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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-04-2022 NRB MinutesNATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 4, 2022 I. Chairman Stadelman called the Natural Resources Board meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. IL Pledae of Alleaiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present: Ms. Valenzuela Mr. Stadelman Ms. Callaghan Ms. Ware Ms. Lovell — Zoom Dr. Mosblech — Zoom Not Present Excused Dr. Carrier Mr. Carrano Mr. Bradley Also Present: Ms. Kim Haigler, Environmental Planner Mr. Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer (Zoom) IV. Approval of Minutes — December 7. 2021 All Board members having had a chance to review the Minutes, Mr. Stadelman called for a Motion. Ms. Ware asked for a correction to the Minutes. On Page 2 under Member Matters where it stated in the second line "...selling plants...," she would like the wording corrected to state "...selling art..." A motion to approve the Minutes of December 7, 2021 with the correction noted above was made by Ms. Ware, seconded by Ms. Callaghan, and approved unanimously via voice vote. V. Announcements — None VI. Public Input Page 3 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 2 MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 Dr. Graham Cox, Sebastian, is a member of the Pelican Island Audubon Society. He described the 18-acre conservation area surrounding the Pelican Island Elementary School. Presently, a lot of the split -rail fencing is in disrepair. At the end of 2021 they were able to raise approximately $30,000.00 to begin rebuilding the fence. He asked if the City would be Interested in helping to fund the purchase of more fencing. Ms. Haigler suggested looking into grants for this project. She has a table that she has put together that lists smaller environmental grants. She will send it to Dr. Cox. IkTJIMZar2: t� A. Guest Speaker, Dr. Richard Baker, Pelican Island Audubon Society Presentation on the "Trees for Life" Program Dr. Baker introduced himself and thanked the Board for inviting him. He made a Power Point presentation (SEE ATTACHED). He stated that he compared the mission statements of the Audubon Society and the Natural Resource Board and found that they are very similar. He reviewed the history of the Audubon Society and suggested that the two entities can work together to affect climate change. There is proof that birds, fish, manatees, butterflies as well as polar bears are in serious trouble. He displayed maps that show how conservation land is disappearing in Sebastian and Vero Beach. He pointed out that most lawns these days are planted with grass, which is not a native species, and emphasized the importance of installing native species in lawns, which will also help to preserve the birds. Septic tanks are also a huge problem which has to be solved. He suggested that there needs to be new landscape and tree ordinances passed. He reviewed that Dr. Graham Cox has done a nice comparison of the model landscape ordinance that was put out by the Native Plant Society which was done by the University of Florida. He also noted that there is not much enforcement of the regulations regarding when spraying of fertilizer is permitted. Ms. Haigler pointed out that the fertilizer ordinance is enforced through the County, and it is a very difficult thing to enforce. She suggested that the operators of these entities should be regulating what is being used. Dr. Baker stated that the Audubon Society's goal is to plant 100,000 trees in Indian River County to help save the birds and reduce the carbon. He described how the Audubon House is giving away trees. He also talked about how insects have a positive effect on the environment. The situation with the waterways was also discussed. He described how the Audubon House interacts with school -age children to help educate them. Photos of homes in the area were displayed showing how some homes have yards that are very environmentally friendly. He stated that more collaboration needs to be established with HOAs. He described how much water is used for maintaining lawns and how much CO2 Page 4 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 3 MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 is emitted from the machinery used to maintain landscaping. He talked about the benefits of planting more trees. It is projected that 100,000 trees are needed in Indian River County to help cool the earth. He described how City Hall in Vero Beach has gotten rid of all their sod, which has cut maintenance costs, water usage, etc. He provided a suggested list of topics that could be talked about tonight. He asked the Board to think about appointing a sub -committee to work with the Planning and Zoning Commission and the local Audubon chapter. Ms. Haigler stated that Parks and Recreation Board are assigned certain parks, and she along with Parks and Recreation staff have visited certain parks and mapped out the invasives that need to come out and areas that need to be planted, etc. It is a process, and they are looking at Garden Club Park and the Bark Park pond right now and working on a restoration plan. She added that the Parks and Recreation Board are great partners in this endeavor. In addition, the new Comprehensive Plan for Sebastian has been updated, and there are provisions for preserving natural species, wetlands, and putting in green infrastructure. Dr. Baker also suggested getting the word out that Sebastian is a tree city. Ms. Haigler said that extra funds will be put aside to implement projects that are about protection and maintenance of the City's tree canopy. She also supports the City providing a good example by implementing some of these programs so that the public can see what it can look like to use native species and less sod/grass. Dr. Baker described a project that is going to take place on January 151" and 161" and asked for anyone who would like to volunteer to do so. He also suggested that lawn maintenance people need to be educated on how to care for the native plants. Ms. Haigler suggested implementing a certification program in this regard. Dr. Baker thinks that is a good suggestion. Mr. Stadelman asked that Dr. Baker describe one thing that the Natural Resources Board can do to help interface between the Pelican Island Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Board of Sebastian. Dr. Baker stated he thinks getting the ordinance passed is very important. He added that Dr. Graham Cox is an advisor working on the new landscape ordinance. Ms. Haigler stated that before ordinances could be changed the Comprehensive Plan process had to be finished. There will have to be a sub -committee to work on the landscape ordinance review, and she suggested that will be starting by late spring. Ms. Callaghan asked where the community is who has done a great job in reducing their sod. Dr. Baker stated it is The Villages. Ms. Haigler added that if you go on their website, they have native landscaping layouts for all of their house designs. Dr. Baker added that they also give tours, and he can provide the contacts for that program. Page 5 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 4 MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 Ms. Valenzuela suggested designating an area with certain dimensions that could be planted with native species. She also asked what outreach methods are used to get the word out. Dr. Baker stated advertising, giving talks, etc. He invited everyone to visit the Audubon House so that he could show everyone around. Dr. Baker said that COVID has slowed things down, and they have been using Zoom for most of their programs now. They also brought in experts. His group is run mostly with volunteers, and he invited anyone who wants to join to do so. They also have a newsletter as well as a website which provide information. Ms. Haigler stated that Sebastian promotes the Audubon Society on its website as well. Ms. Haigler addressed the subject of feral cats and the impact of feral cats regarding the catch -and -release program and how detrimental it is to the songbird populations Dr. Baker stated that is a delicate subject. He agrees on the catch -and -release program being detrimental. Mr. Stadelman thanked Dr. Baker for his presentation and gave the address for the Audubon House as 195 Ninth Street Southeast, Oslo Road, Vero Beach, Florida. The phone number is 772-567-3520. He stated the hours are 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. He stated that the word should be gotten out that there is real value to having more trees, and it has to be monetary. There may be different ways of incentivizing landowners or developers in this regard. Dr. Baker stated that if anyone wants to buy plants, to come on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Ms. Lovell asked if there are any upcoming planting events where volunteers are going to be needed. Dr. Baker stated they will need help on January 15th and 161h at the County offices beginning at 9:00 a.m. Ms. Haigler said if he sends her the information, she will send it out to the Board members. Ms. Haigler suggested approaching the Parks and Recreation Board and asking them to partner with the NRB on planting trees. There could be a goal set of planting 100 trees this year on City property. She asked what the Board members think of that and if a couple of the Board members would like to come to Parks and Recreation's next meeting to discuss this. It was the consensus of the Board that this is a good idea. Ms. Haigler suggested that the Sustainable Sebastian project be a City-wide initiative, notjust an NRB initiative. B. Begin Earth Day Planning 1. Define key tasks and assign champions for each from Board Page 6 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 5 MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 Ms. Haigler stated that, since there are three people missing tonight, she wanted to keep things basic. The first thing is for someone to reach out to Brian O'Neill. Mr. Stadelman said he would do that. She also asked for someone to access the NRB g-mail just for Earth Day and send out "Save the Date" announcements. She suggested using a scan of an original piece of art from the Art Club to accompany the wording. Ms. Ware stated she could do that. Ms. Haigler stated the hours of the event are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but some of the Board members get there very early. Dr. Mosblech said she has done the "Save the Date" mailings in the past, and she would do it again. She needs the login information for the NRB e-mail. Ms. Haigler stated she would see that Dr. Mosblech gets that. Mr. Stadelman called on someone to handle the gopher turtle event. Ms. Valenzuela volunteered for that. Ms. Valenzuela brought up the subject of bands for the event. Ms. Haigler stated the same bands participate every year. There may be room for more bands, however. Ms. Ware stated she will handle the poster contest again. She would like to be able to include more than one school. She asked if the Audubon House might want to participate in something like that, since they are associated with three elementary schools. Dr. Baker stated the students are very interested in art, and they have an art teacher at the Audubon House. Ms. Ware asked that the contact information on the art teacher be given to Ms. Haigler so she can give that information to Ms. Ware. Vill. Old Business IX. Member Matters Ms. Valenzuela proposed for discussion the idea of producing a documentary. She suggested starting out small, like taking one waterway and getting the entire community to plant floating water -cleansing gardens that are native, maybe even food -bearing plants along a waterway. Mr. Stadelman stated this subject can be discussed as an agenda item at a future meeting. He advised Ms. Valenzuela to contact Ms. Haigler so that the full Board can discuss it in that manner. She added that there is a Sustainable Sebastian Action Plan with a lot of items that have been set as priorities for which there can be budgeting obtained. Once those items have been completed, that would be the time to bring this suggestion to the forefront. Ms. Haigler advised Ms. Valenzuela to formulate an action plan with estimated resources required and bring it in to her. They could then present it to her supervisor. There was then general discussion about the Sunshine Laws and how they apply. Page 7 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 6 MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 Ms. Callaghan brought up the subject of docking and launching sailboats and that it would be great if there were some shorelines where people could launch and/or dock their sailboats. Ms. Haigler stated that is a great suggestion and advised Ms. Callaghan to bring it up at a future Parks and Recreation meeting. She added that this suggestion fits in with Sustainable Sebastian, as those boats are not burning hydrocarbons. She brought up the item for the next agenda, having Emily Dark as a guest speaker. Ms. Callaghan wanted to recommend that everyone be here, as the presentation means more if it can be attended in person rather than on a screen. Ms. Haigler will contact Ms. Dark so that she has all the information regarding where and when the meeting will take place. Dr. Mosblech had a point to make about Ms. Valenzuela's idea for a documentary. She thinks it is worthwhile to pursue some video manner of advertising our efforts. For example, after the Earth Day Festival she knows there is press about it. There could also be video clips summarizing what the NRB does such as clean-up events, etc. to allow citizens to see what is happening and what effect these things have that can be put on Facebook, etc. She suggested Ms. Valenzuela look at the Sustainable Sebastian Action Plan to see if there are any places where there is opportunity for public outreach. Ms. Haigler added that a video was made of the oyster garden, and it was great to highlight the things that were already being done. Mr. Stadelman thanked everyone for participating in preparations for the Christmas Parade, and he looks forward to a very productive year 2022 for the Board. He said it sounds like there is some interest in doing a documentary or a PSA. X. Staff Matters Ms. Haigler wanted to talk about how awesome the LID workshop was last month. Mr. Stadelman said it was great, and there are other LID workshops being done in the County as well. He sees a lot of cooperation between the City of Sebastian and the County moving forward. Ms. Haigler stated there were 40 people who attended. She said there were several people who attended the meeting and others who saw it on the broadcast afterwards who wanted to volunteer. She also received several phone calls from residents who asked questions. She would like to do an LID page to add to the NRB website. XI. Items for next Aaenda A. Guest Speaker, Emily Dark, Indian River Aquatic Preserves Program XII. Adioumment There being nothing further, Mr. Stadelman called for a motion to adjourn. A motion to Page 8 of 20 NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF JANUARY 4, 2022 PAGE adjourn was made by Ms. Callaghan, seconded by Ms. Ware, and approved unanimously via voice vote. Meeee!tirgpwas adjoumed at 7:40 p.m. Bv: (�/� is Date: A Page 9 of 20