EC SUM 2013 01 09
Chanhassen Environmental Commission (EC)
Regular Meeting
January 9, 2013
Members Present:
Robert Kircher, Glenn Kaufmann, Katie Mahannah, Amy Wenner, Keith Anderson, Matthew
Myers
Members Absent:
Denny Hansen
Staff Present:
Jill Sinclair, Environmental Resource Specialist
Guests Present:
Will, Mound-Westonka HS student;
Minutes:
December minutes were approved.
th
Arbor Day poster contest update
: Jill informed the commission that letters have been sent out inviting local 5
grade classes to submit posters for the contest. Jill contacted the MNLA to see if they were going to sponsor a
contest and was told that the organization had decided not to continue the program. The city will be the sole
sponsor of the program and the theme is “Trees are Terrific…and my favorite tree is..” The commission will
review the posters at their March meeting and the formal presentation at the City Council will take place on April
22.
2013 Work Plan
: The commission reviewed the work plan draft. It was suggested that the partnership list be
saved separately and not included on the work plan. The commission debated the need for an annual work plan.
Jill offered that the work plan serves as a guide to keep the commission focused through the year and helps the
commission anticipate upcoming items, issues and events. The commission confirmed that the plan is a working
document and changes to the plan can be made at any time. The commission will continue to use the work plan.
Revisions regarding money/grants and sub-groups were made. The commission voted to approve the plan.
2013 Sustainability Report
: Revisions of sections were assigned: Matthew – Urban Forestry; Denny/Keith –
Water Conservation; Amy/Katie – Surface Water Quality; Glenn/Bob – Stormwater. Katie will compile and edit
the overall document. Katie reviewed the report for Keith explaining that it was based on the Minneapolis Green
Print. The selection of the section topics was based on the 4 focus topics assigned to the commission. Each
section was to be only one page in order to keep the information concise and easy to read. For each topic, there is
an introduction to explain the topic, 3 goals for the topic, progress made towards those goals, then other activities
that have taken place in Chanhassen in regards to the topic. The last page of the report was ‘Web Resources’ for
people who would like to explore any of the topics further. The general process for each topic will be for the
commissioner(s) to interview the appropriate staff to see what has changed from last year. The due date for
completing the interviews and gathering information is the Feb. meeting (Feb. 13). The first draft of the report
will be due Mar. 6 and the final draft by April 10.
Commission Goals:
Keith led the discussion of goals and said he is still struggling with what the commission
does and what defines a partnership. Someone volunteered that partnerships are formed and undertaken as
needed. Bob wondered what the best partnerships would be, what to start, and who to work with. Amy doesn’t
think anything needs to be finalized or formal. Some commissioners agreed that it’s an area that could be
explored more. The first choice would be to partner with a watershed district. It would be nice to exchange more
information and ideas with other entities. Katie would like to the commission to be more well-known with more
organizations. Not enough entities know about the Chanhassen Environmental Commission.
Education Plan/Potential Projects:
Education Plan - Keith reviewed his document with the commission. The proposal is intended for the city council
and covers three ideas – mentoring, Environmental Day, and scholarships. The commission talked about the 3
ideas and wondered if they should be proposed all at the same time or one at a time. If the commission could
come up with a clear, developed proposal for one of the ideas there may be a better chance of getting approval for
it and getting it done. Commissioners decided that research needed to be done to see what environmental
education is already presented at the schools. Are there environmental clubs at the schools? Each of the ideas
seems like a large undertaking and maybe the EC should just pick one to develop. Mentoring may be better stated
as internship and could fit into the high school’s capstone program. The mentor/intern could work on developing
an Environmental Day for the middle school or elementary school. The mentor/internship could be open to Eagle
Scouts too. Matthew volunteered to find out the requirements for the capstone project and information on
environmental curriculum at Chanhassen high school.
Potential Projects – The commission discussed putting together videos on environmental topics specific to
Chanhassen. Katie and Amy would like to work on putting together general information on one of the 4 focus
topics. Katie has found videos on the web that are good and wondered if the EC should use them or develop their
own? There was a good one on stormwater from Durham, NC. Research will be done and this topic can be added
to the next meeting.
General Discussion
:
Seminary Fen Working Group: Katie attended the meeting held at City Hall in January. The group is
developing a stewardship plan for protection of the fen. The group was given Legacy/Clean Water Act
money to create the plan. The biggest concern for the fen is that there isn’t enough water coming into the
system to sustain it. The group is trying to figure out what has changed over the last couple of decades
because of development. Katie made a connection with the director of the Lower Minnesota Watershed
District who said the district would be interested in partnering for the volunteer day at the fen.
Spring Villager articles are coming up. The theme is to be Arbor Day and/or Earth Day. Amy
volunteered to write the article. She says Tonka Green/Mtka School District is doing a materials
collection drive in the spring. She will write about that.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:05 PM.
Minutes prepared by Jill Sinclair