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10-09-24 EC Agenda and PacketA.6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER A.1 Youth Commissioner Oath of Office B.APPROVAL OF MINUTES B.1 Approval of July 10, 2024 Environmental Commission Minutes C.VISITOR PRESENTATIONS D.DISCUSSION ITEMS D.1 Environmental Academy Update D.2 Environmental Trivia Updates D.3 Outreach Opportunities D.4 Commission Report E.COMMISSION PRESENTATIONS F.UPCOMING ITEMS AND EVENTS G.ADJOURNMENT AGENDA CHANHASSEN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024 FOUNTAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, 7700 MARKET BOULEVARD 1 PH 952.227.1100 • www.chanhassenmn.gov • FX 952.227.1110 7700 MARKET BOULEVARD • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN • MINNESOTA • 55317 OATH OF OFFICE I, Rylee “Wren” Roemer, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, and to discharge faithfully the duties of the Environmental Commissioner of the City of Chanhassen, Minnesota to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me, God. _____________________________________ Rylee Roemer Date: October 9, 2024 STATE OF MINNESOTA ) (SS COUNTY OF CARVER ) Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9th day of October, 2024. _____________________________ Notary Public 2 Environmental Commission Item October 9, 2024 Subject Approval of July 10, 2024 Environmental Commission Minutes Section APPROVAL OF MINUTES Prepared By Amy Weidman, Senior Admin Support Specialist July 10, 2024 Environmental Commission Minutes 3 Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC) 6:00 pm June 12, 2024 Members Present: Scott Grefe, Kaisa Buckholz, Leslie Elhadi, Billy Cripe, Sidney Lindmark, John Stutzman, Ryan Farnan Members Absent: Paget Pengelly Staff Present: Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist Visitors: None Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Minutes Commissioner Lindmark moved to approve the meeting minutes dated June 12, 2024 with clarifying amendments; Commissioner Cripe seconded. The minutes were approved with a 7-0 vote. Discussion Items 1. Business Expo Event Summary The commissioners discussed the Business Expo, where the Environmental Commission hosted a table during the 4th of July Celebration. The Commissioners agreed that the event went smoothly. The candy giveaways and the garlic mustard poster were well received. Lucy Rehm was there throughout the event and was a popular guest; she drew the raffle winner of the rain barrel. Some ideas for future events include bringing paperweights, an Environmental Commission banner or tablecloth that can be used at many events, more table space, and maybe an interactive game like a spinner wheel or Plinko. 2. Finalize Environmental Academy Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist, met with Dustin from Carver County and they finalized the dates for the additional three academy events. The six academy events will be held at 6:00 p.m. this year, a change from last year. They also worked with communications to work on some details. The first Environmental Academy will be held on August 22 to discuss the Civic Campus, including green initiatives. The September 26 event will likely be held onsite at Lake Ann; Ms. Marsh will scope out example trees soon. The plan is to discuss three different invasive species during this event. Other events will be August 29, September 12, October 10, and October 24. 4 The commissioners indicated which academy events they will attend, so at least one Environmental Commissioner will be at each event. 3. Environmental Trivia Night Planning Update Chanhassen Brewing Company has booked November 12 for Environmental Trivia Night. The questions will cover five categories with five questions each, plus a tie-breaker round. The categories will include AIS, terrestrial invasive species, climate change, Environmental Academy topics, Chan-Happenings, and the tie-breaking round will cover flooding. The commissioners will take on a topic to write trivia questions, and they will collaborate on the Academy topic questions. 4. Plan Fall Community Service Event Due to hosting six Environmental Academy events plus a fall trivia night, the Commissioners decided to wait for spring. Commissioner Stutzman made a motion, Commissioner Lindmark seconded to move the service event to spring. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Review Communications Calendar The Commissioners discussed the upcoming months’ topics. They will include lesser-known AIS, chlorides and snow removal, and general information about what the Environmental Commission does as a group. 6. Discuss 2024 Workplan The academy updates were made. The trivia was moved to November. The Commissioners might have a Harvest Moon potluck during the October meeting. Commission Presentations Commissioner Lindmark visited the Ruley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District office. He shared the resources he discovered. The conversation shifted to mussel plates and how that could work as a potential service project for the Commission in the spring. Commissioner Grefe and Ms. Marsh recently served on the county’s waste management task force; the project is wrapping up and the county is compiling the plan to submit for approval. The expanded Environmental Academy will be included among the optional components of that plan. Ms. Marsh shared that many Chanhassen residents may not be aware, but residents can request larger or additional recycling bins at no added fee. Commissioner Cripe shared that there is a lot of interest in a Buy Local campaign; the next step is to create a draft landing page for QR codes that could be used on signage. Upcoming Items and Events Commissioner Cripe will put together an option for the Environmental Commission shirts and share for feedback on style and price. 5 Youth Commissioner Farnan is attending his last meeting before he heads out of state for college next month. Ms. Marsh thanked him for his time on the Commission and wished him luck in his next steps. Adjournment Commissioner Stutzman moved to adjourn the meeting. Chair Grefe adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Minutes prepared by Amy Weidman, Senior Administrative Support Specialist Minutes Submitted by Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist 6 Environmental Commission Item October 9, 2024 Subject Environmental Academy Update Section DISCUSSION ITEMS Prepared By Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist https://www.chanhassenmn.gov/departments/community-development/natural-resources/learning- opportunities/environmental-academy 7 Environmental Commission Item October 9, 2024 Subject Commission Report Section DISCUSSION ITEMS Prepared By Jamie Marsh, Environmental Resource Specialist Environmental Commission Accomplishments 2018 to 2019 8 April 2018 – March 2019 Review of Environmental Commission Events and Accomplishments *Commission Focus for 2017: Pollinators *Commission Focus for 2018: Tree Care *Commission Focus for 2019: Energy Efficiency Aligning the annual work plan around a theme topic for the year is a great way to focus the commission’s outreach and educational activities. Arbor Day • Tree Planting - May 5, 2018 City staff and the Commission hosted an event for the community at Power Hill Park to plant trees in celebration of Arbor Day. The event included educating the public on Emerald Ash Borer, the value trees bring to the community, and the importance of tree diversity. Community volunteers planted 19 trees. Refreshments, thank you gifts, and free seedlings were provided to attendees. • Arbor Day Poster Contest The commission judged and assisted the City Council in awarding prizes for the 4th and 5th-grade tree poster submissions in celebration of Arbor Day. Trade Fair Informational Booth - July 3rd Members of the commission provided educational materials on proper tree care and we had a couple of volunteer tree experts in attendance to help answer questions. The Commission handed out tree care/selection brochures to interested citizens. Fall Event: Leaf Cleanup The commission again participated in a leaf cleanup project that was hosted by the city and Riley- Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed district. The volunteer group collected 103 bags of leaves along Lake Riley Boulevard and Carver Beach Road. Flyers were distributed to interested neighbors on the importance of keeping leaves out of waterways. Villager articles published: • Chanhassen Joins Minnesota GreenStep Cities. The article announced that the City Council approved the GreenStep Cities resolution. • Holiday Waste and Recycling. The article focused on the large amount of waste created each holiday season and ways to reduce it without reducing the wonder and celebration of the season. Chanhassen Connection article published: • Energy Efficiency and Conservation. The article gave a brief overview of environmental conservation and focused on ways that citizens and local businesses can reduce their energy usage. This column will be an ongoing effort by the Commission to promote environmental education. Social Media: The Commission has been making more concerted efforts to reach out to citizens via the city’s Facebook page. In the last year, we have shared information on various efforts such as the Arbor Day Celebration, a video on recycling for National Recycling Day, Fall Clean-up, and this month’s Earth Hour event. The Commission intends to utilize this form of communication more and more. 9 GreenSteps Cities Resolution Passed in 2018 In continuing our work on GreenStep Cities, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the City of Chanhassen to participate in the GreenStep Cities program at the August 27th, City Council meeting. This made Chanhassen the 124th city in the state to become a GreenStep Cities program partner and officially classified us as a Step One City. The commission is working to document efforts that the city has already implemented and hope to reach Step Two this year. As part of the GreenStep City framework, the Commission identified that the city’s purchasing policy had not been updated for some time. Changes have been suggested to better reflect current technology and to encourage the evaluation of high-efficiency products. Workshops, Education, and Activities commissioners have taken part in: • Metro Environment Commissions Conference – Several commission members participated in the inaugural 2018 conference in April 2018. A second conference is to be held on April 13th, 2019. • Fox Woods Grand Opening – June 2018 • Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed River Tour – June 2018 • July 3rd Business Expo • Chan Splash Bash – July 2018 • Joint Environmental, Planning and Park Commission Tour – August 2018 • Chanhassen Day at the Arboretum – August 2018 • Fall Clean-up / Neighborhood Leaf Collection – October 2018 • Bloomington Sustainable Companies – October 2018 • Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed meetings throughout the year 10