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| | | | Zoom link, this meeting only:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7807475204?pwd=bHo3d2ROdDJRT2VrRUNaS2xsdDhyUT09
Meeting ID: 780 747 5204
Passcode: 030609
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,7807475204# US (Chicago)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdM9DIUtY2
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| | | | Working Group Members (16)
Linda Frank, Chair
George Martin, Janet Meissner Pritchard, Bruce Wiggins, David Weingrod, Dynasty Ceasar, Kelly Moore Brands, Monica Wauk Smith, Sam Leichtling, Scott Baran, Kimberly Kujoth, Tracy Staedter, Benjamin McKay, Katherine Riebe, Enrique Figueroa, Damien DeBuhr
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| | 1. | | Call to order and roll call
Minutes note: Working Group Members (16)
Present:
Linda Frank, Chair
Janet Meissner Pritchard, Bruce Wiggins, Kelly Moore Brands, Scott Baran, Kimberly Kujoth, Tracy Staedter, Benjamin McKay, Katherine Riebe
Absent:
Excused: Damien DeBuhr, Dynasty Ceasar, Sam Leichtling, David Weingrod
Others: George Martin, Monica Wauk Smith, Enrique Figueroa
Guest: Jennifer Evans
Visitor: Lily Carlson, student
Call to order and roll call, 11:07 A.M.
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| | 2. | | Approve minutes of 3/29/21 meeting
Minutes note: on motion by Bruce, seconded by Katherine, and with no objections, the minutes were approved. | | | |
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| | 3. | | Presentation by Jennifer Evans, Education/Outreach Working Group Co-Chair
a. Member engagement with video platform
b. Outreach efforts by members of all Working Groups
Minutes note: a. Member engagement with video platform
b. Outreach efforts by members of all Working Groups
i. Use invitation letter template to be provided by Evans
ii. Fill out a Google Form with organizations you contacted
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| | 4. | | Updates
a. Reminder of Google Drive document repository: Linda Frank
i. link to the folder -https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aHuU64sJETOY75e3Gmr-FQTPpPJzgBbp?usp=sharing
Minutes note: a. Reminder of Google Drive document repository: Linda Frank
i. link to the folder -https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aHuU64sJETOY75e3Gmr-FQTPpPJzgBbp?usp=sharing
ii. Wiggins made a request to post the agenda immediately; minutes will also be posted promptly upon approval
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| | 5. | | General Discussion
a. General comments on topic ideas
b. General comments on work moving forward in teams
Minutes note: a. General comments on topic ideas - none
b. General comments on work moving forward in teams
i. Need for a procedure on budget requests was identified
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| | 6. | | Breakout Room Team Discussions – teams to complete an updated version of the Working Group Template, Brainstorming Section
a. Team meetings
i. Biodiversity and Soil Health
ii. Tree Canopy
iii. Urban Ag / Community-Led Green Space
b. Report back on Breakout Room discussions
Minutes note: a. Team meetings
i. Biodiversity and Soil Health met together with Tree Canopy Team
Biodiversity and Tree Canopy Breakout Groups Notes by Kelly Moore Brands
Team Members Present: Linda, Kelly, Janet, Scott, Kimberly, Tracy and Katherine
Policy brainstorming – understand first what policy tools are viable at the local level (legally and politically); incentivize land use practices like tree planting and native plantings. A first concept that biodiversity and soil carbon was looking at was the importance of preserving legacy lands that exist, which have great biodiversity, wildlife habitat and high levels of soil organic carbon.
Moratorium on development is a short-term measure and there is a concern that prior to a new plan being adopted, there is going to be a rush of development that might be prohibited in the future plan.
Preservation
• It would be premature to consider anything around a moratorium, since we have to be looking first at some type of comprehensive land use plan. Katherine clarifying it would not be a moratorium on development, rather a moratorium on clearing virgin or old growth forest. Maybe a ban on disturbance of environmentally sensitive lands.
• Milwaukee River overlay plan (protection zone, look at DCD) might be applied to serve as a model that could be adapted to a broader scope; the goal of that is to protect tree stands along the river basin, could be extended across the MN and KK riversheds. River Revitalization Foundation (Kimberly, ED, Linda will follow up) would have a lot of expertise on how that evolved and how it’s applied. Kimberly Kujoth will follow up with DCD.
• SEWRPC plan is comprehensive and identifies natural areas and their assigned categories. Includes a list of recommendations for acquisition for protection. Linda has asked Ben McKay to see if there are updates to the plan (2020) and look into soil organic carbon for the most beneficial for carbon sequestration and layering it onto the plan. Linda will be sharing and posting.
• Acquisition – there may be recommendations for acquiring land throughout this process; but Milwaukee River Overlay regulates existing landowners as to what they can and cannot do on their land, rather than acquiring land, which can be expensive and have other equity issues.
Restoration
• Example from Baltimore County about how 80% of trees planted had to be canopy trees, and that 50% of them had to be oak (native)
• In Milwaukee, we don’t have a requirement for private property. For City street trees, there is a biodiversity guideline. Limit on how many of the same species tree you can plant within a block. But these are guidelines, not laws or rules. Can Kimberly share that guideline with the group?
o In addition to biodiversity guidelines, does the City have native tree guidelines? No, there is not a policy related to that. Where we can, we plant native, but because of where the trees are planted, they need to be very hardy, withstand salt, vehicle exhaust, etc. Focus is more on planting species that have proven to do well in the urban environment, which is different.
o Do you see any opening for prioritizing native trees, despite these barriers? (answer from Kimberly K.) Maybe as a goal, but I don’t see it being successful in having a very prescriptive type of requirement. What we want to plant is something that’s going to survive. From Scott – we focus on being site specific to each one of our trees, we plant a lot of oaks, Kentucky coffee tree, honey locust, but those aren’t always the best for a specific site. To say that we’re just planting native species is unrealistic.
o From Katherine – from Baltimore example, the oaks can host over 500 species, but the ones that they had been using host just 3.
o KKRT example – can we promote the diversity of native species that we have planted there? There is typically an interest in native species focus for restoration efforts. There is a general goal that biodiversity is important and natives play a large role in that. Prescribing percentages, maybe? Providing resources for what can be or has been successful might be more relevant, what has been used in other projects. (Ask UEC?)
Kimberly will be coordinator of tree canopy team.
Katherine will be coordinator of biodiversity team.
Need to explore creative and out of the box ideas because climate change is urgent. Thinking about the future – what the planet is going to look like, planting trees that are from more southern climes.
One thing to think about is reduced salt use policies, which might change the capacity to have more native trees that aren’t quite as salt tolerant.
Would like to try to research policies, fees on developers, tax incentives to private landowners, create a fund that assists in maintenance (particularly to low-income landowners); Janet would like to do some legal and comparative research after a few weeks from now. Kimberly also wanted to talk about this, the idea around growth management principles that other cities have. Certain cities/states have guidelines for managing urban growth and incentivizing redevelopment of existing infrastructure, as opposed to building new things. Kimberly can do some research on this.
Idea of conservation easements falls under preservation? Yes. Conservation easements can be granted for protection of important natural lands. Corporate, municipal and private lands can all utilize the tool. Corporation donates land or a conservation easement so that the land will be conserved and not developed. Some developers will create plans for a nature preserve within a condo development, for example, and then they will deed that portion of that parcel to a land trust for permanent protection.
Are there other incentives we can give that would actually lead to some de-paving? Lots of large parking lots, could there be incentives for commercial and industrial sites to take some pavement out and restore some of that land.
ii. Urban Ag / Community-Led Green Space
Urban Ag / Green Space Notes by Ben McKay
Team Members Present: Bruce and Ben
Topics discussed were policy and project ideas, existing initiatives, barriers, consulting needs, relevant state climate task force recommendations and impacts of identified strategies on racial disparities and economic opportunities, all as more fully documented in today’s updated version of the Working Group Template for this team, posted on the Task Force Google Drive.
b. Report back on Breakout Room discussions
i. Urban Ag by Bruce; reduce food miles; reduce food waste; identify a farmer for Cream City farms; survey of supermarkets as potential budget item
ii. Tree/Biodiversity by Kelly – discussion of policies or guidelines included land preservation; selection of street trees guidelines; incentivizing for private lands; depaving
c. Team facilitators appointed
i. Biodiversity/Soil Organic Carbon – Katherine
ii. Tree Canopy – Kimberly
iii. Urban Ag/Community-Led Green Space – no facilitator needed
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| | 7. | | Action Items and Next Steps
a. Items for next agenda
b. Next regular meeting, 4/26/21 at 11:00 AM
Minutes note: a. Items for next agenda –
i. Bruce stated that he will invite Damien DeBuhr to join the Urban Ag Team discussion at next meeting
b. Next regular meeting, 4/26/21 at 11:00 AM
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| | 8. | | Adjournment
Minutes note: on motion by Bruce, seconded by Ben and approved, 12:53
Minutes provided by Linda Frank. | | | |
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