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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 04/07/1993• MINUTES • CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 N. COLLEGE AVE. - CONFERENCE ROOM APRIL 7, 1993 For Reference: Will Smith, NRAB Chair - 221-0425 Chris Kneeland, Council liaison - 221-2950 Tom Shoemaker, Staff liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present Craig McGee, Phil Friedman, Terri Knudsen, Bill Will Smith, Hal Swope, Miller, Steve Erthal, Tim Johnson Board Members Absent Deni LaRue Staff Present Tom Shoemaker, Julie Bothwell, Edith Felchle Guests Present John Bartholow and Kevin Cook, interested citizens. Melanie Hind, Chamber of Commerce Approval of Minutes It was moved, seconded, and unanimously approved that the Minutes of the March 3, 1993 NRAB meeting be accepted as written with the following change: Page eight, paragraph nine should read, "Smith stated that emissions are defined differently in SARA Title 313; Kodak emits chemicals in tank trucks in liquid form, but this is called an emission." Smith stated that Agenda item 6A, Recycling Program Review, will be deferred until the May 5 NRAB meeting. New Business Fnv;ronmental Action Awards Friedman stated that the Education Committee met March 25, to review the Environmental Action Awards nominations. There were 31 submissions for the awards. He reported the Committee's recommendations for winners of the awards and briefly explained why the winner was chosen. The winners will receive a plaque, the runner ups will receive a certificate of Honorable Mention, and everyone else will receive a certificate. o In the Business Category, Happy Heart Farm was the winner with Ted Stoeckley receiving a Certificate of Honorable Mention. o In the Group -Organization, Category Kelly Ohlson, Carl Nylen, and John Gascoyne as Natural Areas Initiative Organizers, and the citizens who made the ballot initiative successful were the winners with Concrete Facts receiving a Certificate of Honorable Mention. o In the School Category, Olander Save the Earth Club was the winner with Poudre R-1 Maintenance Department receiving a Certificate of Honorable Mention, and Centennial High School Campus Beautification Project also receivi._q a Certificate of Honorab�_ Mention. o In the Government Category, Poudre Fire Authority Hazardous Materials Response Team was the winner. o In the Media Category, the KCSU Air Quality Report was the winner. o In the Individual Category, Gene Johnson was the winner with Robert Kulovany and Cem Basmann receiving Honorable Mentions. Friedman said that the awards will be presented at the Council meeting on April 20. Friedman suggested that next year, if the nominations are 30 or more, the Board may need to think about looking at codifying the method in which they evaluate submittals and reach decisions. Johnson moved and Erthal seconded that the Board accept the Education Committees recommendations for the winners of the Environmental Action Awards in the categories of Individual, Media, Government, School, Business, and Group -Organization. The motion was passed unanimously. Natural Areas Education Tours/Procram Johnson stated that he would like to receive some ideas from the Board regarding an education process dealing with natural areas. He suggested that over the course of the five-year tax, the Board should start an Education program aimed towards children. He would like to build a volunteer core of people who could lead this program. Johnson stated that as a Board it could suggest to Council to fund a new position that would be part "outdoor naturalist teacher" and "park ranger." There will be a lot of land and Staff does not have the time to walk these lands and make sure people are not setting up campsites or violating other uses for sites. Smith suggested something similar to the Transportation Department's bike ranger program. Shoemaker stated that the adopted policies of the Natural Areas Policy Plan call for such programs and that the work program that was established for the five-year period calls for development of a number of education - oriented programs. These programs range from self -guided tours based on maps, videos and brochures to interpretive signage in the areas, to two volunteer -oriented programs. One is to "adopt a natural areas program" and the second is "a master naturalist network." Shoemaker said that staff would like to work jointly with the Board to outline the needs and the scope of the program, but would not be available until June. Miller stated that the different subcommittees of the Poudre River Landscape opportunity Study group will be presenting their recommendations April 19 at the Cherokee.Park Room of the Student Center at CSU from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. One of the recommendations is an Open Space Field Manager that would be separate from the developed Parks field staff; this person would be a specialist in open space. The other recommendation is a full time Ranger that would have the ability to issue tickets for violations of any of the City regulations regarding open space. 2 Swope commented that if this proceeds the real key is to have well - trained volunteers that know the subject and are interested e.g., hunter safety program where the volunteers are actually certified. The Board agreed that the Land Use Committee and Education Committee would take the lead on this with Johnson being the lead person. The committees will work with Karen Manci and Edith Felchle from the Natural Resources Division. Natural Area Acquisition Proposal Tom Shoemaker, Natural Resources Division, presented the proposed acquisition of the Hahn and Seven Springs properties and the proposal to name the natural area in honor of Councilmember Cathy Fromme. Staff has negotiated a purchase and sale agreement with the Harmony Road Corporation to acquire 579 acres of land in southwest Fort Collins as a public natural area. The areas are known as the Seven Springs property and the Hahn property. The contracted purchase price is $675,000. Shoemaker distributed a handout and presented a short slide presentation of the site. The area is one of the most significant natural areas in Fort Collins. The land contains a large prairie dog colony that is used extensively by wintering bald eagles, ferruginous hawks and other large birds of prey. The land also provides habitat for a variety of other wildlife species, including coyotes, red fox, mule deer, jack -rabbits, etc. The presence of native grasses and native wildflowers makes the site one of the most valuable natural areas in the UGA. Shoemaker stated that a Resource Management Team has been formed to look at general management issues in natural areas. The team consists of Natural Resources Division, Parks Planning and Development, Parks Maintenance, Stormwater, and Forestry. Shoemaker explained that what is planned for each acquisition is to develop a specific Resource Management Plan in collaboration with Natural Resource Division, NRAB, Parks and Recreation Board, neighbors, interested citizens, etc. The Plan will address resource protection needs, habitat improvement needs and opportunities, public access needs and facilities, opportunities for environmental education and interpretation, and other issues. Erthal expressed that a goal he would like to see the team reach is to return the areas to their original condition and maintain them as such. Shoemaker stated the motivation for acquiring this site is that it is a good example of a prairie ecosystem and has wonderful prairie resource values. There is a lot of opportunity for grassland restoration on Seven Springs. Swope moved and Johnson seconded that the Natural Resources Advisory Board strongly support the acquisition of the Hahn and Seven Springs site as negotiated by the Natural Resources Division and that the Board strongly support the site be named the "Cathy Fromme Natural Area" in honor of Councilmember Fromme. McGee asked if there is a need for a site assessment to address leakage from the landfill. Shoemaker answered that they have done an environmental audit on both properties and are aware that there are concerns of contamination. He stated that there is groundwater contamination by volatile organic compounds on the Seven Springs property 3 which has migrated beneata the Hahn Property. The contamination exceeds drinking water standards, but the water quality in that area is poor anyway so it is not a water supply issue. City staff and Stewart Environmental Consultants do not feel that this is something that will affect the use of this property. They considered it in terms of potential liability, but determined that City ownership would improve Larimer county's ability to fully assess the concern and take remedial action if needed. The motion was unanimously passed. Swope asked if there is any danger of Harmony Road Corporation backing out of the deal. Shoemaker stated that it is a cash deal and they have no contingencies. Smith asked if this will be the "buffer" between Fort Collins and Loveland. Shoemaker answered that there is concurrence between City of Fort Collins, City of Loveland, and Larimer County to put together some kind of plan dealing with a buffer or corridor between the two communities. Larimer County Planning Staff has the lead on putting the project together; it will look at land use and include a natural areas component. The overall goal is to figure out a plan for maintaining some kind of a buffer/corridor between the two cities. Natural Areas Acquisition Priorities Tom Shoemaker, Natural Resources Division presented background information on the process used to date to identify natural areas acquisition priorities. Shoemaker stated that he had two objectives. The first was to quickly review Council's action on implementation guidelines" for the natural area sales tax. He presented a handout of the guidelines. The other objective was that he wanted to start the process of the Board's review of natural areas acquisition priorities. The Board agreed on a tour May 1, for the recommended priority areas and Shoemaker distributed a handout and asked Boardmembers if there were anymore sites they wanted to see or some areas on the handout that they did not care to see. At the May meeting, after the Board has visited the sites, Shoemaker will make a revised presentation and will ask for a recommendation from the Board. Shoemaker stated that the main focus for the Board is to determine if recommended priorities are on target in terms of the initial focus of acquisition efforts from the natural areas sales tax. Shoemaker distributed to the Board the Agenda Item Summary, Resolution, and the Implementation Guidelines adopted by Council. Shoemaker stated that the natural area sales tax was a citizen - initiated ordinance that established a 1/4 cent sales tax on everything except food. The revenue is to be used for acquisition, construction, enhancement and maintenance of trail systems, wildlife habitat, etc. A portion of the revenue will be retained for management and maintenance. Revenues maintained in a separate fund may be used to purchase water rights if important to the natural area. The NRAB and the Parks and Recreation Board have the responsibility to advise Council in the following areas: acquisition priorities, acquisition proposals, guidelines for resource conservation, public access and site management, educational and interpretive programs, and periodic program fl review. • The expenditures from the 1/4 cent sales tax will be evaluated annually as part of the City budget process. Separate projects or accounts will be created with the 1/4 cent sales tax fund to account for various types of expenditures. The initial breakdown will include the following categories: Land and Water Acquisition - The total cost of these lands is approximately $11.6 million. Long-term Maintenance - Staff plans to develop a mechanism for assuring care of these natural areas as they are acquired. The amount of money needed to be retained to fund long-term maintenance was estimated based on the assumptions of 3,000 acres of land. Public Access and Trails - Parks Planning and Development plans to revise the Parks and Recreation Master Plan in 1994; new facilities in natural areas should be integrated with this master plan revision. At that time the actual cost will be known. Interpretive and Educational Features, Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Projects - This is anticipating doing two or three moderate size restorations each year. Also anticipated this year and next year is the pilot wetland restoration project of the Wren Pit. Public/Private Partnerships - This is continuing the idea of the mitigation fund. Data Collection/Research Projects - Small amount of money for cooperative research projects with CSU. Administrative Charges - This was not in the previous memo the Board received on this subject. This is established City Policy on all funds that pay for the budget of Council, City Manager, City Attorney, etc. Shoemaker said that Council accepted the general acquisition criteria that had been used in the past. What staff will do with the implementation guidelines is develop relative priorities on an annual basis for review by the community, NRAB, and Parks and Recreation Board. The criteria to be weighed include: resource value, relative threat, opportunity, multiple objectives, and public views. Swope asked how public access is addressed. Shoemaker answered that the goal of the NAPP is habitat for conservation and habitat for people. He explained that it includes providing access for people to use natural areas appropriately e.g, trails and interpretive signs. Shoemaker stated that in the past there was the question of, "What mechanisms should be in place to keep these areas as natural areas in the future?" He said that Council directed staff to develop code revisions. The first would be a formal designation process for natural areas, existing and new. The second would be to add to the City Code some additional public review process and criteria for the potential sales of any lands acquired for natural areas. Shoemaker stated that the acquisition prioritization process has been a several step process starting with inventory. After talking to several different kinds of people/groups, staff compiled an inventory based on existing information and on aerial photo and field reconnaissance to compile an inventory map for the UGA. The second step in the process was to evaluate, using professional judgement, which areas could likely be protected through regulatory or cooperative means. This left approximately half of the areas as potential acquisition sites. The third step was to evaluate each of these potential sites against the various criteria and sort them into high, moderate, and low priorities. The natural areas plan anticipates acquisition of the high and moderate priority areas. A fourth step is to identify the areas to be focused on first. Staff has presented these recommendations in a handout, targeting high resource value areas G_q that are under imminent t__reat, or offer very good ok-zortunity for acquisition at the present time. Specific Comments on Greenstone/Fossil Creek Miller expressed his concern for acquisition of critical wetlands outside of the UGA. He stated that the Greenstone subdivision had already been through preliminary P&Z review and he was concerned for those lands that lie east of the railroad tracks, part of which fall within the Greenstone subdivision. He said that with high density residential development, this precious land will be gone. Miller stated that the prairie dog colony is the eastern end of a string of prairie dog colonies that extend westward to the Seven Springs Ranch and the foothills. The colonies serve as a wintering area for bald eagles and ferruginous hawks. The marsh and prairie dog areas are visited year round by other raptors, including, marsh hawks, red-tailed hawks, falcons, and merlins. He would like the Board to add this site to its May 1 tour and consider requesting that Natural Resources Division acquire the land using the 1/4 cent sales tax. Kevin Cook spoke about the importance of preserving upland habitat, not only for the raptors and prairie dogs, but also to provide a protected buffer area for the wetland, which receives extremely high migrant waterfowl and shore bird use. The upland area also provides valuable nesting and feeding areas for various birds, feeding and vital habitat for frogs. AnUoUnOemento Smith announced that "Colorado Recycles" is accepting nominations for the 1993 Colorado Recycler-Of-The-Year Awards. Awards will be presented to recognize Colorado citizens, schools, government agencies, non-profit organizations and companies that have contributed to the success of recycling in Colorado. The Board will do a tour of the recommended priority areas on May 1, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Staff will make the final arrangements and notify the Board where to meet at a later date. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. 1.1