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EC Agenda 12-16-2024 REGULAR MEETING AGENDA Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams by calling 1-872-256-4160 and entering access code 910 737 312#. Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or any items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison – Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor, eeckman@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8084. 1. Call to Order 2. Land Acknowledgement We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley is built, and whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the cultural practices and presence of the Dakota people through education and by amplifying a wide range of indigenous voices. 3. Roll Call 4. Approval of Agenda 5. Approval of November 25, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes (5 min) 6. Old Business A. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek 2024 efforts (10 min) i. Subcommittee Updates 1. 2025 Creek Clean-up Event Planning ii. Watershed Map & Co-Naming Update 7. New Business A. Annual Work Plan Ideas (45 min) B. Council Updates (5 min) C. Other Business (5 min) 8. Adjournment December 16, 2024 – 6:30 pm City Hall Council Conference Room REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams by calling 1- 872-256-4160 and entering access code 587 275 181#. Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or any items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison – Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor, eeckman@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8084. 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chair Yahle at 6:30 pm. 2. Land Acknowledgement 3. Roll Call Commissioners present: Debra Yahle, Sarah Drawz, Tonia Galonska, Ellen Brenna, Kari Cantarero, Paul Klaas, Amelia Schultz Commissioners absent: Wendy Weirich Council Members present: Sophia Ginis Staff present: Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor; Diana Preisen, City Forester; Carrie Nelson, Engineering Assistant. 4. Approval of November 25, 2024 Agenda MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Cantarero to approve the agenda for November 25, 2024 as submitted and the motion carried. 5. Approval of October 28, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Drawz to approve the minutes of October 28, 2024 as submitted and the motion carried. 6. Old Business A. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek 2024 Efforts i. Subcommittee Updates: 1. 2025 Creek Clean-Up Event Planning 1. Sub-Committee is scheduled to meet December 2, 2024. November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 2 2. Possibly partner with One Good Deed. ii. Watershed Map & Co-Naming Update 1. Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) continues to update its Watershed Map, including content on Indigenous culture and heritage and are working with cultural advisors to complete the work. 2. The Map is being reviewed by the education committee and hasn’t been formally approved by the BCWMC yet. 3. The map includes co-naming the creek. 4. Because the education committee had more work to do with the map, the co- naming recommendation did not go to the full Watershed Commission so that will hopefully happen in December. iii. Heritage Partnership Program Grant Opportunity 1. Sent out to potential partners by Crystal Boyd with support of Indigenous advisors. 2. Partners could include the Crystal Parks & Rec Dept, the Golden Valley Environmental Commission, Minnetonka Historical Society, Golden Valley Historical Society, Plymouth History Center, Robbinsdale Historical Society, and Valley Community Presbyterian Church. 3. Hennepin History Museum would likely lead the grant application. 4. The group met a couple weeks ago and talked about what a partnership would look like. It would include: 1. Planning Phase to coordinate interpretive signage across the Watershed. 2. Developing a community of practice so participating organizations can connect about their plans to honor Indigenous People and Cultures. 5. Commissioners are interested in the opportunity but would like more information before approving. 7. New Business A. Forestry/EAB Update (Diana Preisen) i. Federal Update: 1. Inflation Reduction Act – 1. Approved in 2022 2. Over $19 billion available 3. $1.5 billion for Urban and Community Forestry with priority to disadvantaged and overburdened communities. 2. National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council 1. Current 10-Year action plan closes in 2026. 2. Just released Request for Proposals for different entities to apply for funding for any projects that would last for 10 years. ii. State Update: 1. MN DNR has received quite a bit of the Inflation Reduction Act funding: 1. $2.3 million – Growing Tomorrow’s Tree Care Professionals 2. $1 million – Centering Communities in Canopy Solutions 3. $TBD – Minnesota ReLeaf City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 3 i. Can be used for inventory, planting, assessment, maintenance, improvement, protection, and restoration of trees and forest resources. ii. Can request up to $500,000. 4. Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR): i. The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund was just approved in this last cycle. 1. Over 77% of Minnesotans voted in favor. 2. It will secure the funding source for lottery money and investment income for the next 25 years. 5. Hennepin County Update: i. Has a Million Tree Initiative. ii. County partners with different communities on large scale tree planting efforts. 1. Planted 10,000 trees in a park in Minnetonka. 2. Planted 3,500 trees in SLP at Westwood Hills. iii. They have a Gravel Bed Nursery where they have bareroot trees they buy in bulk in the spring and have available for residents. Also have a municipal tree sale. iv. Received $10 million from the Inflation Reduction Act through the US Forest Service. 1. Part of this will be used for removal and replacement of ash and other diseased trees on private property. It’s an income- based program. 2. Also doing work force development, education, and outreach. v. Healthy Tree Canopy Grant – About $10,000 1. Annual grant available for cities, schools, nonprofits, and affordable housing properties. 6. Golden Valley Update: i. Tree canopy coverage was around 41% pre-Emerald Ash Borer. Over 40% is considered the City’s benchmark goal in its Resilience and Sustainability Plan. ii. Now canopy coverage is closer to 36% due to EAB, climate related drought, storms, and other factors. 2024 aerial imagery was used to look at more than 750 points throughout the city in an I-Tree Canopy Assessment. 1. Tree and Shrub – 35.7% 2. Grass/Herbaceous – 26.75% 3. Impervious Buildings – 10.28% 4. Impervious Roads – 10.80% 5. Impervious Other – 9.75% 6. Soil/Bare Ground – 2.77% 7. Water – 3.95% City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 4 iii. Still a lot of standing dead Ash that need to be removed. iv. Public Tree Inventory: 1. Now about 9,600 trees inventoried in City parks and trails, campuses, golf course and boulevard trees. a. Did not include nature areas and open spaces, forested stands, private trees, or Theo Wirth Park. b. Ash is currently at 9.63% - It was 24% ash in 2012. c. ‘Other’ category is 42.59% - much more diverse than the first year of inventory in 2010. d. Trying not to exceed 20% of any one species. Maple/Boxelder is currently at 19.38%. The City does not plant Maple trees at all. v. Current Projects: 1. City crews working on Ash removals in parks during the winter. City contractor working on boulevard removals. 2. Other tree removals of hazard/risk trees, storm damaged trees, and trees with Dutch elm disease and oak wilt. 3. Park Tree Planting – Planted 20 large ball and burlap trees – 6 different species (mostly native) in 6 different parks. Also planting bareroot trees purchased from Hennepin County throughout parks. vi. City will apply for the MN ReLeaf Grant from the MnDNR to assist with: 1. Private tree removal/replacement. a. Requires a 2:1 replacement to removal. Also requires a 3-year maintenance agreement. City chooses the species. 2. Removal/replacement of ash trees in Pennsylvania Woods. 3. Planting floodplain species at Briarwood Nature Area. 4. Funds must be used within the state’s environmental justice areas. We will petition to use our own Environmental Justice Area Map. Our map would expand eligibility to more residents. vii. City will apply for the Hennepin County Healthy Tree Canopy Grant. viii. The City has a new AmeriCorps member through Climate Impact Corps, hopefully starting January 2025, to work on updating the existing tree inventory and assist in grant activities. ix. Doing an Earth Day planting along Betty Crocker Dr near General Mills Nature Preserve with General Mills. x. Partnering with a local school for an Arbor Day presentation/tree planting. Also plan to work with local schools on tree planting and tree management. xi. Bolster the volunteer program with a Tree Steward Program, buckthorn management, and mulch madness. City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 5 xii. Possibly do more workshop, learning series, and promotional videos/pamphlets/signage. xiii. The City treats about 10 ash trees in the parks. xiv. Ash removals in unmaintained areas is low priority. xv. Oak wilt management in the parks – City not involved in much. Seeing Oak wilt in South/North Tyrol. xvi. Spike in Dutch Elm disease due to drought and stressed trees, but not a lot. Have found about 7 trees since July. xvii. Golden Valley has not encouraged planting boulevard trees within neighborhoods in the past. However, staff will be revisiting this soon. xviii. City does use the Hennepin County Sentencing to Service program. B. 2025 Commission Meeting Dates MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Drawz to approve the 2025 Environmental Commission Meeting Dates as follows and the motion carried. • January 27, 2025 • February 24, 2025 • March 24, 2025 • April 28, 2025 • May 19, 2025 (moved from May 26) • June 23, 2025 • July 28, 2025 • August 25, 2025 • September 15, 2025 (moved from Sept 22; possible field tour) • October 27, 2025 • November 24, 2025 • December - CANCEL C. Environmental Justice Priority Areas Map i. There may be new data, map layers, and mapping tools to look at. ii. We actively use this map for guiding our planning, programming, and investments in areas that are deficient in green infrastructure or historically excluded/underrepresented. iii. Diana will try to use it for some of the state grant eligibility. iv. We use it for discount tree pricing for the spring tree sale and other environmental planning efforts. v. Are we missing any layers that should be included on the map? vi. Any changes that should be made? 1. Possibly a note about Golden Valley being on Dakota homeland (not the entire land acknowledgment statement)? City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 6 2. Tree canopy layer is getting outdated. Could we replace it with what we get out of I-Tree or is UMN updating its layer soon? vii. Ask the DEIC to form a joint sub-committee to look at this again? Or possibly review every five years or as new data and layers become available? 1. Chair Yahle can reach out to the DEIC Chair to see if they have any ideas to update it soon. D. Council Updates i. Council member Ginis encouraged the EC members to look at the Met Council’s Imagine 2050 From Land Acknowledgment to Action and the recommendations that have come out of the American Indian Advisory Council. The Met Council reached out to all the Tribal Nations to ask for help preparing a land acknowledgement statement. The feedback they received is the land acknowledgement doesn’t result in much and they are trying to push cities, counties, and the Met Council to identify specific actions such as the preservation of Native art and language. The Met Council has committed to a whole list of tangible actions. ii. City Council would be happy to receive a creek co-naming recommendation. 1. At a work session when Tim Cruikshank was still here, the council directed staff to begin co-naming the creek on City resources. Tim left and it never formally/officially went to Council. iii. There is a lot of interest related to Buckthorn. A lot of residents reach out to see if they can volunteer to remove it. iv. Also, a lot of talk about neighbors taking down trees and not replacing them and asking how they can be encouraged to replace them. v. Council received an update on how to make our downtown feel like a downtown at the last work session, including a recommendation to think of Golden Valley Road as our main street versus Highway 55. E. Other Business i. Annual Work Plan. There was discussion about the timing of the next work plan. Commissioners brought up the following points: 1. The bylaws lay out the Commission’s purpose, its mission, and its duties – “The Environmental Commission shall be an advisory commission to the City Council on matters relating to the environment and human health.” 2. In 18 months, we’ve gone to the council with one recommendation on honeybees. 3. 8 bullet points under the obligations of the Commission to advise the City Council and all of them have to do with developing and making recommendations to do this or that, or to receive direction from the Council. 4. Article 4b says the Commission will draft an annual work plan. Commissioners have been pushing staff to develop a plan since last spring and brought ideas to the table. 5. Commissioners were told we need to wait for the Council to establish their priorities. This is the reverse of the Commission’s objective, mission, and duties of City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 7 advising the City Council. Shouldn’t we be advising the City Council of what’s important since that’s our mission? 6. Commissioners felt that staff directed the Commission to stop, and that Council didn’t agree to the Commission not doing a work plan and that no one directed them not to do a work plan. 7. Council member Ginis responded to the points being raised: 1. Council members not only hear from the EC about environmental issues, they hear from residents as well. Two issues they’ve heard about most that they will be looking at are a contract for garbage hauling and removing buckthorn/planting trees. 2. It’s been a challenging year with new council members, a change in City Managers, and staff changes in other important leadership positions. The City Manager and Council were focused on the pressing key issues for the City. That didn’t leave a lot of time for Council to talk to staff about other things. What’s been experienced by the EC is a combination of the major leadership change and some prioritization of good governance and proper management of the City. 3. Council is feeling restaffed with leadership in place and can catch up on the next level of discussion. 4. Staff have continued to do an excellent job of continuing to bring important issues forward with a lot of uncertainty this past year. 5. A huge opportunity for the EC is related to the Parks planning. 8. Issues that Council member Ginis hears about and would look at in 2025 and bring to staff include: 1. Recommendation on garbage hauling. 2. How we manage our urban forests – Tree health and invasive species control. i. The City has structure around how people can volunteer to remove buckthorn. The EC could help push efforts forward to educate residents about this. 9. Staff mentioned that work plan development typically starts in January and goes to Council for feedback and approval around April. Maybe we start discussing ideas next month. 10. Council member Ginis suggested, when looking at items for the work plan, look at what the work is. 1. Is it policy? A recommendation you’re bringing to Council that does not have a monetary impact. It’s just directing how the City handles something. 2. Is it work of the Commission? Working on City needs, maps, being on committees, or moving things through with other agencies. Items that don’t necessarily need to go to Council. 3. Items that require a lot of studies, staff time, and money. Leadership is working on figuring out how to best align these recommendations with budgets. City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting November 25, 2024 – 6:30 pm 8 11. Staff stated that we need to strategically look at work plan items to see what resources are needed to accomplish them - staffing capacity, Council approval, other departments or commissions involvement, community input. 12. Commissioners mentioned the bylaws say we’re supposed to get direction from the Council, but it sounds like the City Manager and staff may decide what we’re going to do this year or how we’re going to do it. 1. Council member Ginis said that staff are experts in how things should be done, and we have a very knowledgeable City Manager and executive team. Council wants to hear from staff as well. 13. Commissioners mentioned we are having a legal discussion versus the practicality of how it works. The bylaws are a legal document and that’s where the Commissioners are saying the bylaws are written differently than what has been practiced the last couple of years. Maybe the bylaws will change with all the changes coming to the City? 1. Council member Ginis said there is time now and will be time next year for the Council to hear recommendations from the Commission. ii. Next Month’s Agenda: 1. Discuss more about how we want to move forward on the work plan. Move the idea session to December instead of January. iii. The Great Northern Festival is in January. 8. Adjournment MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Klaas to adjourn the meeting at 8:43 pm and the motion carried. ATTEST: ____ ____________________________ ____________________________________ Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant Debra Yahle, Chair Date: To: From: Subject: December 16, 2024 Environmental Commission Eric Eckman, Environmental Supervisor Annual Work Plan Development As stated in its bylaws, the Commission is required to develop an annual work plan for review and approval by City Council. Over the next few months, the Commission will brainstorm and prioritize ideas, discuss resources needed, and transform ideas into specific action items for the plan. Below is a tentative schedule for work plan development: December Brainstorm ideas January Discuss resources needed; prioritize ideas February Create specific action items and timelines March Finalize draft work plan The schedule can remain flexible as more information about Commission work plans, content, formatting, and timing becomes available. Commissioners may want to consider the timely topics mentioned by Council Member Ginis at the November meeting: organized solid waste; buckthorn management, planting more trees, urban forest management; co-naming policy for Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek; assisting with strategic parks planning. Commissioners may also consider the ideas suggested by Commissioner Klaas (attached). Commissioners can review the current Commission work plan and other environmental plans approved by the City and think about where the Commission could plug in to help implement plans or fill gaps/needs that the current plans do not address. Commissioners should come to the meeting with a few potential ideas they support and ways they could help lead or contribute to the work. City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission 2024 Work Plan (Some Suggestions from Paul Klaas) 1) Draft climate action plan (staff and commission time; no additional budget) a. Mostly, abbreviate and consolidate existing sub-plans into one comprehensive document (see Golden Valley City Council Resolution 21-100) b. Three pages long: specific, bullet-point goals, with progress milestones and target deadlines c. Provide community education and seek community input 2) Update outdoor lighting ordinance (staff and commission time; budget $3,000?) a. Identify and replace obsolete and redundant provisions with provisions that reflect current technology and goal of reducing light pollution and light trespass b. Retain outside outdoor lighting expert to review and improve city staff and commission initial effort c. Provide community education and seek community input 3) Invigorate organic recycling (staff time; significant additional budget -- $15,000?) a. Purchase and make 100,000 2-gallon compostable bags available free to residents [https://www.goodstartpackaging.com/biobag-2-gallon-compost-bin-liners- 02G1517/] b. Advertise the purchase enthusiastically; expect grumbling c. Distribute rolls of 25 bags (one per person!) at all City of Golden Valley functions d. Provide community education and seek community input 4) Get Brookview Golf Course environmentally-certified ($1,500 budget) a. Coordinate with golf course staff, Open Spaces and Recreation Committee, and City Council with the goal of having Brookview certified as an environmentally- responsible golf course by Audubon International [ https://auduboninternational.org/acsp-for-golf/ ] b. Note: Twenty-one golf courses in Minnesota, including Theodore Wirth, are certified. Brookview is not certified. 5) Add “Ȟaȟa Wakpadaŋ” to all nameplates Golden Valley controls that say “Bassett Creek” (minimal staff time; minimal budget) a. For example, the “Bassett Creek Room” at Brookview b. Provide community education. Expect grumbling.