Environmental Commission

Madison Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes June 15, 2016 Present: Stephan Stocker, Trina Mallik, Mary Lewis, Judy Honohan, Mary Ellen Kapalo and a local Boy Scout. This meeting of the Madison Environmental Commission (MEC) complies with the Open Public Meetings Act (P.L. 1975 c. 231) There were no minutes from prior meetings to approve. Judy Honohan and Mary Lewis, took the oath of office in order to become MEC members. Stephan Stocker notified meeting attendees that the MEC received a communication from the Warren County Soil Conservation District. The district informed us that it has received a grant which will enable the district to assist farmers with Animal Waste Management Plans. A self certified Animal Waste Management Plan is required of farms with 8 – 299 animal units. Farmers may contact the Warren County Soil Conservation District for more information and assistance. Stephan Stocker notified meeting attendees that the MEC received a communication from Rebecca Little of the NJ League of Conservation Voters (NJLCV). The NJLCV is asking municipalities and their leaders to pass a resolution stating that the municipality is committed to combating climate change from the municipal level. This action is to show that municipalities are willing to address climate change from the bottom up, in order to help alleviate the grid lock that occurs at the State and Federal level. Stephan Stocker proposed a MEC project. Stephan created a brochure to educate residents of Madison of what the MEC does. The brochures are for a new outreach project in order to communicate to Madison residents about the MEC and what we do. The brochures will be distributed at the Downtown Development Commission table at the Madison Farmer’s Market. There was a motion to approve the project. The motion was seconded. All were in favor of approving the brochure distribution at the Farmer’s Market. Mary Ellen proposed two MEC projects. One project involved the planting of annuals and perennials at St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center’s Madison campus. Several varieties were chosen for their ease of care, ability to attract pollinating insects and for being non toxic to dogs and felines. The gardens were planted on June 10 with volunteers from Deloitte as part of their national volunteer day program. Deloitte also donated funds for the project. There was a motion to approve the project, and the motion was seconded. All were in favor of approving the garden project. Mary Ellen proposed another project to create social media accounts for the MEC in order to promote the MEC and awareness of environmental issues more widely. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were discussed as social media platforms. There was a motion to approve the project, a motion to second and all were in favor of approving the project. We also discuss plans for Bottle Hill Day. Judy suggested that we promote for residents to plant native trees and plants on their properties. We will create materials to educate the public about native trees/plants. It was also discussed that we educate the public on the benefits of renewable energy. We agreed it would be beneficial to focus on 2-3 environmental issues each year. Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM