Merrill, Member Nancy May, Member Burke Liburt, Member Barbara Friedman, Member Alexa Annunziata, Member Trevor Fitzgerald, Student Member Lauren Standish, Secretary Guests: Anne Murray, NFEC Absent: Brian Mealy, Town Board Liaison Liz Gillooly, Board of Trustees Liaison Yan Albaladejo, Student Member CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Carol Brown called the meeting to order at 4:30pm. ANNOUNCEMENTS Carol Brown discussed the new role of the of the CAC and moving forward into the new year, which includes inviting Beth Young from the East End Beacon to the first meeting of the Southold CAC Youth Environmental Task Force. Cornell Cooperative Ext. is r 2 hosting 2026 Coastal Gardening Classes on January 31st, February 28t" and March 21st. The course will include the following topics: Living by the Sea, Water Wise, Right Plant, Right Place, Soil Solutions, Community Stewardship, and Field Trips. Alexa Annunziata announced the Winter Watershed Walk Series for 2025/26 hosted by the Peconic Baykeeper and Peconic Estuary Partnership. The schedule of walk dates and registration can be found at: peconicbaykeeper.org/event/winter-watershed-walk- series. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Maggie Merrill, seconded by Alexa Annunziata, to Approve the Minutes of November 5, 2025, with Barbara Friedman's edits. REPORTS Nancy May and Carol Brown attended the Board of Trustees meeting held on Wed., November 12, 2025. The meeting was business as usual. Carol was pleased to report that the LWRP's are very detailed and specific, and the Trustees are using them in making their determinations. CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES PROGRAM-UPDATES Moving forward with Climate Smart Communities, Carol suggested adding more people/volunteers, and separate them into a sub-committee. She suggested Inga Van Eysden take the lead on this. Inga didn't think the town would support this. In other municipalities, CSC is separate from the CAC. There is a lot of paperwork and it takes time. The grants are pointless if we don't have staff to carry them out. Maggie Merrill suggested we wait until the town hires an environmental planner, and the newly elected town board members take office, and revisit in the Spring. In the meantime, Carol will talk to Councilman Mealy. NEW AND CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS/UPDATES 2026 CAC WORK PLAN REVIEW -As a follow-up to the meeting with Jade Blennau, Carol put together a list of top priorities for 2026, which includes the Resident's Guide, Environmental Expo, and the Southold CAC Youth Environmental Task Force with Trevor Fitzgerald. Barbara Friedman added the completion of the Resident's Guide and to continue to work on banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Alexa Annunziata was interested in seeing the coastal resiliency overlay district included in the zoning update. It was not included in the zoning update, however the CAC can provide suggestions for coastal resilience. Maggie Merrill will share a copy of what the Water Advisory Committee sent to the Planning Board. Maggie would like to revisit the goals and objectives of Chapter 6 of the Comprehensive Plan. t 3 TREVOR FITZGERALD RE: Southold CAC Youth Environmental Task Force The North Fork Youth Environmental Task Force is a youth-led initiative connected to the Southold CAC. It's a team of passionate student representative from all three North Fork high schools, along with interested youth from Fishers Island, who want to make a difference in our local environment. The mission is to empower young people to take an active role in protecting, restoring, and celebrating our natural surroundings. Through hands-on projects, creative campaigns, and meaningful collaboration with the CAC, the members will become leaders in shaping a happier, more sustainable future for our community. Trevor shared his project missions and supporting documentation for the following: • Oyster Reef Restoration Project • Tree Preservation Campaign • Coastal Habitat Revegetation Initiatives • Preservation of Town Trails The first meeting of the NFYETF will be held on December 17tn RESIDENT'S GUIDE — The draft is ready. Alexa will continue to work on the formatting and e-mail to Lauren by December 17th. This document will live electronically on the CAC and Town's webpage, and there will be a printable version as well. Moved by Alexa Annunziata, seconded by Burke Liburt to send the guide, with edits, to the Town Board. Vote of Council: Ayes: All Motion Carried LEAF BLOWER LETTER REVIEW—The draft letter to the Town Board was reviewed and finalized. Moved by Barbara Friedman, seconded by Maggie Merrill, to send the final draft, with edits, to the Town Board. Vote of Council: Ayes: All Motion Carried ENVIRONMENTAL EXPO FOR SPRING 2026 —The CAC/NFEC sponsored event requires approval from the Town Board. Maggie will re-send the e-mail to Councilman 4 Mealy and the Town Board. In the meantime, she will contact the Recreation Center to reserve the space. NATIVE GARDEN BY TOWN HALL — Carol Brown, Inga Van Eysden and Re-Wild representatives met with Supervisor Krupski and Erick Haas, Dept. of Public Works to review the location of the proposed native garden behind town hall. The grant application was submitted to Re-Wild. OTHER UDATES —The Tree Committee legislation continues to be on HOLD. The CAC suggested the formation of a tree code committee. The next meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council is scheduled for Wed., January 7, 2026 at 4:30PM in the Conference Room. There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM. Respectfully submitted by, Lauren M. Standish, Secretary Conservation Advisory Council i