3-8-23 EC Agenda and Packet
AGENDA
CHANHASSEN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023
FOUNTAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, 7700 MARKET BOULEVARD
6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approval of February 8, 2023 Environmental Commission Minutes.
VISITOR PRESENTATIONS
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Water Treatment Facility Tour update
Arbor Day Planning Follow-Up
Earth Hour Promotion Follow-Up
COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS
ADJOURNMENT
UPCOMING ITEMS AND EVENTS
1
Environmental Commission Item
March 8, 2023
Subject Approval of February 8, 2023 Environmental Commission Minutes.
Section APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Prepared By Jenny Potter, Sr. Admin Support Specialist
Environmental Commission Minutes dated February 8, 2023
2
1
Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC)
Chanhassen City Hall, Fountain Conference Room
6:00 pm
February 8, 2023
Members Present: Kristin Fulkerson, Leslie Elhadi, Julia Adams, Scott Grefe, Greg Hawks, Kaisa
Buckholz, Markus Fischer
Members Absent: Scot Lacek
Staff Present: Matt Unmacht, Assistant City Manager
Visitors: none
Minutes: January minutes were approved.
Discuss public/youth event planning
Julia’s environmental group wanted to do a planting. It was discussed to coordinate this activity with
Arbor Day.
Arbor Day Poster contest Finalize Details
The theme is “Trees are Terrific and Help Us Breathe”. Jamie Marsh, intern for the city, has sent out the
theme to Chanhassen schools.
Arbor Day Planning
Games were played last year a checker board was made in the grass. Give aways were provided by Jill
Frisbees. Jamie Marsh may help with this event. This item will be revisited in March.
Partner with Chanhassen High School for Earth Day Event Planning
This will be combined with the Arbor Day Planning for next month. Trash pickup around area parks is a
possible post for the city’s social media on Earth Day.
Discuss possible Earth Hour Promotion
Saturday, March 25 from 8:30-9:30 pm households are requested to turn off non-essential lights. There
could some social media posts. Matt Unmacht will talk to Communication staff about posts.
Trivia Night Follow UP
Matt, owner of Chanhassen Brewing said that the night was well attended for a Tuesday. A comment to
a commissioner from someone attending was that the event was very educational. There was discussion
of possibly starting the event at 6:30 pm instead of 7 pm. Thanks to Drew Zoromski for all his help.
Dave Ryan was a big draw and did a great job hosting the event. Discussion was had about the questions
that had numbers as answers and the fact that they were difficult. It was brought up to maybe have less
3
2
of those questions next time. October and February will continue to have Environmental Trivia Nights
and the Environmental Commission will decide at a later meeting about adding a summer trivia night
event.
West Water Treatment Facility Tour
Jill was going to set up a tour of the facility as a field trip for the Environmental Commission. Matt
Unmacht will work with utilities staff set up a tour.
Commission Presentations
Greg gave watershed updates – At the last meeting they agreed to pay the 6th payment on the Pioneer
Wetland Restoration Project at Pioneer & 101. They passed a resolution to hire Barr Engineering to
design and inlet configuration for Lake Susan Park Pond.
Upcoming Items and Events
Statewide meeting for Environmental Commissions put on by Conservation Minnesota and will take
place in May 2023.
Scott Grefe will not be attending the March meeting.
Julia has an environmental club meeting next week and will discuss with them about possibly partnering
with the Chanhassen Environmental Commission for Arbor Day.
Meeting adjourned at 6:27 pm
Minutes prepared by Jenny Potter
4
Environmental Commission Item
March 8, 2023
Subject Arbor Day Planning Follow-Up
Section DISCUSSION ITEMS
Prepared By Matt Unmacht, Assistant City Manager
AD planting species FINAL.docx
Cartegraph - AD Final Spots
Activity ideas during event
5
New spots for trees after finding out where gas pipeline leads…..
1. Amur chokecherry
2. Amur chokecherry
3. Crabapple-Prairifire
4. Northern catalpa
5. Northern catalpa
6. Honeylocust
7. Honeylocust
8. Hybrid elm- Prairie Expedition
9. Crabapple- Spring snow
10. Crabapple- Purple prince
11. Crabapple- Spring snow
12. Ginkgo
13. Ginkgo
14. Ginkgo
15. Ohio buckeye
16. Kentucky Coffeetree- Prairie Titan
17. Kentucky Coffeetree- Prairie Titan
18. Ohio buckeye
19. Serviceberry- Autumn brilliance
20. Serviceberry- Autumn brilliance
Serviceberry- 2 (19&20)- Amelanchier; Family- Rosaceae
Catalpa- 2 (4&5) Catalpa speciosa; Family- Bignoniaceae
Honeylocust- 2 (6&7) Gleditsia triacanthos; Family- Fabaceae
4 crabapple (2 spring snow, points 9&11; 1 purple prince point 10; 1 prairifire point 3) Family- Rosaceae
Ginkgo- 3 (12,13&14) Ginkgo biloba; Family- Ginkgoaceae
Kentucky coffee tree- 3 (16&17) Gymnocladus dioicus; Family- Fabaceae
Ohio buckeye- 2 (15&18) Aesculus glabra; Family- Sapindaceae
Amur chokecherry- 2 (1&2) Prunus maackii; Family-Rosaceae
6
7
Arbor Day 2023 Bandimere Park- Activities
Tree ID riddles: come up with new riddles?
Milkweed seed bombs- do ahead of time and give them out at event or have people do their
own at event?
Tree stump frisbee
Giant tic tac toe
Nature art?- could collect leaves, pebbles etc. before hand and have a table to do nature art
with examples (more examples)
Evergreen ID interactive game: 4-5 trees with numbers, have kids draw pictures, take notes of
their observations and come back and see if they can correctly identify the tree
Need to get:
Wax paper
Milkweed seeds
Soil/compost
8
Environmental Commission Item
March 8, 2023
Subject Earth Hour Promotion Follow-Up
Section DISCUSSION ITEMS
Prepared By Matt Unmacht, Assistant City Manager
Earth Hour 2022 Graphic
The Chanhassen Environmental Commission invites you to turn your lights out for International Earth
Hour
Earth Hour 2023 Post
9
10
“The Chanhassen Environmental Commission invites you to turn your lights out for International Earth
Hour & raise awareness by turning off non-essential lights tonight, for one hour between 8:30-9:30 p.m.
To learn more, visit www.earthhour.org”
I think this will be the most effective posting the day of (we would post Saturday morning) and we’d
share it on the Government Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram
11
12