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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-19-2021 IMP MinutesINTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FL JULY 19, 2021 Call to Order -- The meeting was called to order by Mr. Benton at 2:00 p.m. Pledae of Allegiance was recited by all. III. Roll call Present Mr. Stadelman Ms. Munroe (Zoom) Mr. Carrano Dr. Cox (Zoom) Ms. Callaghan (Zoom) — Late Arrival Absent Ms. Lovell -- Excused Also Present: Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Kim Haigler, Environmental Planner Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Janet Graham, Technical Writer (Zoom) IV. ADDroval of Minutes -- June 28, 2021 Chairman Benton asked if everyone had a chance to review the June 28, 2021 Minutes as presented. All indicated they had. Mr. Benton called for a motion. A motion approving the June 28, 2021 Minutes as presented was made by Mr. Carrano, seconded by Mr. Stadelman, and approved unanimously via voice vote. V. Announcements — None VI. Public Input Seeing no one in Council Chambers who wished to speak and hearing no one on Zoom who wished to be heard, Mr. Benton moved to the next item on the agenda. VII. New Business INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 A. Final Approval of Complete Plan Discussion of recent major modifications Ms. Haigler reviewed that she did add the new section, Page s 11 and 12, a discussion of key aquatic pests, just to discuss the nature of aquatic vegetation, what makes it challenging, and why It requires control. She stated this filled in some blanks in discussions that the Sub -Committee has had that she discovered when going over her notes. She stated that she had gone through a folder with all the notes from all the meetings. She wanted to make sure that all the questions that the Sub -Committee had throughout the process were addressed in here. That is what the new section covers. Other than that, it is pretty much as the Sub -Committee had approved it while going through this process. At this time, Mr. Benton called for discussion by Sub -Committee members. Ms. Munroe stated she does not have any questions right now. Dr. Cox stated he read the pages that Ms. Haigler had inserted, and he does not have any changes or suggestions to make to those. Mr. Carrano referred to Page 7 where it says 'Planning: Determine what action is needed and whether a threshold has been crossed." He suggested that the term "threshold" has never been identified. Ms. Haigler stated that with each asset type the threshold for aquatic vegetation growth before action is very low, moderate, or high. That is the generalization of it, and they are set according to each asset. Mr. Carrano stated he is concerned about the canals, those bodies that actually contain water all the time. How do you know when an action is necessary, just related to canals? At what point is action required? Ms. Haigler stated that cannot be quantified. Mr. Carrano stated he thinks it is a weak part of the document in that the City is making decisions based upon an ambiguous threshold that no one has identified. Ms. Haigler stated that is addressed under "Future Recommendations." When an annual review is done, if a need is seen, we will look for a more quantifiable process. It depends on what kind of pest it is, what its growth rate is. When it is hyacinth, which grows exponentially, that is a completely different thing than how we would address duckweed. There is no one quantifiable threshold for any pests. That is how it was dealt with in the Parks and Properties IPM Plan. If we see that this is a problem, then we will look at a way to quantify it further, but at this point we have licensed professionals doing this —the City staff are licensed professionals also with the parks and properties —but when we are dealing with the contractors, aquatics weed maintenance is a huge licensing process. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 She suggests that the City can trust them to recognize when the threshold is reached for the storage, flow, and safety of our structures. She added that attempting to set a threshold for each stormwater asset and each aquatic pest would be a never-ending project. Ms. Munroe agreed that it would definitely be a document that never ends. There are way too many variables for the Sub -Committee to sit down and say, "If the..." and "if the...," and the document would never end. She opined that, as long as it is reiterated throughout the whole document that we are implementing IPM and that we are being very careful and very mindful about the ways that we approach managing our aquatic plants, she suggested that is the best way to leave it and address situations as things arise. There is way too much happening for us to achieve quantifiable thresholds. She also added that there are more and more invasive plants that are being introduced in Florida all the time. So if we put something down hard and fast, the synergistic effect of some of these newer species coming in is not going to be taken into account. Mr. Benton asked Mr. Carrano if he has anything else. Mr. Carrano stated that it still bothers him that, without a substantive threshold, it leaves the document suspect to procedures. If we had lots of different procedures, he would feel differently. Mechanical removal and spraying are the only two viable options now. Mr. Benton noted that Ms. Callaghan has joined the meeting via Zoom, and he asked her if she had any questions or comments regarding the final approval of the complete Plan. She stated she had no questions or comments. Mr. Stadelman commenting on what Mr. Carrano had said, inquired about the new IPM Coordinator —a position that is going to be opened up —will have any effect on this question. Ms. Haigler stated no, it is a role that is added to hers. She stated that this is an area that is left up to interpretation. However, it is also something that if we go to detail it, it would be unending, because it changes by the season; it changes by the location; it changes by the nutrient conditions. It is impossible to pin down. A motion for final approval of the complete Integrated Pest Management Plan as presented, as well as the resolution attached to it, (R-21-14) was made by Mr. Stadelman and seconded by Ms. Munroe. Mr. Benton called for comments by the Sub - Committee members. Dr. Cox added to what Mr. Carrano spoke about. Dr. Cox stated that in the canal in his neighborhood his neighbors are reporting to him that the canal has a lot of broad -leafed plants, not covering the entire surface but covering a lot of it. Dr. Cox is out of town, so INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 he has not seen the condition of the canal, but he will return soon and will be able to look at it. He asked if impeding the water flow is the threshold for that canal at which action should be taken. As far as he knows, there has been no action taken to address the aquatic vegetation in that canal, and he is inquiring as to what is the threshold for taking action there. Ms. Haigler stated she does not know what species Dr. Cox is questioning. Dr. Cox does not know that either. She would have to know the species. She does know that they are trying to treat some alligator weed and torpedo grass, and they are having difficulty because they are currently not incorporating the glyphosate. So that is a big challenge to the control. Dr. Cox stated the photograph he has that his neighbor took shows that it is probably covering 60% of the canal surface. Ms. Haigler stated that the first step in this cycle is to identify the plant. It is impossible to decide the next course of action that would be taken or is being taken without being able to identify what the plant is. She asked Dr. Cox to send her a picture. That would help. Dr. Cox said he would. Mr. Benton called for any further comments or discussion by the Sub -Committee members. Hearing none, he called for a roll call vote. Roll Call Mr. Stadelman — Yes Ms. Callaghan — Yes Ms. Munroe — Yes Mr. Carrano — Yes Dr. Cox — Abstains Vote is 4 in favor and 1 abstention. Motion passes. Mr. Benton asked Dr. Cox to explain his reason for abstaining from this vote. Dr. Cox stated he will not vote no, as he sees this Integrated Pest Management Plan report as a very valuable first step in the process of managing invasive aquatic vegetation. He stated he will not vote yes because of the constant over -reliance and emphasis on the chemical control method. He is very concerned about that. He opined that the importance of public education of City residents has not been emphasized, particularly of non -chemical measures. He feels that there has not been a good job done of explaining to homeowners what can and cannot be done. There is not really an emphasis on that contained in this Plan. He reviewed that recently he has been concerned by two specific events: the massive dying of the manatees is one. They are starving to death because we have lost so much of the sea grass, which is their food source. He further stated that in the CCPM report there is a whole list of chemical INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 contaminants of concern, and he thinks that we are just adding to it if we keep insisting that there are only chemical solutions. He then brought up his second concern. At this point, Mr. Benton informed Dr. Cox that this should all be brought up under Staff Matters. His only question to Dr. Cox was why he is abstaining from this vote as opposed to going into further information that he can share under Member Matters. There must be a reason given for why he is abstaining, such as a conflict of interest. Dr. Cox gave the reason for his abstaining as being because he did not want to vote yes or no. Mr. Benton reviewed that Dr. Cox has been involved in this whole process of developing the Plan and providing input. At this point Mr. Benton feels that Dr. Cox should vote yes or no. There already is a majority in favor, so his will not be a deciding vote, and Mr. Benton does not feel that Dr. Cox has a legitimate reason to abstain. Dr. Cox stated he thinks he does have a legitimate reason for abstaining. Mr. Benton stated he will go forward with the result of the vote, but he informed the Sub -Committee that he does not believe Dr. Cox's claim for abstaining is a legitimate reason, as there is not a conflict of interest in this case. Vill. Old Business — None Dr. Cox repeated his concern over the massive dying off of manatees. That, he believes, goes back to what we are doing to sea grass and adding chemicals. No matter how minor a source, they all add up. He opined that there is too much emphasis on the chemical solution. The second item is the publication of the book entitled, "The Monsanto Papers." It is essentially a summary of all the evidence presented at trial in California, going into the details as to what glyphosate does to human health. He stated he cannot in good conscience vote for a plan that relies too much on chemicals, in particular spraying glyphosate. Mr. Benton replied that we are at the final meeting, and Dr. Cox is not going to vote on the plan, and now he is bringing up concerns that have been spoken about numerous times by this Sub -Committee. He added that Dr. Cox even said himself that at some point we have to spray. Dr. Cox has concerns about the areas behind his house, and he has mentioned on numerous occasions about spraying those areas. Here we are at this last meeting and Dr. Cox is saying he is not going to vote on it because he does not agree with spraying; however, he has said spraying is the only option we have in some areas. Dr. Cox said he is being specific about glyphosate. It was just stated in this meeting that they want to spray another mixture of chemicals, including glyphosate, to deal with the torpedo grass. Mr. Benton stated that Ms. Haigler made it clear that they could not spray that because we have not approved INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 for them to spray it. Dr. Cox said he would like to see the City moratorium continue on the glyphosate spraying. Ms. Munroe stated her comments run in the same direction as Mr. Benton's. She opined that integrated pest management is the use of all methods possible that are feasible and efficient and a sustainable method of management. We cannot take a tool out of our toolbox because we have a particular feeling about it one way or the other because in that case, we are not holding up our end of the responsibility to take care of these matters and these areas properly. She does believe that since we are managing these things on a space -by -space basis, the Sub -Committee has put together a very good plan as far as she has read so far, and that it has been very well thought out. This is not a complex, but a dynamic situation that is being worked in. She thinks that voting to proceed with the Plan as it is presently the best way to go forward. Ms. Callaghan stated she does not have anything additional to add. Mr. Stadelman thanked everyone for their participation in this project. He stated this Sub -Committee was set up by City Council to specifically address the issues of spraying, obviously with the glyphosate matter in mind. We have spent the better part of a year and a half, if you want to take the Properties and Parks plan into consideration, studying, getting public input, getting integrated into every program and plan that could be put in here, as well as additional information on the glyphosate issue that has come to light. Regardless of court cases, there have been real studies —and he is referring to the most recent EU(?) study on glyphosate. He believes we can figure out a way to take care of these weeds by spraying safely where it does not harm everything. In the very end, he suggested this Plan has the safeguards that we are looking for to go from where we were, where they just basically sprayed with large machines everywhere, to real scientific thought and consideration of the environment first. This is a living plan that is meant to change as time goes on. It even has a do- nothing option. But we know we cannot do nothing. Mr. Carrano stated that a lot of things that Dr. Cox said resonate with him as well. But he believes that this Sub -Committee has brought this document as far as it can, and he believes that it is time for the elected officials and the public to make their comments known. We cannot hold it in committee forever. It is time for others to make comments on it, and then if we have to reconvene to make changes, he thinks that is the best course of action. So his yes vote was based on it being time to let this document out there and INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 let other people review it and make comments on It and perhaps incorporate some of the things that Dr. Cox said and some of the things that Mr. Stadelman said so that this whole process can move on. X. Staff Matters Ms. Haigler thanked everyone for all their input and hard work and dedication throughout this process. She hopes that every time someone comments and questions have been directed to her, especially by email, that she has addressed all of them. She has combed through the meeting notes to make sure that everyone's concerns were addressed in some way in this Plan. Mr. Benton seconded what Ms. Haigler said, and he thanked everyone on the Sub - Committee for all their input throughout this process. It has been a long year and a half since the Parks and Properties IPM Plan was started. We have that Plan in place, and we are finalizing the Stormwater Plan, and we will see where it goes from here. He directed a special thank -you to Ms. Haigler for all the hard work, time, and effort she has put into this plan. Most people do not realize that once we started this, even with the Parks Plan and now going into the Stormwater Plan, Ms. Haigler has been the person behind the scenes doing everything with this Plan. From day 1 she has been the one putting everything together for this Stormwater Plan. He thanked her for all her hard work on the Parks Plan and this one. This one specifically has taken a while and has taken a lot of input. It is kind of disappointing to see as we progressed through the Plan that the public involvement in this has dwindled significantly. He looked out today here in Chambers, and there is no one, and on Zoom we get no comments anymore. He feels like this Sub -Committee took a lot of what was said and tried to work with it and implement it into the Plan, including the comments about spraying. The group has looked at ail of the options. There is documentation that the City staff has done a lot of mechanical removal over the course since October -November last year, almost a year now, and they have done just about all they can do mechanically, and they are continuing to do it. They have been in Stormwater Park for the last month doing some mechanical work out there. It is posted on the website for the public in order to alert people to all of the mechanical removal that has been taking place and will continue to happen. He recognized the Stormwater Department and their staff for all the work they have put into it as well. XI. Items for Next Aaenda -- No meeting until March 2022 INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SUB -COMMITTEE MINUTES OF JULY 19, 2021 PAGE 8 Mr. Benton stated that, if this Plan gets approved by the Natural Resources Board to whom the Plan will be presented on August 3rd, it will go City Council for their approval. XII. There being no further business, Mr. Benton adjourned the meeting at 2:35 p.m. Bv: k- AV - jg Date: 1/aa%aoa i