Environmental Commission - Regular Meeting

Welcome to the Township of Sparta Environmental Commission meeting of Thursday, September 11th, 2025. The meeting is called to order at 7:04. We are live in the council chambers at the municipal building and also live streaming at uh www.youtube.com at spartatwpstreams. Adequate notice of this meeting was provided to the public and the press on January 10th, 2025 by delivering to the press and posting on the township website a copy of the notice. Um, please join me in saluting the flag. After saluting the flag, we're gonna have a moment a moment of silence for um 911.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. I have no idea if that was 30 seconds or not. It was a moment. Um,

thank you. All right. Uh, Emily, can you have roll call, please? Deputy Mayor Margie Murphy, here. Chair Kimberly Null, here. Vice Chair Neil Sourine here. Christine Dunbar, Ted Gaul, Christine Rogers here, Barbara Kazulka here, Landon Tenieri, Robert Otto here.

Thank you. All right. Um, first order is approval of the minutes on uh page three under the Straoud Research Center. third line in it should be baseline salt snapshot instead of sale and then also on the bottom of that page. So we were discussing these dates at the last meeting of when we would be doing it but we've since changed the dates. So, I don't know if we leave it. Do we just leave it as is for the meeting? Yeah. Minutes and then we'll just correct it

going forward. When we get to that topic. Yep. I agree. Any other changes to the minutes? Do I have a motion to approve the minutes with that change on the third page? Third line line down. Changing sail to fall to salt. Salt. Salt. Sorry. See, I can't even hear. I got it.

I'll make a motion without minor correction. Thanks, Rob. Do I have a second? I'll second. Thank you. All in favor? I I.

Thanks. All right. This is going to be very fast meeting tonight, I think. All right. We have no applications to review and no correspondents. Can open it up to the public. We have no public here. So, moving on to reports. All right. Um, who would like to go first? I don't have much to say. Um the master plan subcommittee uh we were supposed to have a meeting last last Thursday but it was postponed till next Monday. The um um information gathering is still underway with different focus groups. We've had our own here but there's still more ongoing. Thank you, Rob Planning Board.

Um just trying to think of anything of note uh to share. Um we had another uh little bit of change. Um, and we're going forward and I I think for the design standards um I I just finally watched the town council um and I think some observations were made about planning board and I would kind of point to those observations that um we're looking at implementing changes to design standards and from the planning board the suggestion was made um to so maybe this was missed the nuance was missed that in our recent planning board meeting um that we would bring that push for design standards under the umbrella of the master plan. Um and so with that I would hope to kind of incorporate some of the stuff that we've been talking about with environmental just kind of looking at um lighting best practices dark sky initiative type things and um probably pvious impervious questions stuff like that. So, um, yeah, I haven't I I I believe I was put on the master plan subcommittee, but there is some subsequent changes. Um, and I have yet to receive a email confirmation, but um, so anyway,

and town council update,

town council, I um, we voted on the resolution for the New Jersey Climate Super Fund Act, and I would like to take some more time to to rethink that into investigate more and see and talk with the township attorney and get some clarification on some things and possibly vote again. Okay. Okay. Um other committees that we have the Rev 250. If anybody has any desire to join Rev 250 and be part of the historical committee's work and our work and every month they're planning an event. So, I will let you know as soon as they get into schedule. It's they're really working hard and they first thing they have is the tavern talk on January 11th.

Oh,

at Crows and we will have some trivia, American History Revolution trivia nights. Uh not sure where they'd be held yet. depends on where we can have them and how many people um possibly at the country club um possibly at the school. Also, the new the um Sparta school system has been recognized as part of the revolution history. this um from this state. Of course, I left that home. Um a revolutionary, we've gotten notification and approval and recognition. So, they're going to be having classes uh conducted by some of the teachers and by some other people coming in on the American Revolution. So, uh, not everybody is in in that in the state, but Barta is. So, it was pretty we're being recognized as being part of it. We applied and we they got it, which was pretty neat. So, they'll be learning more American history. Um there's also a Martha Washington um a woman that that portrays Martha Washington and tells her tells her story and that I believe it's going to be held at the uh historical society and I'm not sure the dates yet. So but there will be a calendar of events.

Nice. Yeah, it's good. Good. And uh that's about it for relation environmental committee. Okay. I think Neil, you um the only thing other thing I think happened was you reported our annual report. Yes. Okay. Thank you very much. And thank you for that. And I just want to commend everybody here on this board for everything you do is above and beyond. It's just incredible. The amount of work everybody does and the different projects. I'm I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work you all do. So, thank you for that. Thank you.

Our pleasure. All right. Um, unfinished business. So, um, we already, you just mentioned the New Jersey Climate Super Fund Act that was presented to the town council on Tuesday. So, uh, we don't need to cover that one again. There are three additional ones that we're still um, talking through which um, we need to still get on the agenda for the town council when you're ready. Okay. Um, the package for that process. Yep.

Okay. Um, and that's why they remain on this unfinished business list. Um, deer management, I'm sorry, anything else on that? Those items. Okay. Dear management, um, we still need to provide them with a preliminary report about where we think the most problem areas are. Um, I'm trying to get my hands. Emily, maybe you can help because I didn't find it on the website. Um, and I'm probably just not looking in the right place. Chief McCarrick had presented uh about all the accidents and the most places in Sparta where the accidents happen. Most interested in the deer strikes and where the deer strikes are happening.

Okay. Um, and I know that when I listened to the meeting, he was he talked about it, so it's in there. I just couldn't find it. Okay, I'll look for it because that'll be one of the key points that we're going to include in there. Um because where that's happening is obviously where there's a lot of deer activity. What about cross referencing space farms? I don't know if they keep a log of when they collect roadkill. That's a good idea. Probably do between those two resources. You could just do a cluster map. Well, probably a DPW. Okay. Yeah. So maybe Jim. Okay. I'll contact Joe too about that

because I actually a deer died in my neighbor's lawn and I called down here and they referred me to Space Farms for the deer tripod. We named them. A um any other suggestions about how we could get data more data on that other I mean I was thinking about a survey but I don't think I don't know that we really need that. We pretty much know it's Lake Mohawk but the only question I have is if there's other places other places. Yeah.

Yeah. Because I know by me we do not have Yes. We see deer, but they are nowhere near the problem that we see. They'll create a survey like like a Google form. They have a survey and we can put it on the town website and anybody who's not in Lake Mohawk can do the survey. Maybe see problem areas. Okay. Or anyone in Sparta that How many times a week or a day do you see deer? Do you I mean I don't live here, but I was on um Sussex Mills. There was a little albino. Really? Yeah. They were just right there.

There's some on each shore, too. I've yet to see them. Alino one. There used to be a deer that was around for a couple of years, but I don't see that. Okay. They're they're white, but they have brown spots almost like a brown spots. Wow. Um, okay. So, for next time, I'll come up with some or come up with some survey questions. Maybe there's some best practices out there, too, that we can just I just Google everything now. So,

what about what about Sparta Mountain? anything like wildlife management or because when we had the talk, we had the ecologists and they were talking about the brows uh of the native vegetation in um the clearcut areas. And so that seems kind of like an area that we could focus on, but I guess we would get that from I'm blanking on the name that that trail that uh goes up the side of the mountain. Uh anyway, the the township has some access up near Sparta Mountain. So if we did a survey like Emily suggested, I think that'd be good.

Yeah, we could weigh in from there, too. Okay. Thank you for those suggestions. Um, the ANJ conference, just again the reminder, Anjac conference is October 10th and the Rivers conference is October 17th. I think the 10th is a Friday and the 17th is a Saturday. Yeah. If anyone's interested, is anyone going to Is anyone interested in going and representing you? You representing us. Sorry, Neil. You usually do go. I I do, but I can't this year because I have a I have concert tickets. the nerve. I didn't got them a while ago. Are you going already, Christine? Not to that. No, I'm going to the Rivers Conference.

You're going to be at the river so you can It's a Norwegian death metal band. I just Oh, nice. All right. So, in Norway. Is anybody interested in going who can represent us? It is a Friday, so if you're a working person, that's always the problem for me, taking time off. Possibly. Let me check. Okay. Just let me know, Margie. I will if nobody else. Yep. Um

and um there is a fee. I think it's 75 or 65 something like that. Yeah. I remember and the township our budget we have about like 200 left. Yeah. And that's one of the things that we usually cover with little bit is left. Yep. Okay. Um All right. I can make the Rivers conference though. Awesome. Okay. Rivers. So, we'll have two folks there. That's great. All right. Um any new business? Maybe we should just mention about that baseline salt study. That's what I was

gonna other than that. No. Okay. So, um, yes, the B the baseline salt snapshot day got moved to Sunday, October 12th. It's going to be from 10 to 2. We also changed the location to the Sparta Public Library. So, the library is open on Sundays. It's either noon or 1. I can't remember right now. So, there's a slight overlap in the time. Um, but that then um allows for the bathrooms to be available in the park there and also in the building. Um, and I did check with Dave Smith from the library and he said that's fine.

So, it'll be set up, you know, that there's that bench out front. Um, if you're facing the library, it's off to the left table. Yeah, there's a little table. I think it's a bench or a table. Um, that's where we'll set it up and uh we'll bring a tent. Um, and Christine Dunar is on board with all that. Uh, and I have the flyer. I only printed one though if you so I can pass it and folks can take a look at town website. Oh, it is on it. Okay. Thank you so much.

Um, yeah. So, let everybody know and let's try to get as many participants as possible. I'm going to run to all my usual salt sites uh that day. Uh Christine Dunar and I had talked about establishing a rain date for that as well. If Oh, it's not on the flyer, so I don't know if we I can update it because they sent it to me now in a um Okay. non PDF. I don't know what it is. Um so she wanted to do the rain date as Tuesday, October 14th. Okay. But hopefully we could just do the weekend so we have more people there.

Yeah. Okay, I can put that on there and then I'll resend it to you, Emily. Okay, I'll update the website, too. And Christine, you're so good at describing the purpose.

Um, so, well, we were collecting salt all samples all winter to track what the effect of the road salt in the winter time was. But the purpose of this study is to see the baseline conditions. So think about how it's been nearly a year, right, by that point before we've since we've had snow. So the idea is in base flow conditions, so just in regular um river flow conditions without the impact of precipitation and runoff and road salt application, what do those conditions look like in the river? Like how much salt is in our waterways when road salt isn't being actively applied?

Nice. And so is it it's all and all this information is on the website now. Do you want of lakes as well or just rivers?

So I think what we're going to do is we're going to have a whole list so people can just come and then we're going to have the supplies. Christine Dumbar was um getting all the supplies from Straoud Water Research Center. So then yeah so volunteers can come um and then I think there's a registration page. Yes. scan. Okay, so there's a QR code on the flyer. You scan the code to sign up and then you can either indicate if you have a set site that you want to monitor or else one can be assigned for you. Great. And that includes test strips. Yes, they're going to be provided.

All right. I had one other thing. Um, since I did just watch the uh council recording, uh, Margie, do you recall the beautifification committee suggestion that came up during town council? I think it was the mayor that brought it up. Yes. So, so that was if you guys remember when uh we had someone from Lake Mohawk speak to the deer problem and she had landscape um uh landscape designer background. Um and she works with the master gardener and if you guys have been through White Dirt Plaza, she and um Peggy Latty.

Yeah. Well, Barbara Aida and Pega Peggy Latty. I wasn't going to say the names, but um but no, it's fine. Uh so so they've been kind of instrumental in um setting up plantings in White Deer Plaza as well as in the boardwalk um and kind of setting things above graze height so deer don't get them. Um and I think like it has the downtown hasn't looked this good in quite some time. So, I believe the mayor had spoken to that and kind of said like had maybe had some initial conversations with them or maybe just was thinking about this that you know, hey, we should do this throughout the township. And that that idea got me thinking, well, if we're to do it throughout the township, then environment environmental may want to weigh in on that and say, you know, how about some native plants? we can showcase kind of what we've been talking about with applications that come forward where we say plant this not that and I think even non-natives oftentimes will provide useful habitat for insects and pollinators um which are obviously insects but uh so I think we should kind of if if that happens if that's something that carries forward we should try to you know be involved with that so I'll leave it to margin energ to kind of stay involved, keep us surprised and see if there's an opportunity like you can, you know, offer us up I think, right? And then just say we'd like to maybe have some say in that. Okay. Thanks.

Yeah. Yes. I um I've never I can't remember when I've seen it this beautiful to be honest. It's And I have the pleasure of helping them do the boardwalk. I didn't do the middle of the town and I had no idea they were going to be that magnificent. It was just I mean they were little tiny when I when we all did them and there was a handful of people. There's maybe 10 of us, 12 of us that did it and I'm sure she, you know, that they could use help because I know they do other gardens around town, but it would be would be lovely. Yeah. Nice. All right. Good suggestions. All right. Any other new business? Oh, um, we are considering cancelling the October 9th meeting because At this time, we don't have any applications or correspondents. Um, and we have some folks who are going to be away. Um, we'll have to monitor and see if there are any applications. We do have another meeting in between now and then, and if we um end up having to meet for some reason, we can certainly do that. But, uh, thoughts on potentially cancelling October 9th at this time seem like Okay. All right. All right, we'll monitor applications and correspondence and see. Um, it is the meeting right before the October 12th snapshot, salt snapshot, but I think we're I think we're planned. I don't think we'll need that meeting in order to do that. So, um, anything else? All right.

I'll make a motion to adjurnn. Thanks. Do I have a second? Second. Thanks, Neil. All in favor? I I think you should have dropped your voice another octave. Is it dropping? I don't know. I have to make a