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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 05/01/2002E MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE May 1, 2002 For Reference: Randy Fischer, NRAB Chair - 226-5383 Ray Martinez, Council Liaison - 416-2154 Michelle Pawar, Staff Liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present Kelly Ohlson, Steve Ryder, Nate Donovan, Don Rodriguez, Arvind Panjabi Board Members Absent Linda Knowlton, Randy Fischer, Reagan Waskom, Phil Murphy Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Terry Klahn, Mark Sears, Michelle Pawar, Edith Felchle, Doug Moore Parks Planning: Craig Foreman Advanced Planning: Pete Wray Guests Eric Hamrick, Councilmember Jerry Kaltenhauser, citizen Brian Peterson, CSU student Jerry White, Latimer County Open Lands Charlie Gindler, Larimer County Open Lands Agenda Review Sears: I would like to talk briefly about Hidden Valley, located at the base of Devils Backbone. NRD Staff Introductions Rick Bachand, Dave Irwin, and Todd Ketmer provided brief professional background information, and detailed the responsibilities of their positions. Liaison Change Announcement, Michelle Pawar Michelle Pawar will replace Mark Sears as staff liaison to the Natural Resources Advisory Board. Rimrock and Kerbel Conservation Easements, Edith Felchle Rimrock: Felchle said she is looking for the boards opinion on the IGA, which is pretty much in the same format as what was provided in the packet. Natural Resources Advis_.y Board May 1, 2002 Page 2 • Ohlson: What's the reason for the 10% figure? When ever we can partner with the County we should pony up as much as we can. I'd like us to lobby Council and staff to be more generous. • Felchle: I don't know the background on the initial piece, but that part can not be changed because it was purchased with bond money. • White: That's right, it's solely a bonding issue. • Sears: We will take over the enforcement of the additional mile of trail until the County's trail is extended further north. • Ohlson: What's the status of the Rimrock Open Space management plan? • Felchle: It has been adopted by the County. Mark was on the task force that put it together. • Sears: We get to approve any changes. • Ohlson: I don't see any enviros listed as part of the technical advisory group. The City should lobby strongly for that in the future. Kelly Ohlson made the following motion: Move the Natural Resources Advisory Board recommend to Council they adopt the IGA dealing with the Rimrock Open Space. The motion was unanimously approved. • Panjabi: I have some concerns about nesting birds, and the reference to seasonal closures. Are there any known nest sites? • Gindler: There's a possibility there may be a red tail occasionally, but I haven't seen them nesting there. We saw lots of evidence of perching, but no active nests. • Moore: I can get Jerry Craig's data and let Terry know. Kerbel: Felchle said this one came to the NRAB last June. The board's recommendation was to increase the City share to 50%, which was done. The conservation easement is held by the County. The IGA is the part being taken to Council, which is essentially the format that was included in the packet. Gindler: I might have a few recommendations to come back with tomorrow. Some of it might include CSU into some clauses. Ohslon: This is the one that we had some feedback about the conservation easement and the management plan, like not being able to plunk at coyotes, drain wetlands, or spray pesticides. Sears: Those are the kinds of things the City of Fort Collins is looking at in general terms. What we're purchasing is the development rights, anything beyond that is purely negotiated. All that we get for the money is that they will not develop the land any further. Natural Resources *isory Board Is May 1, 2002 Page 3 • White: Agricultural easements are different than conservation easements for resource values. The level of oversight you want from them will inversely affect the number of people willing to work with you. They're very independent people. • Ohlson: I didn't say we'd get everything we want. Just because it's challenging doesn't mean we shouldn't do the environmentally responsible thing. • White: You have to look at what are the conservation values you're going after. In the case of Kerbel it's the agricultural and separator values. There are not a lot of other strong values there. • Ohlson: I was told that the details the board wants aren't in the easement, they'd be in the management plan. • Sears: There would be more detail as to how the site would be managed if we have any luck with hunting, shooting, herbicide and pesticide issues. • Gindler: There are certain restrictions in the easement, and the management plan makes it clear what those provisions mean, and how it will be monitored. • Gindler: I have a felling CSU will be the lead in promoting environmentally sound soil and water conservation. • Sears: Working on this team is where we can build a good relationship. If they're not familiar with bmp we can start to introduce them. • Felchle: To a certain extent the answer will be specific to certain easements. It depends on the purpose. Some will have a lot of detail, something like this specific one, will be pretty restrictive. • Ohlson: What I want is to make sure the board knows that what's in the conservation can't get more restrictive when you get to the management plan. If the board wants something, if it's not in the conservation easement it won't happen. That's important for the board to know. Kelly Ohlson made the following motion: Move that the Natural Resources Advisory Board recommend Council approval of the IGA relating to the Kerbel conservation easement. The motion passed unanimously. Devils Backbone: Mark Sears said K-Lynn Cameron asked that this suggestion made by a citizens group in Loveland be brought to the board. Members of the group will be here at the next meeting. The question is if the City of Fort Collins would be willing to allow the south 320 acres of the McKee farm to be used in a land swap with developers. Another suggestion might be that we delay Loveland's purchase of the 320 acres and allowed them to use the money they were using for that purchase toward the Devils Backbone purchase. Ohlson: Some of us fought long and hard for some of those very parcels. I think we should look for solutions other than giving up land. I would have to see that it was Natural Resources Advis., y Board May 1, 2002 Page 4 the only option. I'm all for the City putting up resources, weight and money to help achieve that goal, as long we're not held up by exorbitant forces of profit. Sears: I just wanted to put this on the table so you could be thinking about it. Ohlson: Is it fair to say the amount being asked for the land is beyond any rational appraisal? The government can't get in the business of paying exorbitant prices. There's a whole spectrum of solutions rather than a swap. I would rather look at those. The City ought to be a big and generous player. Follow -UP on Poudre River Trail Alignment, Craig Foreman Foreman thanked the members who attended the field trip and walked the site. Sears said Craig and his predecessors have worked on this for 18 years. They thought they had an incredible breakthrough when they got this little sliver of right of way. After we went out and walked the area, Rick Bachand and I looked at it and thought this may be as good as it gets in the way of trail alignment. Rick went out with several of our staff members and did some extensive research, and found it's a little more sensitive than we anticipated. Sears said the only ideal route is going across the Delahoy property to the edge of Overland Trail, and using the sidewalk that exists on the east side of the bridge. The only way that will work is if the Delahoy's are willing to sell the entire property to us. We've never asked. Another scenario is to cross the stream in an area that is less sensitive, and closer to the bridge. We're trying to set a meeting with the Delahoy's next week. If those options don't work, than I think we're back to the alignment Craig is proposing. Sears said he'd like to suggest to the board that they allow Council to approve the 2"a reading of the ordinance to accept the GOCO grant, and proceed with design and construction of the trail. • Ohlson: Does that in any way, shape or form put anything into motion that makes these other alternatives more difficult? • Foreman: If we sign it, and this thing falls apart, we go back and say we didn't get what we thought. We'd have to turn the grant back in. The money needs to spent between now and December 31, 2003. • Donovan: Is Council approval just to accept the grant? • Foreman: Yes. • Ohlson: It is going to be made clear to Council? I'm worried about the two week timetable. • Foreman: We'll put a hold on the rest of the analysis till we talk to the Delahoy's • Ohlson: Pretend you give this an A+ effort, and it doesn't work, does approving this grant mean we're back to placing the trail in the river? • Pawar: Internally we're committed to working to exercise everything we can before we get back to the conversation of placing the trail in the river. The concern we have on May 21" is to get the grant secured. Once we have it, losing it is much harder. • Ohlson: Are we fully utilizing the science and data that is available, like from the National Heritage Program? Natural Resources *isory Board Is May 1, 2002 Page 5 • Panjabi: Is there still the fallback of putting a trail through a S1 community? • Pawar: I wouldn't call it a fall back. We're committed to working through all alternatives. • Ohlson: If the board agrees we could say we don't have a problem with it going forth on second reading, but we have very serious concerns and questions. We're signing off on the grant proposal, not the trail placement. We want it communicated we're not signing off on any trail, and that discussions continue. • Hamrick: We need to make sure Council is aware of how sensitive that area is. If we can't get the land, it's not really life or death, the trails just won't meet. Update on the East Mulberry Corridor Plan, Pete Wray, City of Fort Collins and Russell Leg, Larimer County Kelly Ohlson said he would appreciate staff providing specific board concerns and comments from the previous meeting where this item was discussed, and elaborate on the changes. Doug Moore said there was concern about trail placement. There was also concern about Weiker Drive crossing Cooper Slough. • Ohlson: Is there a chance staff might be able to go back and see what our concerns and questions were, and do a follow up memo? • Panjabi: Have the background checks been done with the Heritage program? • Moore: There was an initial inventory from a mapping standpoint. • Leg: The County's inventory reflects the National Heritage database. • Wray: Some of the things that might be part of the action are if the Cooper Slough warrants a resource management plan, and whether that would include reassessment of the conditions out there. We're not sure yet. • Ohlson: Are there any changes or tweaks that this board would find more objectionable than before? Has anything gone in a worse direction from our viewpoint? • Wray: We've made a decision on Weiker Drive. Now it's our charge to go to all the boards and open meetings. Our plan reflects the maximum buffer. • Ohlson: They're not actually maximums. We've got to be careful about saying that, they can go less in City Code, they can also go higher • Moore: It's hard to get more than the 300 foot buffer, but there are allowances to do that. • Wray: We're entering the implementation phase. I would suggest we come back in July for Board comments. We're scheduled to go to adoption in late August. • Leg: We will have another public open house. • Ohlson: We appreciate that you come and check in. What's the support for this right now, how's it going? • Wray: We've come a long way. Through this continuous effort there's a better understanding that there's value in working together. • Panjabi: Has there been any evaluation done of the overall hydrology of the area. • Leg: There are big minds working on the water issues. • Ohlson: We really appreciate you checking in with us again. Natural Resources Advis__y Board May 1, 2002 Page 6 This item will be added to the July agenda. New Business None Monthly Feedback No comments. Action Log Remove: Long Term Natural Areas Funding Kelly Ohlson would like to get the Meadow Springs Ranch tour scheduled as soon as possible. Future Agenda Items: May 15: Rolland Moore Park Plan Fossil Creek Park Plan FIDOS Devils Backbone Approval of Minutes: April 3, 2002: The April 3, 2002 minutes were unanimously approved as written. Committee Reports Solid Waste: Susie Gordon asked individual members to become involved in an upcoming series of meetings dealing with the update report to Council on solid waste reduction. There is a meeting Thursday, May 2 regarding the vertical expansion of the landfill. Trails: There was a field trip on April 16 to explore other alternatives to the Poudre River Trail Alignment. It was eye opening. Randy Fischer had been told there were no resource values relating to the trail and it's placement. Obviously that wasn't accurate. It was a good field trip. Natural Areas: This committee met on April 25 and went to the Hazaleus Natural Area. They looked at the issue of affordable housing. It was a great field trip for getting a visual perspective of what was involved. Announcements • Panjabi will not be able to attend the May 15, or the June 5 meetings. • Ohlson: I'm assuming at some point someone will come to the board to talk about the Poudre River charette. There were over 100 kayakers represented at the open house. They are good organizers. • Ohlson: At a meeting of the education committee we looked at signs and gave some feedback. Will that come back again? Sears said it will go to the Trails Committee for sure, and potentially the Natural Areas Committee. Natural Resources tisory Board May 1, 2002 Page 7 Goose Dogs Ohlson said there should be appropriate public education. We don't want to create a culture where people don't care about wildlife. We need to be sensitive with laying the groundwork. Panjabi said we don't want to be harassing wintering geese the way we do breeding geese. The wintering geese do affect other waterfowl. We need to be very sensitive. Review Council's Six Month Planning Calendar No comments. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.