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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-01-2025 NRB MinutesNATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 11 2025 I. Vice Chairperson Carrano called the Natural Resources Board meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present: Ms. Shellenberger (a) Mr. Krauss Ms. Ware Mr. Stadelman (Zoom) Also Present: Felicia Gordian, Environmental Technician Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Janet Graham, Technical Writer IV. Approval of Minutes -- June 3, 2025 Mr. Carrano Ms. Thompson Mr. Trinkle (a) Mr. Bruggen All having indicated they had reviewed the Minutes of June 3, 2025, Mr. Carrano called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes of June 3, 2025 as presented was made by Ms. Ware, seconded by Ms. Thompson, and approved unanimously via voice vote. V. Announcements A. General Announcements Mr. Carrano announced that as of July 1, 2025, Mr. Paul Dovell has tendered his resignation from the Natural Resources Board. As such, alternate Frank Trinkle will be voting instead during tonight's meeting. Mr. Carrano announced during roll call that Mr. Charles Stadelman will be attending via Zoom as he is able, and as such Ms. Shellenberger will be voting in his place during tonight's meeting. B. Coastal Connections Presentation Ms. Gordian stated that there are representatives from Coastal Connections here to describe the "Vero Goes Zero" program. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 1, 2025 PAGE 2 Ms. Kendra Bergman introduced herself and introduced the other team members who are going to be talking today about the programs that are helping Sebastian become more sustainable as well all of Indian River County. She introduced Olivia Redding and Jeanna Kent. Olivia Redding and Jeanna Kent described the mission of Coastal Connections. They described the turtles that their organization deals with. They focused on the greatest threat that marine turtles face, and that is marine debris. Slides were presented on the screen related to the programs that Coastal Connections employs, as well as their goals. One of the main threats to sea turtles is single -use plastics. Coastal Connections has partnered with Indian River County to offer a free wrap recycling program for local businesses. These businesses are visited by volunteers on a weekly basis to collect all of the businesses wrapped film materials. That is then transported to the landfill and recycled into plastic pellets which are purchased by a company called Trex. Trex makes this material as a composite material that is turned into boardwalks, playground equipment, benches, etc. Since starting the program, over 27,000 pounds of wrapped recycling plastics have been recycled. They are looking to expand that program up into the northern part of Indian River County, especially Sebastian. Ms. Kent stated that one of their other programs that focuses on marine debris is their fishing line recycling program, which is definitely needed. She talked about a sea turtle that was found in the Indian River Lagoon. "Nader" was successfully healed at the Sea Turtle Healing Center in Brevard, and he was successfully released. She described that program in depth. The other main problem for marine wildlife in general is trash and debris. She described some of those items and stated that Coastal Connections has created a coastal cleanup program. They host both public and private cleanups throughout the year. She added that there is a cleanup planned this coming Saturday at Jaycee Park in Vero Beach. She invited anyone who would like to join. She also described their beach basket station program which can be participated in by the public at large. She also described the many other programs that are available for participation. Ms. Kent stated that the main thing that everyone can do is reduce the use of single -use plastics. That is one of the main goals of "Vero Goes Zero," hence the name, and she gave examples of recycling single -use plastic items. She then asked for questions or comments from the board. Mr. Trinkle commented that this was an excellent presentation by Coastal Connections. He asked how efficient are the fishing line collectors on the beach. Ms. Kent said they are very effective. There have been some incidents with contamination, just from trash that people put in the tubes, but they have noticed a lot less monofilament lines within our environment. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 1, 2025 PAGE 3 Ms. Ware stated that she is working with recycling in general with the businesses here in Sebastian, and she asked if it is just the bags that Coastal Connections is interested in reducing, or is it other plastic films that are collected. Ms. Kent said it is all types of plastic films that can be stretched with your finger. They have different schedules depending on the business. They have some businesses that are picked up three times a week; they have some that are picked up every week or some that are on demand. Ms. Ware asked if they have flyers made up to educate the businesses. Ms. Kent said yes, and they even have a training video which she described. Ms. Ware asked if they have addressed saving money by using these programs. Ms. Kent said they do not have a program which addresses saving money by using these programs. Ms. Thompson asked if the program is dedicated to just private businesses and commercial chains, or just any kind of business. Ms. Kent said it pertains to all of the businesses in the area. Ms. Thompson asked if this group has any experience with restaurants. She especially notes the waterfront restaurants use lots of plastic straws, plastic cups, etc. Ms. Kent said they do educate about plastic alternatives. Mr. Trinkle interjected that these meetings are recorded, they are online, and people watch these meetings after the fact. He asked if Coastal Connections has a contact number that you can leave there so if anyone wants to contact you they can. Ms. Kent said their website is Coastal-Connections.ora. They can also be reached at Info aC)..Coastal-Connections.ora. That is their email address. Their phone number is 772- 226-0133. Mr. Bruggen asked about, when Coastal Connections visits the businesses, do you provide a container for them to put the plastics in. Ms. Kent said they are provided with Clear Stack just to avoid any concealment of any kind. There are also large plastic bags that can be used so that the items inside the bags can be seen. Mr. Stadelman thanked Coastal Connections for coming to the meeting. He also mentioned the Litter Quitter program which the board had partnered with in the past and is now defunct. He suggested that Coastal Connections may fill that void. He asked if Coastal Connections has city sponsors. Ms. Kent said yes, and it would depend on the program regarding what sponsorships you might be referring to. (Mr. Stadelman was attending via Zoom, and his voice was cutting in and out.) VI. Agenda Modifications Ms. Gordian said Item IX, New Business, will be adjusted so that Items A-2 and A-3 will be switched in their order so that International Coastal Cleanup will immediately follow up Touch & Tour, and Sebastian Kids Fest will be A-3. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 1, 2025 VII. Public Input -- None VIII. Unfinished Business A. Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup -- Saturday, July 26th, 2025 Ms. Gordian said this event is coming up quickly, and the full week of the cleanup in which participants are welcome to join is July 19th thru July 27th. So, there may be virtual participants who will be coming in and helping to clean up our waterways prior to the main event. For the event itself, the Natural Resources Board is to host the Main Street Boat Ramp. In tonight's agenda packet there is the assignment schedule explained, and we will discuss what time slots everyone may be able to attend. She has Ms. Thompson, Mr. Carrano, Ms. Ware, Mr. Krauss, and Mr. Stadelman as attending. Mr. Bruggen said he would like to do it virtually. Ms. Ware said she prefers the morning, so she would like to have 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Mr. Krauss said he would prefer something like 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Ms. Gordian said the event starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. She will need some assistance prior to the event around 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. for setup, and then teardown at the very end. Mr. Trinkle said he will attend in whatever slots are not filled. Ms. Thompson said she can do 10:00 a.m. until the event ends. Ms. Gordian said she will send out a revised schedule before the event. For anyone who needs to register, the site is www.PCWaterwavCleanup.com. She will also need the board members who are going to be present for the day of the event to register online. She also reminded board members to also make sure you have all the designated paperwork filled out for Marine Industries Association. For anyone who is participating virtually, typically there is a supply pickup in the week prior to the event. So, in Mr. Bruggen's case, once he registers, they know that you are coming, and they will set aside supplies for you that they will bring to City Hall. Staff will make sure that it is set aside properly. She noted that she will be out of town for about a week and a half leading up to the event; however, she will be here working the day before the event and the day of the event. B. Sustainable Sebastian Ms. Gordian went over some of the updates to this program. She will bring back some of the discussion points from the last meeting that were touched on briefly. There will be some other discussion items that she is sure the board members will be interested in getting to. There was discussion regarding several points. Mr. Stadelman spoke regarding the Resolution which will go to City Council. Ms. Gordian updated Initiatives III, IV, V, and VI, and a few other updates such as Recommendations for City Policies and Codes and Ordinances, Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, Incorporating the Needs of the Community into the City Sustainable Efforts. Extended discussion was had regarding different goals. NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JULY 1, 2025 PAGE 5 Mr. Trinkle reviewed a handout which he prepared (SEE ATTACHED) to all the board members and Ms. Gordian regarding pollination. IX. New Business A. Upcoming Event Opportunities 1. Touch & Tour -- Saturday, September 13t", 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ms. Gordian reviewed that the Touch & Tour initial event was held last year, and the Natural Resources Board was invited and has been invited to attend again this year. She described what that event consists of. If the board would like to attend this year, we need to get a vote this evening on this. After discussion, Mr. Carrano called for a motion. A motion approving the Natural Resources Board attending and participating in the Touch & Tour on Saturday, September 13t", 2025 was made by Ms. Ware, seconded by Mr. Trinkle, and approved unanimously via voice vote. 2. International Coastal Cleanup -- Saturday, September 20t", 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Ms. Gordian described the event and asked that a motion be made regarding attending this event. Mr. Carrano called for a discussion. Mr. Krauss stated that the board members are all volunteers here, and everyone has many things that demand our time, our energy, our resources, etc. He mentioned that it was stated earlier this evening that this board had a resignation recently, and he thinks we need to be careful that we don't burn people out by overextending ourselves by trying to participate and help in all of these events. He is very concerned when people resign and wonders why they resign. He thinks we should be cautious as to how many weeks a year we're booking items for the Natural Resources Board and make sure we are not overextending ourselves. Mr. Carrano called for a motion on whether the Natural Resources Board members will participate in the International Coastal Cleanup at Main Street Dock. A motion approving the Natural Resources Board attending the International Coastal Cleanup on September 2"d was made by Ms. Thompson, seconded by Mr. Bruggen. The voice vote was 5-2 in favor. Motion carried. 3. Sebastian Kids Fest -- Saturday, October 4t", 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ms. Gordian stated this event is held by the Parks & Recreation Facilities Department. The Natural Resources Board has been invited to participate, as this is going to be an educational but fun -focused day for families. They are planning to have games as well NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING J U LY 1, 2025 as a sidewalk chalk contest, face painters, and inflatable bounce houses, etc. This board would have an educational activity such as something on invasive species, maybe educating kids about plants of that nature. This is something that could be up for discussion should the board choose to participate in this event. There was discussion among the board members regarding this event. A motion approving the Natural Resources Board attending the Sebastian Kids Fest on Saturday, October 4t", 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. was made by Mr. Bruggen, seconded by Mr. Trinkle, and approved via voice vote of 5-2 in favor. Motion carried. Mr. Carrano requested that the board members get some sort of a list of activities in which the board members will participate. Ms. Gordian said she will get a list of activities to the board members to look at prior to the event. After the vote, there was a discussion regarding the number of events in which the Natural Resources Board participates. Ms. Gordian stated that she will make a calendar showing the number and dates of events in which the Natural Resources Board participates and will present it at the next meeting. X. Items for Next Agenda and Date: Tuesday. Auqust 51h, 2025 A. Sustainable Sebastian B. Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup Debrief C. Preparation for Upcoming Events XI. Adiournment There being no further business, Mr. Carrano called for a motion for adjournment. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Ms. Ware, seconded by Ms. Thompson, and approved unanimously via voice vote. Meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. By: Date: homas Carrano, Chairperson " jg