Conservation Commission 7/21/26

Printable version

RCC Minutes 07-21-26 96 KB

Web version

Richmond Conservation Commission 
Meeting Minutes — Tuesday, July 21, 2026 
Members present: Sam Pratt, Trevor Brooks, Jeanette Malone, Kit Emery, Trevien Stanger, Susannah Zeveloff 
Timekeeper & Minutes: Sam Pratt 
1. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Minutes 
• Sam Pratt called the meeting to order, started the Zoom recording, and welcomed attendees. Roll call 
confirmed six members present, constituting a quorum; no additional members of the public were 
noted in attendance. 
• Sam offered to serve as timekeeper and minutes taker. 
• June 9 minutes: motion to approve made and seconded; approved unanimously. 
• June 23 minutes: approval postponed to the next meeting, as that session had focused on the 
management plan and needed further review. 
2. Updates 
• Farmers Market Recap: Susannah Zeveloff reported the outreach table was a success despite early rain, 
with strong community engagement via a native-species matching game and live invasive-species 
samples. Susannah noted a wish to gather more structured community input — e.g., a poster board or 
comment box — on which projects residents would like to see CRF funds support. 
• Sam noted logistics to improve for future events, including securing an easy-up tent and better image 
assets for promotional materials; Trevien Stanger and Jeanette Malone discussed inviting the Intervale 
Conservation Nursery (ICN) to the next farmers market (October) to sell native plants, potentially 
supported by a small CRF allocation for tree stock, with mutual promotional benefit for ICN and the 
RCC. Sam proposed bringing a CRF application for the plant purchase to a future meeting. 
• ACF Workday (7/25): Sam announced a workday at Andrews Community Forest this Saturday, 9–11 AM, 
targeting multi-flora rose. Trevor Brooks recommended a blade trimmer and stressed that rose needs 
consistent cutting through the season; Kit Emery and Trevor discussed pairing cutting with pulling the 
root, noting the plant's thorny growth habit. Sam will send reminders to committee members and post 
a Front Porch Forum announcement. 
3. ACF Management Plan (MP2) Feedback 
• Sam thanked attendees of the public feedback session and reported mixed community feedback that 
the committee still needs to fully parse. 
• Jeanette Malone raised concern about a perceived conservation-vs-recreation divide in community 
reaction, emphasizing that the two are largely compatible; Jeanette and others discussed building a 
story map (interactive, e.g. via Canva) to pull maps out of the plan document and help the public 
understand trail connectivity, allowed uses, and where mountain-bike trails differ from general trails — 
many southern trails are wide enough for shared/multi-use. 
• Sam noted the committee still needs to decide next steps for ACFC, as the Selectboard has not issued 
direct instructions; tracking both human-use and wildlife data going forward was flagged as important 
for assessing the plan's impact. 
• Motion 1: “I motion that the Richmond Conservation Commission circulate the letter of support for 
the MP2 written by Jeanette.” — moved by Susannah Zeveloff, seconded by Kit Emery. Approved 
unanimously. 
• Motion 2: “I move that the Richmond Conservation Commission recommend approval of the 
Andrews Community Forest Draft Management Plan (MP2), with the following suggested additions 
for ACFC’s consideration: (1) a brief climate change/resiliency paragraph in the ecology section; (2) a 
short glossary of technical terms; (3) more welcoming, accessible language carried through from the 
FAQ document, including a vision statement; and (4) a clearer explanation of buffer-width rationale. 
RCC further recommends that ACFC continue to work with the Selectboard on outstanding questions 
regarding Abenaki acknowledgment and land-use protocols.” — moved by Kit Emery, seconded by 
Trevor Brooks. Approved unanimously. 
• The letter of support will be submitted to the Selectboard and ACFC, and published via Front Porch 
Forum and the Times Ink! 
4. CRF Uses & Tools 
• Sam noted the RCC still needs to align with the Selectboard before proceeding; Selectboard feedback 
on this topic has not yet been received. 
• Jeanette Malone reported coordinating with Susanne Crohn at the Richmond Library: the library is 
supportive of a tool-lending program but is in its busy season and prefers to pick this up in the fall. 
Open questions include checkout logistics and handling damaged/broken tools; the library would like 
to lead the effort, is seeking funding, and is targeting having a tool collection (and possibly a shed) in 
place by spring 2027. Due to the busyness of the summer season, discussions with the library staff 
could start in the fall. 
• Kit Emery mentioned the library has been in touch with Josh about shed construction, and shared that 
they have purchased tool sheds from Amish builders as a possible model for the library to consider. 
• Susannah Zeveloff suggested the town could source used tools from ReSOURCE if buying new tools was 
not preferable. 
• Sam proposed the RCC develop a tool wish list and shed-design input to support the library's effort. 
• Next steps: commissioners should consider what tools would be useful for the program and send them 
to Kit, who will assemble a list. Also, shed designs could be considered as well. Wait until the library is 
ready to discuss further, and organize a small working group to coordinate with the library to write a 
CRF app to bring to RCC for consideration. 
5. Introduced Species RFP (Invasive Species Management) 
• RFP document was not reviewed due to lack of time, but there was general discussion about next 
steps. It is close to being  
• Jeanette Malone expressed concern that the current RFP draft does not communicate a strong enough 
preference for mechanical and cultural control methods ahead of herbicide use. 
• A discussion on herbicide use may be a prerequisite for discussing the RFP. 
• Susannah Zeveloff suggested using a structured format (Sam proposed Robert's Rules of Order) for the 
herbicide discussion specifically, to keep that conversation focused and avoid emotional reactions. 
• Trevor Brooks offered to draft revisions to the RFP based on committee feedback. The committee 
agreed members will send written feedback on the RFP to Trevor by 7/28 so it can be incorporated 
ahead of the next meeting. 
6. Volunteers Green Port-a-Potty (tabled) 
7. Alternatives to Fireworks (tabled) 
8. Meeting Structure & Process 
• Susannah Zeveloff raised the need for a broader conversation on the RCC's meeting structure and 
agenda management to improve efficiency; Jeanette Malone suggested that items not reached in a 
given meeting should be prioritized on the following meeting's agenda. Sam agreed to add this 
discussion to a future agenda. 
9. Adjournment 
• Motion to adjourn: moved by Kit Emery, seconded by Susannah Zeveloff. Approved by all members 
present in favor (Trevien Stanger had left approximately 5 minutes early). 
Action Items 
☐ Sam Pratt — Email committee members about the ACF workday (7/25) and post a Front Porch Forum 
announcement. Reach out to RMT about using tools. 
☐ Sam Pratt — Reach out to Josh and Duncan re: image assets for the farmers-market outreach banner. 
☐ Sam Pratt — Submit suggested ACF Management Plan edits to Selectboard and ACFC. 
☐ Jeanette Malone — Send letter of support to ACFC and Selectboard. 
☐ Kit Emery — Work with Jeanette to get the letter of support published in the Times Ink! 
☐ All members — Send RFP feedback to Trevor Brooks by 7/28. 
☐ Trevor Brooks — Collect and integrate feedback into RFP and send it to Sam ahead of the next meeting. 
Looking Ahead 
August meeting: herbicide discussion; RFP finalization; tree planting (Intervale Conservation Nursery 
collaboration, possible live planting at the farmers market, sale/give-away/suggested-donation model); 
stormwater/wetlands rules. 
September meeting: RCC process and meeting structure; Volunteers Green Port-a-Potty; alternatives to 
fireworks; tools and uses (continued).