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Home My WebLink AboutCAC-02/04/2026 t � .a► o } Carol Brown,Chairperson Town Hall,53095 Route 25 Lauren Standish,Secretary ij'j*®l �Q� P.O.Box 1179 Southold,New York 11971-0959 Fax(631)765-1823 Telephone(631)765-1889 CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL TOWN OF SOUTHOLD MINUTES Wed., February 4, 2026 4:30 PM Conference Room and Zoom Online Platform A meeting of the Southold Town Conservation Advisory Council was held Wed., February 4, 2026 in the Town Hall Conference Room and via Zoom. Present were: Carol Brown, Chairperson Maggie Merrill, Member Nancy May, Member Burke Liburt, Member Barbara Friedman, Member Alexa Annunziata, Member Brian Mealy, Town Board Liaison Eric Sepenoski, Board of Trustees Liaison Lauren Standish, Secretary Guests: Anne Murray, NFEC Phoebe Faint, SHS Student Jennifer Murray, Turtleback EEC Absent: Inga Van Eysden, Member Trevor Fitzgerald, Student Member CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Carol Brown called the meeting to order at 4:35pm. i 0 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilman Brian Mealy reminded the members to notify the Town Clerk's office if they wish to be considered for re-appointment the CAC. Carol Brown reminded the group about the Water Advisory Committee meeting with Fred Stumm, USGS scheduled for Thurs., February 5t" at 4:30pm in the Meeting Hall. Yan Albaladejo submitted his letter of resignation as a student member, effectively immediately, as he will be moving on to a career in public policy. Phoebe Faint, SHS student and member of the Youth Environmental Task Force, attended the meeting as she will.be taking over responsibilities organizing the Youth Environmental Task Force from Trevor Fitzgerald while he is away. The group is currently working on three projects: Trail Restoration; oyster shell collection from restaurants and businesses to help maintain oyster reefs; and possibly composing articles for the East End Beacon and Suffolk Times to spread awareness about environmental conservation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Maggie Merrill, seconded by Alexa Annunziata, to Approve the Minutes of January 7, 2026. REPORTS A CAC member was not present at the Board of Trustees in January. Carol Brown introduced Eric Sepenoski, Trustee Liaison to the CAC. Eric had just returned from a day of field inspections, and provided a brief summary of their visits. The LWRP reviews are being conducted by Heather Lanza and her staff, and Chris Pickerell. CLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIES PROGRAM-UPDATES The CAC members agreed to put Climate Smart Communities on hold for now and focus on other priorities. NEW AND CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS/UPDATES • Repair Cafe and Enviromental Expo The Repair Cafe has been tentatively scheduled for May 2"d. The time is TBD. The Environmental Expo is in the planning process and will be created around the Repair Cafe. Maggie Merrill will provide updates at the next monthly meeting. • Update on Re-Wild Native Garden M 3 Carol Brown submitted a general design and plan list to Erick Haas and Supervisor Krupski for their review. The biggest challenge will be water. The plan is to run a hose across the parking lot. Carol will share the plans with the Tree Committee for their input. Future plans will include a pathway, possibly paved, and wooden benches. • Town Board Work Session 2-24-26 Carol Brown, Barbara Friedman and Inga VanEysden will attend the Town Board work session on February 24th, to present the 2026 Accomplishments, Mission Statement and Resident Guide . Future discussions with the town board will include the Student Task Force, Gas Leaf Blower Research, Repair Cafe and Climate Smart Communities. • Surfrider's "Skip the Stuff' Campaign Alexa Annunziata announced the Surfrider's Skip the Stuff Campaign, which seeks to change the expectations of restaurant takeout and delivery food customers. Instead of expecting to always receive extra utensils and condiments, customers will expect to not receive those items, unless they specifically request them. She will invite Brody Eggert for a presentation at a future CAC meeting. Carol Brown reminded the committee members to review the Comp. Plan and decide what the CAC should focus on for 2026. She will also re-review the Mayor's Monarch Pledge for future pledge elements for review at the next monthly meeting. - The next meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council is scheduled for Wed., March 11, 2026 at 4:30PM in the Conference Room. There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM. Respectfully submitted by, Lauren M. Standish, Secretary Conservation Advisory Council