Environmental Advisory Board Meeting

Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board Town Hall, November 28th, 2023 5:30 p.m. Attendees: Bianca Angarola, Frank Lani, Tom Davenport , Vicky Albritton. TC member Karl Krizmanic also attended. 1. Review and approve agenda – any additions? Added: Discussion of the invasive Chinese Silver Grass recently planted on town property by the Beautification Committee. Bianca said the BC had a budget that they had to stick to and that they are not currently required to seek approval for specific plants. Frank noted that Chinese Silver Grass is a perennial and if it's allowed to take hold now, it will soon spread all over town. Karl emphasized that we need to focus on educating all members of our town about invasive species. Karl was asked to help set up a better review process for such plantings, perhaps one that might involve the EAB. Karl will ask the TC how to set up better guard rails. If money is spent on a Town project, the project should be fully reviewed. 2. Review and Accept Minutes from Previous Meeting Tom motioned, Frank seconded 3. Long Lake Marsh - Nothing new. 4. Save the Dunes Pollution Prevention Roundtable update No meeting in November. 5. Monitoring Nearby Industries https://www.in.gov/idem/resources/lake-michigan-sites-of- interest/ a. Cleveland Cliffs - Nothing to report. b. U.S. Steel Midwest - Nothing to report. c. PreCoat Metals - Nothing to report 6. National Invasive Species Awareness Week a. February 2024 - The EAB began making plans for 2024. Karl and Frank will obtain a banner to hang across the town entrance next February. We will also announce NISAW over email and on Facebook (Meta) pages. Flyers could also be pinned to the mailbox kiosks. Karl mentioned that the Historical Society is looking for speakers and events. Why not have Jan Hunter and/or Laura Brennan give a talk on the ecological history of Ogden Dunes? A presentation could also be given at the Town Council meeting. Frank will look into workbooks for children on invasive species, or at least plants in general. 8. Bird Town Sub-committee update Vicky has submitted the town's application. Bird Town Indiana said they would start reviewing our application after Thanksgiving. We hope to get the application accepted soon so we can process a check to the Indiana Audubon Society before the January 1st deadline (though this deadline is likely to be flexible). 9. Septic Coordination Workgroup Report Vicky reported on the latest Septic Committee meeting, which discussed an upcoming meeting designed to educate realtors on the importance of septic system inspections at the point of sale. 10. Beach water quality monitoring a. Submit 2024 grant application Bianca finished the grant application for continued monitoring. 11. Recycling - Nothing to report 12. Other - Chairperson Vacancy starting in January. The board voted unanimously that Tom Davenport will take over from Bianca for 2024, though he will need some support from others during months when he is out of the country. It was also proposed that we begin to hold hybrid in-person and online meetings to allow more people to join in. Skype is one possibility, since it does not require a paid account. 13. Next Meeting – January 9th, 2024, Town Hall at 5:30pm...and perhaps on Skype. Meeting adjourned at 6:36 pm Minutes taken and submitted by Vicky Albritton