Conservation Advisory Council, Regular Meeting

1. 0:00Here we go. Bada bing, bada boom. I shall see you all. Called to water. All right. Um, welcome everyone to the latest meeting of the conservation advisory council. First, we'd like to start with a presentation uh from Peter Frank. And uh Hey, Colin. Hey, Colin is online. >> Says she's joined momentarily. >> Oh, she's joining momentarily. All right. Well, let's let's as soon as she get Can you start now? We have a few little admin startups to do. So, while she gets on both, can we accept the mean the minutes from last meeting? Yes. >> Yes. Okay, great. Good. >> Fine. Um and um she there yet now? >> I don't see her. Okay. Um do we want to have in terms of um climate smart? Do we want to have another climate smart subcommittee meeting between now? >> I think we need to. We need to >> this this past month. Um we were very busy with
2. 1:04>> Okay. So >> I spoke to Tara yesterday's like >> yes replacement. Okay. So she's going through all of her all of our planned items this week. Uh I'm going to speak speak with her again on Monday just to see. So she's going to tell us what we need to do. Okay. um you know pointwise and action items and then what I could do is relay that information to us and so we can figure out where we're at and then just you know fix things and then before May >> did would we get the um the mandatory items done the the task force? >> Yeah, that I put in. So she's >> so it's all you have you got everything >> I got those 30 points. >> Okay, great. >> I put them in but she's looking at it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that's in, you know, I got lined by the I'm doing I'm working on one of Andrew's and uh Yeah. So, okay. >> I have a few that I'm still >> also membership wise, we have over the past month, we've lost two people. Um Andrew and Michael hair have resigned. >> Oh no. Yes.
3. 2:06>> So that is um wamp. That is a sad thing. So we are we have how many are we? >> Skeleton crew. >> Huh? >> Skeleton. >> Skeleton. I mean we're five. We could be nine. So, um, on the lookout. At one point, we had too many people. Now, that's >> I see Hillary has returned. >> I know. >> All right. I think we're ready. >> Um, >> before I start, Mr. Chair, just a quick question about Andrew. He had asked about some updates for the website that I had sent him. Do I need to send those to someone else now? >> Did you send it to Andrew? >> Can't remember. Should I just resend to you? >> Yeah, just send to me. Fine. >> I'll find you have to figure out. >> So, I'm Peter Frank. I'm joined tonight by Kson.
4. 3:08>> Yay. >> Welcome to talk about the water quality work at Oakdale Lake. Um, as you may or may not know, this work was led by um, Friends of Oakdale Lake and Mar Adler for many years. Last year, friends of Oakdale Lake and Friends of Pete merged um, and we've taken over uh, or this and they received two successive um, DEC uh, climate justice grants and we just received a third one and they raised the singer this year. So, uh, we got $200,000 for the next two years, which is going to allow us to do some new and exciting things at Oakdale. >> Oh, I'm sorry. We got the We got a third successive grant >> for I'll stand for $200,000, which is going to allow us to do a lot of new exciting things. Um, and I'm going to let Kate walk us through that. Kate is a scientist. >> Thank you. Uh, so sort of like I play one on TV.
5. 4:12Um, I'm sorry if you can Can you guys all hear me right now? Yeah. Okay, perfect. Can you see a screen or should I be sharing my screen? What's happening? >> See a screen share. >> Oh. Oh, yeah. Okay, perfect. I'll share. Sorry, I wasn't sure if you guys had a way of this. Okay, can you see a screen now? >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay, perfect. Okay. So, as Pete said, Peter said, sorry. I am gonna just run us through like a little brief history of what's happened at the lake so far since we got our first um community impact grant. Um and then I'll talk briefly about uh phase three, which is an exciting um announcement and a lot of money, which is great. Um so, the project started in 2020. Um the overall goal of the original project which I think had like um the name was Oakdale Lake Water Quality Aileration Project which is a little bit of a mouthful. So we're just calling it now Oakdale Lake water quality project. So the overall
6. 5:14goal was to improve water quality and support safe public use of the lake. Um phase one uh occurred from 2020 to 2022. The first grant was $100,000. It was administered by Columbia Land Conservancy but led by friends of Oakdale Lake as Peter said. Um it was a comprehensive watershed and lake assessment. So it established um baseline conditions in terms of water quality, nutrient levels, submerged aquatic vegetation, benthic communities and hydrarology. It mapped the watershed. It mapped the depth or the bethimemetry of the lake to help us understand um what might be contributing to water quality issues. Um, and then we used all of that information in um, the United States um, environmental protection ay's uh, aquatics modeling which is a predictive modeling model in which you um, put in all of these inputs and the data you collect and it outputs um, what is predicted to happen over time. So it can without us monitoring
7. 6:17continuously and showing any times when oxygen within the lake might be low, it can predict that based on the uh information that you feed it. And so from there that identified a number of mitigation measures which include included um like watershed level mitigation member uh mitigation measures such as rain gardens or plantings around the lake to intercept any storm water. It also um identified dredging um and like more intensive um mitigation measures for the lake. And then phase two was from 2023 to 2025. Again, it was $100,000. Columbia Land Conservancy uh once again was the administrator in front of Oakdale Lake led it. Um it expanded citizen science monitoring. Sorry, I should have said that. For phase one, it was it was really focused on um having citizen scienceists also come out and um uh measure water quality and take water samples. I'm so sorry, my daughter is screaming. Um if you can hear that. Um and so phase two expanded
8. 7:21on that citizen science monitoring. Um every year we do a uh citizen science training where we have a community event. people come out to the lake and we run them through how to use all the scientific uh measuring instruments instruments and then throughout the summer, three or four times a summer, uh volunteers come out with us to collect those water samples. So, it's like a nice way for people to have a touch point on the lake and um get hands-on experience. We've had a number of youth come out as well and they can put this on their resume as something that they've volunteered for and had experience with a chemir bottle which is not something that all youth can say which is great for them if they're starting out in a natural resource career path. Um so we expanded that and then we again expanded the modeling we entered more information into it which just makes it more accurate in its predictions. And then in phase two we also started to implement um some of the mitigation measures like light touch mitigation measures. So such as um uh submerged aquatic vegetation um harvesting at peak biomass to remove
9. 8:25some of the phosphorus which would address some of the utrification issues that we were seeing. So all of this was funded by the DEEC the department of environmental conservation at the state level through their environmental justice community impact grant. The outcomes of the first two phases was building this long-term data set that we can continue to use as a baseline as we move forward into the future and implement more mitigation measures. Um, it also identified persistent utrification in this system. And I'll talk a little bit more about what utrification is. But utrification often leads to harmful algo blooms, which is a is an ongoing public health risk. And one that we saw in 2024 expanded across the state with hot weather. Um, and it's projected to be more of an issue as as um as climate change continues to wreak havoc on our systems. And so what's really great about this project is it integrates science and community monitoring to support adaptive management of this shared resource um in in Oakdale Lake. So the lake is a
10. 9:30utrophic. And what does that mean? It's it means that there's high nutrients in in Oakdale Lake specifically, it's phosphorus. It can be phosphorus or nitrogen in any system. It's when these excess nutrients enter a water body that can be from um debris from leaves falling, that can be from runoff from the road, that can be run off from from residential areas if they're using fertilizer. And that leads to excessive algaal growth and excessive plant growth. And then that can lead to reduced oxygen levels and a degradation of the aquatic ecosystem. And the mechanism from that is when plant material such as algae or or submerged aquatic vegetation uh starts to die off, bacteria decomposes that material and that process uses oxygen. And when that happens and you have a large amount of material and a large amount of bacteria decomposing that material, it reduces continues to reduce the oxygen which can
11. 10:31impact fish, it can impact benthic communities. And then also if you've had Oakdale Lake for example has been managed as a lake and impounded since 1906 since its inception. So if you have that much material building up since 1906 so that's 110 years or more um you start to have phosphorus potentially or those nutrients trapped in the sediment. And when oxygen reduces that actually untethers the phosphorus from the sediment and can cause the phosphorus to be released back into the water column. And so what you have is is a feedback loop, a positive feedback loop where you have algaol masses dying, you have decomposers decomposing that in terms of bacteria and then you have another release of phosphorus. So it's an internal um loop that can be very difficult to disrupt. And so moving forward into phase three and the implementation of these mitigation measures, that's really what the aim is is to start interrupting that that cycling. Um, and so we saw what was
12. 11:36predicted in the model in the first four years of this project in 2024 with the harmful algo bloom and the beach closure. What's interesting about that is the L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al L al LG levels in the water were actually lower in 2023 and 2024 than they were in 2020 and 2021. And I'm not going to take up time talking about why that could be, but it's an interesting phenomenon and and one I think we'll uh continue to see until we see a really meaningful reduction in phosphorus in the system. So the mitigation measures from phase one and two, we had as I said the light touch points which included um experimental barley straw applications with the Hudson High School science students. Um and that was there was some literature that we um had initially discovered that indicated that barley straw when it starts to decompose um can have a chemical reaction that reduces algo growth in lakes. Um, I don't think that that experiment fully came to fruition in terms of those results for us and that might just be the scale of
13. 12:38the pilot. It was a very small area that we were working with. Um, and so we're not continuing that into phase three, but it was really interesting to do for the first two phases. We also implemented B bottom aation. So we have four air raators that sit on the bottom and their intended purpose is to continue to oxygenate sorry provide oxygen in that lower level to reduce the amount of phosphorus that's being um released from the sediment when those uh oxygen levels become too low. And then we have as I mentioned before targeted SAV removal of a of a specific invasive species called uh curly pond leaf. And when you remove that at peak biomass for um which means like at its at the pinnacle of its growth when you remove that in June for example you are removing all that trap trapped phosphorus. So it can be a really effective um method for reducing nutrients in the system. And then we also started, sorry about that, we started um algicide applications with
14. 13:41some newer technology you um with pond and lake management um and we obtained uh permits from the DEEC for this and that um is helping control algae growth and will also continue to control HAB occurrences as we move into the into the summer and and future years for recreation. So there were some additional next steps and um higher touchpoint uh mitigation measures that we were looking at but weren't implementing in the first couple of phases and that we're planning to implement in phase three. So that includes um the addition of a surface airator. So that's a fountain type thing that will break up algo mats within the swimming area. So that will be nice from an aesthetic purpose but also from um you know dispersing some of that material. And then we will be continuing to remove um uh some of the submerged aquatic vegetation uh either this year or next year. It depends on how much uh curly leaf pondweed grows this year versus next year. We'll continue with
15. 14:44the algicide applications. We are going to be planning targeted sediment dredging to remove that sediment laden um or that phosphorus laden uh sediment from the beach area specifically. Um this has a dual purpose for us. This is going to be not only uh removing phosphorus, but it will just be a nicer swimming experience for the community using the area. And then we'll continue with this phase three of the ongoing monitoring adaptive management. So this grant round or this cycle as Peter said is $200,000. Friends of Hudson Youth is administering and leading this project. The goal for this phase is to transition from the assessment and issue identification phases to the active lake remediation and long-term management of this resource for the community. So, we're also going to start doing some dissolved oxygen um monitoring, which will be exciting because until now we didn't have actual continuous data for that. We've just been doing predictive
16. 15:46modeling. So, we'll actually get um a really good insight into what's going on in terms of oxygen levels and we'll continue all the mitigation measures that I just spoke about. Um we'll continue the citizen science uh monitoring portion of our our uh project. Um and then we'll be doing adaptive management. So at the end of this we'll continue to we'll do the data analysis. We'll understand what mitigation measures are working and what aren't and if there needs to be more aggressive uh mitigation measures implemented. For now the the dredging is the most aggressive that you can get. Um, and for now we're doing a very small targeted area and we can expand that as we go if we continue to see issues. Um, that's not really something we're contemplating right now, but it is an option in the future. So the expected and then sorry, we will be amping up our community and environmental justice focus. So that's through um the community science but more youth engagement through uh Friends of Hudson
17. 16:50Youth. So, we're really excited about um Hudson Youth uh leading this for us or Friends of Hudson Youth and then um focusing on making sure that we're monitoring for HABs late in the summer when they tend to crop up. So, the expected outcomes of phase three um is reduced HAB frequency over time, improved oxygen and water clarity, and which will help with the aesthetics of using the lake in the summertime. um that will all uh lead to stabilizing the lake ecosystem and then improving the aesthetics of for recreational use. So I will end my presentation there and if you have questions I'm sure Peter and I are more than happy to answer them but we can always come back also with interm updates if you'd like. >> Thank you. Just wanted to add a couple of things. Um, if you're interested, there are more in-depth reports available online as well as a video presentation on friends's website. I can send you the links for those. Um, we are going to be, as Kate said, we are going
18. 17:54to be starting up the citizen science training and monitoring again this summer. Uh, that's going to happen in mid to late June. We haven't confirmed a date, but also an email that if you want to join that project, it's really fun and interesting way to to volunteer. And um it's not that much work. Also um uh in terms of timeline, most of the things that Kate talked about, we all are going to be doing uh this spring and summer. The dredging won't happen until the fall because of timelines for permitting. We have our DEC permit already for the algicide treatments. Um but it's a much more complicated permit for the dredging. Um, and the fall is actually a better time to do it in terms of fish laying their eggs and stuff like that. It's a less uh disruptive time to to do it. So, that will be in the fall. So, you won't see that change in the silver area until 2027. >> So, are you here just as like an FYI just like keep us in the loop?
19. 18:57>> Yes. >> Oh, great. But there's no I mean that was wondering if there was like a call to action. cash. >> Well, if anybody would like, you know, to volunteer with with the transaction, I would like, you know, I just think, you know, as the conservation advisory council, it's, you know, this is, I think, one of the most um exciting uh environmental initiatives going on in the city and we just wanted to make sure that you're aware of it. Um, and I'll also mention that Friends of Hudson Youth is doing a couple of other um conservation projects. Uh we are uh along the guard rail on Sixth Street. We're putting in a native plant hedge row 350 ft. Um all native plants, all pollinator friendly um which will be in a long narrow deer exposure. And I've already talked to Sam about some of the DEC seedlings that we're getting in that. But we're also getting larger two and five gallons uh understory trees and and shrubs from uh Farther's point
20. 20:02farming for that. Um and we've also for the last two years we've run um youth work weeks with a piping with greeners. Uh last year we built a we removed invasive species and planted about 100 trees and shrubs inside a third of an acre deer exposure that surrounds a ravine where there's a lot of runoff into the lake. So we want to um you know buffer the runoff there as well as restore the understory. Um it's only a third of an acre. I'm sure you could do a lot more. Um but as you know with deer overbrows the understory is very sick. um at Oakdale Park as well as everywhere else in the county. So, we're trying to do what we can to restore it. Um this year, uh six uh teams from Hudson High along with three majors did a really incredible uh project repairing the trail and bridge. They fell up his trees on the property, stripped the bark, drilled them with and uh installed
21. 21:08a new retaining wall along part of the trail that was eroding. Um and it looks really wonderful and the team having better time skills and uh it was the kind of project that was really like wow I built this kind of um and I got paid so it was great for everybody. Um so uh we are going to also be recruiting volunteers um both the the new plantings that we're doing along six street and last the planting we did last year um needs weaning and watering and we're looking for any uh anybody who wants to participate in our project we would love to add thank you >> yeah thank thank you just for the work that you Thank you. Thank you Kuch. Great. >> Can I ask a question >> quick? So, thank you for your wonderful presentation. Your wonderful name is
22. 22:11being cake. Um, so I understand the phosphorus is the problem lar and removing the phosphorus would be uh advantageous. So the way I understand there's two forms of attack in this which is the removing of the curly algae as well as dredging. Now there other other avenues to explore in terms of removing phosphorus. >> Yeah thanks thanks for the question Lloyd. Um so I get so the there's a number of the mitigation measures that have been implemented are to address phosphorus. Dredging is one of them because as I said before phosphorus when there's enough oxygen in the system phosphorus binds to the sediment and is then stored in the sediment. But when those oxygen levels deplete then it is re-released. Right? So dredging is one of them. Um, I would say like submerged aquatic vegetation harvesting when in
23. 23:14like peak growth times is also a very effective method because that that plant growth uses the phosphorus to fuel its growth and then that phosphorus is trapped in the in the tissue of the plants right and so when you remove that and remove it from the lake that's again um doing that those are the two I'll Yeah, >> there there are not no not that would be environmentally sensitive. There's also an underlying uh issue that we didn't touch on tonight because we don't have a way of uh testing the hypothesis, but there is an unconfined aquifer under Oakdale Lake. It is springfed. There is a real like shallow connection between groundwater and Oakdale Lake, um which is the beauty of Oakdale Lake. So, but it's entirely possible that that aquafer is also phosphorous laden water um be because of ongoing farming in the area like how everything was managed prior to the to
24. 24:17you know in the 90s the 2000s and so there it's very possible that there is going to be ongoing phosphorus input from the aquafer connection as well. So, and then on on top of that, and this is something that actually CAC I'd be happy to talk more about this because I don't think we have time tonight, but there are some pipes at the top of the spring where the spring um where there's some storm water storm water uh conveyance infrastructure that's from Greenport area. It's pretty degraded. And then there's a few mystery pipes that have higher phosphorus output. um regardless of if it's a storm event or if it's dry weather. And this is something that I know Tamar from Friends of Oakdale Lake spoke to, you know, Rob Perry about. This is something that um is the next is the next thing to look at as how to shut off some of those inputs. It's not very high. It's not a high discharge from those area from those pipes. Um but it
25. 25:21is it is something to look at. That water though travels through a wetland for an extended period of um of of distance. Sorry, it's it's quite a distance right before it joins Oakdale Lake. But there's a possibility that there's a link of of that water being overloaded with phosphorus entering in in a constant stream. So, we'll have to look into that still, but that is something that maybe CAC like we need a little bit more um push I think from other organizations to help us with the city um starting to explore that. >> I'm I'm assuming too that you're keeping you know DPW in the loop on all this as well, right? >> Yeah, I think for a while there it was a little separate, but I plan to meet with uh Rob Perry a few times. >> Okay, great. Thank you. One more. >> Okay. >> I just wanted to figure out the aquifer underneath it whether it's feasible to measure that phosphorus. What would be involved in determining? >> Yeah, that's a great question. We'd have
26. 26:25to do um water samples from there. That would be a specialized consultant contract. Um something that's been we didn't think would be as impactful as the work that we're doing to mitigate and make make it a pleasant swimming environment. I just want to say phosphorus isn't dangerous to us like as humans and it's it's an imbalance but it's still a natural state and so um we are focusing more on yes the ecological but but also like enjoying this resource for the community and so there's a number of different avenues we could go down if we had unlimited funds. We don't have that right now. I'm very interested in identifying other funding sources that could maybe help us with with some of the additional work that could be done but um as of right now the the aquifer situation is a bit of a a black box in term in this project right >> additional funding we can do that >> offline thank you very much thank you very much Kate thank you very much Peter >> thank you all
27. 27:26>> appreciate it >> thank you thank you um okay let's move on we have a half power for the rest of the agenda. Okay. So, next we have um the earth loss sensor we met last week. So, the takeaway from that was that we're going to wait until after we finish our climate smart uh points and then we will return to the tree ordinance and put together a sub to work on that. But first, we have to get through climate smart uh the light bulb exchange. So, with Andrew resigning, I have all the light bulbs and Aaron gave me the rest of her light bulbs. So, they are now sitting with me. Um, we have five distribution points of light bulbs. We gave away some light bulbs at the farmers market. I'm going to go to the distribution points and give away some more. I don't know >> how many how many are left. Are we talking about >> we have boxes? So, you >> Mad Hatter things coming up. So, >> you thinking costumes? >> Yeah. um not as we process >> the EDR uh grants of $75,000. Um last
28. 28:32week the common council approved PO to be the um grant to be to implement the project. I have submitted the application to NAERTA though I'm waiting on that submission to be okay and then that will move forward. But that probably not happen until not even this year. May not even know about next year. We're talking 2028 >> Arbor Day. So that's going to be an issue because Andrew has resigned. So we have a whole bunch of it's a whole big wahoo. Um so yeah. Um >> when is it? >> Uh well I don't know if the spring is going spring plantings are going to happen because they should be happening now. >> Now. Um, so with Andrew not around, I think that we're going to have to postpone everything into the fall because I don't have the resources right now to do it. Like I said, we have to get past this climate smart thing. >> Um, and um, we we're down a whole bunch of people. So, I think we're just going to have to tell the the um contractor we're going to have to wait for fall. We
29. 29:36even have money, I think, that we encumbered last year to bring it forward. So, I don't know what we're going to do. And if anyone has any other ideas or wants to take it on, I mean, Andrew is a little he's he's just out of >> He's not available. >> Did he have any next steps identified like or >> he's I have an email download from him. >> So, yeah, we have a contractor um which there's there's a little bit of red tape we have to get through, but yeah. Um I mean, I could forward if you're interested in looking at it. >> Yeah, just ask. >> Yeah, I mean I'll forward to you wherever they're at. I mean, Andrew's available for a conversation, >> but I can't say anything else on it right now, >> right? >> So, um, the community the community solar thing came in front of the common council. I think they had questions just about, um, and I didn't really have the answers to them to be honest about like, you know, the the uh, the guy I want to say his name is Brad. >> Brad. >> Brad was there in front of the council. So, you know, Brad wants a letter to go
30. 30:38out, you know, on city letterhead that says that, you know, it's okay for the boba. And I, you know, everyone's has still had question marks. Even the lawyer had question marks about is this okay for it to go out on the city. Um, which I guess I don't >> other other cities do it that way, >> right? >> What's that? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. obviously understood it. >> I think we just need like a blessing or something for everyone to know that yes, this happens and it is part of the climate smart blah blah blah that Yeah, because everyone was a little bit because when he said it, everyone even the lawyer was like, "Oh, no one really." Yeah, it was it was just I like I said, I wasn't aware myself. I wasn't I didn't know myself, so I'll be honest. Um, >> should I should I what's who should I who could I follow with? >> I think we just need like >> and we could just see other >> other cities have done it.
31. 31:41>> Yeah. And I could I could connect with >> you just write a letter to city council and say approve this like >> Yeah. You just say look this has been done before. There's an example >> we're advising. >> Yes. And it's a free program that cost the city that saves all of us 10% off our energy bills. >> This question came up that you know here we have >> like two years. >> I know. I know. I know. I'm sorry. Um >> yeah. >> No, no, nothing on you. Nothing on you. But like this is like a little >> I know for for something that's not >> Can we just write a letter to them to the city? >> Sign it or something. >> You know what? I think we just need to counsel the the city council lawyer tends down and as long as he means okay and he'll advise the council be like yeah this is >> can we just send him an email with allc we all approve of this >> yes and just explain to us what is like just have their blessing everyone >> and I can get an example or two from on specifically >> people had questions
32. 32:43>> and I'll be honest like I was like I didn't I didn't know myself that we were sending out on city neighborhood so I didn't know how to answer that Yeah. >> Um, fair enough. So, the tree grants, I guess we're okay with the Harry Howard trees. >> Um, yeah, except except um when I was in touch with I probably CCD you want to your five emails you were saying. Um, I had sent an email to Rob, you know, just asking him to reinstate the >> tree bags, the new ones for the newly planted trees, but there they threw them out or because allegedly they were >> well, they threw them out because they had degraded >> and so now there are no bags. So, if there's any leftover budget from that grant, we should put it towards at least >> I think there was. >> Yeah, there was ask current >> if there's any money left over. There was like some I don't think I heard of it or not. >> Yeah, at least for the eightish new trees, you know, they should all
33. 33:47actually have them for the third year for the specs of the grant as far as I can recall. I'll double check that. But um absolutely for the newly re, you know, replaced >> we have a list of items of things that we need. you know, um I could make one request. >> Okay. >> Things that we need. I think there was some money left over. I don't know if they've done it yet. >> Like out of our budget. >> Um well, we have our budget. Yeah. But um this should probably still if there's still grant money left out of that. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> It was like $2,700 or something like that. She's like, "Do you have any invoices to put against this?" And at the time, which was a couple months ago, I said, "No." >> Yes. >> But >> but now we do. >> Yeah. I mean, I'm not saying go out and buy. Let me see if the money is still there first. >> Okay. Yep. >> Um All right, fine. >> We really need to do that. >> Um okay, so climate smart. Um I spoke to Tara on Monday. She's going through all of our action about anything that we have planned or submitted this week. I have another meeting with her on I think
34. 34:50at Pencil Monday at 300 PM. So all of you, if you want to come along, you're all invited to >> What? Sorry, what day? We're gonna we're just gonna She's gonna come back and say, "Okay, this is what you need to do." >> Monday. >> Monday at 3, >> if you want. Um or we could do another time, too. Um >> No, no, no. >> Or we could do like an evening or something else that works. And she could just say, "Okay, look, this is what I found. You know, you're x number of points away and we need blah blah blah to finish it up." And that would still give us like a week or two before we have to hit submit. >> Yeah. um before the May 22nd deadline. >> Okay. Well, do you want to meet that Tuesday? >> What works? >> Um well, that Monday and three doesn't work, but >> All right. So, do what? >> We could do Monday >> or Tuesday >> after work at to work on the submissions. Since you're meeting with her that day, we can just
35. 35:52get it later. >> So, where are we? We're the fifth. So, you want to do what? The >> 11th. Monday the 11th. >> The 11th or the 12th? Monday or the Tuesday? Where? Where? >> I would prefer Monday. >> You prefer Monday? Hold on. What time? >> Anytime after five. >> Oh. Um, I'm sorry. Say again. >> Anytime after 5. >> Oh, after 5. Okay. Does anyone else want to meet then? >> I could do it on Wednesday, but Monday, Tuesday. >> Yeah. Well, I will do that >> and my my submission the other ones are in. >> Okay, great. Then I have the other stuff. >> So, but if you need help. >> All right. You said Monday after 5. >> Yeah. >> All right. Let me let me confirm with Tara and we'll get I'll get back to you. >> So, that's um what else? Sunni branch. >> Oh, yeah. Okay. Sunni grant. Um, it's kicking into gear. They want us to do a
36. 36:58presentation uh an event. So, I'm trying I was trying to nail down an event time and I I believe I have at this point at the library for the first week of June and we're going to have to give a presentation about the the activities that the community is fud the city of Hudson to um a move towards uh preparing people for in you know disasters or whatever. So what what they're doing, what we're doing as a city >> to prepare for climate change and >> um how we can you know provide information to people etc etc. So um I've been working with um Calvin the youth center and uh so hopefully in the next couple of weeks he's going to u do a meet and greet. Um, before then I've been at the farmers market trying to get people. I'm going to be at the library.
37. 37:59I'm going to be like silica just trying to get people to click through for the survey so that they can get the data that they need. But it's it's been a lot. It's a lot a lot. So anyway, but it's going >> it's going out and I've touched it that did you become the community champion of this project? >> Yes. >> Yes. and Whitney Whit Wilkins is helping me, but she's really >> who's helping >> Whitney Wilkins who does perfect 10, but we're both really, you know, stretched pretty pretty thin with this. Um, anyway, >> so that's going that's going. So, anybody who wants to help put more posters around or think of places to put them to get people to um, you know, click through and register, let me know. think that has to be done. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Seedlings. >> Seedlings. We'll be picking them up May morning of May 15th and then did we
38. 39:02confirm whether they're going to be planted? I think the morning of Saturday, May 17th, right? >> Um 16th. >> Nothing um has been firmed up yet because I wasn't sure exactly when the pickup was going to be. >> Yeah, it's the last day. >> The last 15. Okay, that's my thoughts. That's my thought cuz um yeah. Um again, I wanted to do a walk around with Rob, but I think he's too busy. >> Um so, >> can he still tell and like get those sites prepped? >> Well, that conversation has to happen. It has to happen. But he did say that he wants them to be delivered to the DPW because I asked about >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, I asked about um where if we get our donation from Lowe's or from wherever, which I'm going to deal with this week, um, where it should be delivered and he said, "Oh, bring it to the DPW." So, I am >> I think we should take care of the seedlings though since it's like a pretty
39. 40:05>> We can I mean, I'm just I'm just if I didn't forward his response to you, I will. I'm sorry. >> Oh, you did. You did. >> Yeah. But that's what he said. So I, you know, we can do whatever. >> Um, but it's just, yeah, so I'm distressed about what, which I was unaware of. So I don't know. >> Do we want to talk about that for just >> Oh, we'll get to that. Hold on. I think >> I know. But if that if we were going to plant things on Prominad Hill, we have to be aware that >> um there's a potential problem. >> Find out. I have my way. >> Okay. So what we talking about now? Um would you like to >> So the tree Yeah. So the for we planted a tree that was part of a ceremonial uh like organation buffalo for the Erie Canal anniversary and then there was plantings at >> Centennial. There plantings at uh river cities all up and down the Hudson River. And we planted a white pine that they were delivering them to each community.
40. 41:08Um, and so we uh planted this uh in the fall. >> Yeah. >> And last week >> it was doing great. Like >> all the way >> DPW had had dug a hole for us. We planted it. Um and then uh I went a few days ago to take a peek and it was completely gone and uh had been removed. Um and the I mean the soil looked undisturbed. It wasn't just cut. It was just it had been >> pulled out and then smoothed over. >> It was uh it was quite uh distressing to see this uh I went with my daughter to like look at it and it was just missing >> and um >> and I had wondered if something had happened in the DPW had removed it, but I was in touch with Rob Perry today just to ask if he knew anything about it and he went he didn't. So he went down and he looked over the edge and saw where someone had pulled the tree and just thrown it over the edge and it looked pretty dead down >> with other trash. >> Um and he said that it's also Yeah. It's
41. 42:12depressing. >> He also said there's a reason they also don't put uh picnic tables on Prominade Hill. They used to people used to throw those over the edge as well. So, it's a it's a it's a And then he showed some pictures of people breaking into um the float, the boat float. Um someone had broken in there and torn off part of it. Um I don't know when that was if that was recent, but it seems like there's a vandal uh somewhere amongst us. And it was depressing that this particular tree, which was quite small, but was also something that had been like this ceremoniously planted. I was worried like some of the roots like would get ripped out the bare roots and >> Yeah. Well, I mean, yes, that's it's a worrying. Um, but this really bothers the hell out of me. Someone's out there just doing So, I'll find out. I'll find out who did this. I will. I find out.
42. 43:18I will find out and hopefully we'll not have it again. >> I'm volunteering to to plan to replace them. >> That's very nice. >> It just it's so sad. We'll we'll put a very big fence up >> security camera. >> I mean, unfortunately, we've also various times. You have to install security cameras. Well, it's a security cameras and I don't play them, but they they do reduce the incidences of vandalism. >> Yeah. >> All right. Well, what are you going to do? Um, uh, speaking of planting trees, um, Hillary, well, we have a couple planting trees this year. Uh, Hillary, would you like to >> Uh, sure. Sure. >> Welcome back, Hillary. >> Yes, sir. There's a seat right here for you. >> Um, so when the CC started, one of the first members on the CHC, well, the first
43. 44:22chair was uh Jonathan. Uh, but the f one of the first members was Elsa and um Elsa. I never said the word. Yeah. Elsa was landscape architect. She did uh many many projects in the city and around and um so sadly she passed away three years ago and Carol and I wanted to plant a tree in her honor and so I wrote a letter to um Rich uh Rob and the mayor and asked about the if we could plant a service berry tree in the cemetery. And um we've been over Robbed said just pick three locations that we can talk about and and yeah, we'll we'll do this. And they were seemed happily about it in the mayor's office. And you know, I thought that I was going to have to you
44. 45:24guys come on help me with this. Um but while um Carol and I Carol who uh lives up on um Anthony, >> right? We were over there today and we were looking for these three spots and we found like 50. Um so uh the what we I had wrote a letter. I didn't know if there would be time to talk about it today and you can um each have a copy of the letter but the concept of and I thought that the concept was one that Rich and I talked about a long time ago or something but the idea is that there are certain parts of the cemetery that don't have many trees. Well, one, the trees are dying. Storms are taking them down, and there we haven't done any thinking about replacement trees, and um there's certain areas in the cemetery that aren't appropriate for um burials, but could be quite appropriate for tree
45. 46:27growths. And the idea um that I wanted to bring up, but I can't take this on and do this. I'm bringing to the CIC saying anybody anybody or any new people on the CC want to take this on um of of asking the city and DPW and the cemetery foreman if there's these areas are indeed appropriate but looking at these areas and setting them aside to become memorials for the people >> want to plant a tree in honor of your deceased person. Um I guess um they could do that. The the thing that could be tricky um about that is that I think that there really should be those those sites need to be pre-approved by the city at DBW and then a plan needs to be made for what tree goes where and how much of that plot and and then the how much of that plot
46. 47:32belongs to that person that's sponsoring that tree. And um so that it wouldn't just sort of be random acts of free getting planted of who knows what you know they do or don't go with a master plan or anyway. Um and so uh that that would be that would need to be laid out and then the cemetery could settle them as law. Um and um people could memorial memorialize their friends there and it would be not huge but a little bit more revenue stream to offset the maintenance that they have. There's a lot of maintenance at the sec at the cemetery and I just wondered if this was a concept that somebody on the team would like to run with maybe not now. got a lot going on right now and uh >> so
47. 48:34that in the few hours between um our cemetery visit was coming tonight. >> I think it's a great idea. >> Yeah, it's a great idea. >> I'll put on the agenda and talk to Rob. But I think it's great and I'm sure there's I mean I can think of a few places right now where there's a few little triangles where you're not going to put any plots on, but you could easily put trees in like building blocks or something. Um but yeah, um it sounds like a great idea for um I don't see why not. And they would be then also be like blessed to mo too for >> no. >> All right. So, and by the way, little shout out to Aaron who's no longer here on the CAC with us, but um >> she's still watering. >> She's waterers. Um you know, in the little the little entrance of the cemetery. It looks
48. 49:35great. >> Looks great. They cut it back. >> She's about to have the baby. We better have a replacement waterer for >> any day now. Any day now. >> So, uh, yeah. So, we feel like watering some watering to do. >> We might have time there today and really looked at. It's really thriving. >> Oh, that's great. It's great. It's a It's a beautiful entrance to the cemetery as opposed to Yeah. So, this might be a crazy idea, but could we potentially, if we are really worried about the bare root seedlings not um not getting pulled out, could we put them in cemeter? >> Oh, I think so. >> Absolutely. >> If we're really worried about it, we would have to go check it out. >> Well, I scoped out that whole area when I was doing that last grant all about the cemetery at Wil. I talked to Ser Hill the deer the cemetery. >> Yeah,
49. 50:38>> you might as well throw it away in the cemetery with that. >> They're all deer. >> Um, oh, ste. So, I'm pass I'm just going to say it. So, we got a request in for a tree uh on 237 Robinson Street. Uh already has and it's the owner. So, they the first and second choice of tree species, a Japanese tree, lilac and a service berry. So, I gave him the list of potential trees and these are the two that he picked. So any issue, question, comments? That sound right? >> That I'm sorry. >> It's on the list. So okay. So he wants to plant a tree on 237 Robinson Street. >> He wants to he wants to plant it himself. >> The hole is already exists, right? Fine. So you're going to property. Yes. First and second choice of tree species. So
50. 51:42what happens when we get a tree street tree request is that we h we it comes to us first and then we look at the species and we're like we we give them a list of species to choose from and we look at the species that they choose we're like yeah I can find or um and then it moves on to Perry. Um so that's where we're at right now. So the first and second choice of tree species is a Japanese tree lilac and a service berry to go down on Robinson Street. So they just pick those not based on any site conditions or >> there is a list that we sent >> just from our list but >> but they haven't chosen like the tree that will work best in it >> I do not know >> what is our process or >> this is the process >> this is the process >> the sap the saplings used to when we had the >> Hillary was very involved in that process >> we planted um other service berries on that street a couple of years ago and um the service will definitely do well
51. 52:45there um because there's the other partners in the neighborhood and they like to >> they enjoy each other. >> Um you have to make sure by should be up by on that street. I don't know the exact house. >> It's next door to Brent >> next door two doors up. Few doors up actually. >> Oh, few doors in. >> Yeah. In the middle. >> Okay. It should be fine as long as the hole is large enough. Whatever. So, there was an existing tree there and it's long and they're still and they write that it died. >> I guess there replacing a dead tree. That's what it says. Proposed mentioned by tree hole already exists. Replacing the dead tree. >> Okay. But is it that they're that the property owner will pay it wants to plant it themselves or they I wasn't sure if we have a waiting list of people still from the last time they were waiting for trees. >> No, this is the things they're willing
52. 53:48to pay for themselves. >> So they're just requesting the approval for them to go ahead do it. >> Yes. Yeah. Andrew on stage street the same the same process. So if someone wants to put in a tree, >> we we send them a form to fill out. They can, you know, say, "Here are the species to put in. If you're going to do it yourself, it's your property. And if you're going to buy the tree, >> great." Uh, you know, our donated our donated trees, the street trees is a separate process. >> Okay. And >> and then Rob Perry does like a dig safe uh puts that in to make sure that it's even though there's an existing, >> right? that interesting species that goes off for world. >> Yeah. >> Right. Yeah. Um the there are certain, you know, trees grow in areas like the geekos or the the Japanese tree that do survive in urban settings, but they're not your species. And you know, while any trees carbon and um you know, provides shade, they don't
53. 54:50feed. the insect life and and the the environment the way a native species does and I think the CAC should encourage autos to plant native species. >> I I agree. I was surprised that the Japanese that was my next question. >> The service for sure only native >> so it should say service. >> Yeah. Maybe you should look at those people. >> Fair enough. I mean, I thought it would have no ginkos are on the list. They still have to >> Yeah, it may have just been an adopted list from like ginkos are so prevalent on so many street trees. >> Yeah. >> And they're good streets. I understand, you know, >> I love those, but I just think >> that Yeah. 100%. >> I mean the list probably is I >> What about if we even if it's like we just identify on the list which ones are native and we just say the preferences
54. 55:53are these just in the meantime too like >> well we can we can do the list. >> Yeah. >> I thought I really thought the list had been updated a couple years ago with just native trees but I haven't looked at it in a while so I don't >> I'll resend the list to everyone. >> Okay. It's on our It's on our >> It might be an old list with an old form had online that we had discussion with him too when we were sitting down one day. >> Yes. Because you know what? There probably are two lists out there because there's another place on the website that says uh like a little uh frequently asked questions of new residents list. What if I want to plant a street tree? That's where this list I think lives. And there's another list that we have on the street tree application form which I think is the second list. There might actually be two list now I'm thinking about it. >> We want the street list. >> Yeah, we want we need to Yeah, we need to look at both list. Fair enough. >> So yeah, I sent I know I sent him I did a search on the website and found the um the other list that's like what do I
55. 56:58what do I do if I want to street? >> All right, fine. All right. So, we'll tell him service Barry and then we'll open up. What else? Anything else? Anyone else? New person in the in the audience. >> Hey. >> Hi. How are you? >> I'm so good. How are you? >> Good. >> Thank you. >> Any comments? >> No comments. I uh I just came in today. Um my dear friend and neighbor here, Allergy, said that you guys did some openings on the uh >> Yeah. Just just come over here. >> We have a lot of work. You mentioned this day might be a good time to come check you out. >> Tell us tell us about yourself. >> Oh, um I'm Eli and um I've been a husband for about two years. Um love it. Enjoy all of your uh excellent work in town, especially Fdale. It's one of my favorite places,
56. 58:02especially in summertime. Um, I benefited a lot from uh how uh like natural and things has been like I do a lot of like garbage foring and things like that. Um and and so this just kind of peaked my interest as um yeah my >> well you sat through a meeting. So you know what we actually do. >> Um this is what we do. We meet once a month >> for an hour. I keep it to an hour. We have two minutes. And um we each everyone takes on a project and you know you get you get an email account with the city. Um and what else? I know there's a ton of work. There's a ton of work. >> Awesome. >> It's all about like how much you can take on what you actually want to do. >> Um you know there's it's it's I mean
57. 59:06you're doing like environmental stuff is infinite. So it's whatever you want whatever you can. So, but you know if you want what happens the process is if you're interested send me an email rich@c city of hudson.org.com that com whatever we are and um a letter of interest and then it goes from the comic council and everyone says yay or comes together first everyone says yay and it goes to comic council comes yay and then you have to take an oath and then we get you get a suit and then you know you get to sit on this side of the uh whatever yes the privilege and um like I said it's one meeting a month one hour a month here and And everyone kind of like does other stuff throughout the course of the month and then we meet here just for like status updates. >> Cool. I love the homework aspect. >> Yeah, it's all it's all homework throughout the course of the month, right? Yeah, >> that's it. >> I'll send you. >> Anything else? Anyone else?
58. 1:00:10>> The tableling went okay. >> Oh, table. Yes. How was >> Thank you for doing that. >> Yeah, thank you. >> Thank you. >> It's good. Um Sam there too. >> Um we got did multiple >> got a good number of people maybe like 10 something um that took some light bulbs. Couple people that you know just stopped by to see what was up. Uh nothing crazy but went well. >> I mean we still have lots left but we chipped away at it. >> Cool. Thank you. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Anything else? Anyone else? >> I was just going to ask I remember I know you sent an email a while ago about like the recycling bin thing. >> Oh, yeah. In the in this building. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> What? >> I have to touch We kind of pushed it off because they weren't going to get um the approval in time for or uh deadline, but we can and maybe this is just a question
59. 1:01:13if you want to. What's her name again? Sorry. Tiffany Tiff, wait Tiffany. >> Tiffany. >> No, no, no. Sorry. Um, with the CSC, >> Tara, >> Tara, um, we might want to ask her like if we want to add more points to our like when can we submit more board points after this? >> Probably. >> Because we have like this the recycling in here. It will just take a little longer, but um it seems like the mayor wants to do it and then it's just passing a new executive order or something. >> Oh. >> Um or something really simple just to get the So, it just wouldn't be in time for this >> right this cycle >> this cycle. That's why we're like we're not I'm not going to put any mind to it yet. Um but there are a few things on our list that we'll want to for future submissions. So if we can ask Tara like for future submissions what that cadence is and >> okay >> who do we let know like that we want to reapply or anything like that that would
60. 1:02:15be >> all right and we talk about what Monday is >> Monday yeah Monday the 11th at 5th >> 5 sounds good >> well yeah >> yeah I could walk you through some of the other future submission ones that you can get started on Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Cool. >> And then we'll have a hopefully Ty will tell us what what the next >> the next the next round is >> because if we continuously submit every year like 20 points, I feel like we'll never get to the point where we're at now where we're like we have to submit. >> Yeah. So I feel like if we always just try to have one person doing like >> 10 to 20 every year. You're right. You're right. >> Yeah. >> We just Yeah. Keep that. Keep a cushion >> right there. >> It's like a budget. >> Good. No, you're right. >> Let's save things. >> Points. >> All right. Anything else? Anyone else? >> No. Motion to adjurnn. >> Yeah. I want to talk.
61. 1:03:17>> Oh, yes. >> Yes. Yeah. A motion. >> Motion to adjourn. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Have a good night. Make my

Timestamps link to the corresponding moment on YouTube. Auto-transcribed, contains speech-recognition errors. Not an official record.