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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 20OSC FInal_Minutes17-0720.docx 5/10/19 1 Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Building FINAL Minutes of Special Meeting July 20, 2017 Members and Associates Present: George Clifford, Richard Contreras, Nancy Couperus, Kit Gordon, Alice Sakamoto, Sharen Schoendorf, Jean Struthers, Sue Welch (Members); Peter Brown (Associate) Members and Associates Absent: Wendie Ward (Member); Karen Lemes (Associate) Council Liaison Present: Roger Spreen Member of Public Present: Pat Lange (LAH resident) Heather Knight (LAH resident) Kjell Karlsson (LAH Finance and Investment Committee) 1. Call to Order and Approval of Minutes A. Roll Call. KG called the meeting to order at 9:05 am. B. Acceptance of Meeting Minutes. NC moved to accept with minor amendments the minutes of the June 9, 2017 meeting. SS seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, JS, SW). C. Announcements i. Coyote Article in SF Chronicle. An article from the 07/09/17 SF Chronicle about coyotes living in San Francisco was briefly reviewed (Attachment A). ii. Mayors Meeting for Committee Chairs. iii. Planning Commission Review of Stirling Subdivision (now the “Top Elegant Investment subdivision”). To be held Sept 7, 2017. KG will prepare a presentation. No new materials have been posted on town web site. iv. Reduced Flows Matadero Creek. KG reported that Alan Launer, Associate Director of Conservation Planning at Stanford has reported greatly reduced flows in Matadero Creek Stanford lands. The drop occurred precipitously in May and is below the 60-year median and is unexpected given the historical flows and the large amount of rain this winter. He is seeking general information and investigating potential causes, natural or human. 2. New Business A. Election of Officers. AS nominated KG to serve as Chair and NC as Vice Chair. GC seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor. KG moved to appoint SW to continue to serve as secretary. GC seconded. Because she has served multiple terms as secretary, SW asked offer other members the opportunity to serve, but all declined. The vote was unanimously in favor. B. Stinkwort Management. Steve Schmidt (EIC), who acquired an allergic rash from contact with stinkwort during his runs through Town, has solicited action from the Town to reduce the extensive infestations of stinkwort on Town roadsides and pathways. Mayor Waldeck supports taking action. OSC discussed the fire and public health risks of stinkwort and strategies to control it. The consensus was to recommend the Town take action as soon as is practical to reduce spread of this highly invasive pest plant. SW will talk to Portola Valley about how they manage this weed. NC moved that OSC recommend the Town hire a knowledgeable professional vendor to reduce stinkwort on roadsides, pathways, fire roads, and Town-owned open space and recreational properties. This should be done as soon as possible. OSC can help identify major infestations to target and possible vendors and would like to work with the vendor. JS seconded and the vote was unanimously in favor (GC, RC, NC, KG, AS, SS, JS, SW). C. Earth Day 2018. NC reported a request from Parks and Rec to hold this event one week earlier than usual (i.e., on April 15, 2018 instead of April 22) so organizations with commitments on Earth Day (April 22) can participate in the LAH event. 3. Continuing Business A. Byrne Preserve i) Grassroots Ecology Update. Grassroots continues invasive plant removal in Byrne OSP, including special group volunteer workdays and Monday Byrne Brigade workdays. Native Iris leaf rush and creeping wild rye that have returned to the floodplain adjacent to Moody Creek after invasives were OSC FInal_Minutes17-0720.docx 5/10/19 2 removed are producing seed for the first time. Seed will be collected to help restore the WWCB wetland. Mowing for YST control was to be done earlier this month per advice from Grassroots Ecology, but the vendor has not yet started the work. ii) Weed Abatement at Westwind Community Barn. The seasonal wetland area on lower WWCB property where four paddocks were recently removed is heavily infested with invasive weed, some of which are new to the area. These pest plants are going to seed and will contaminate the adjacent floodplain in Byrne Preserve that Grassroots Ecology is restoring with SCVWD and Town funds. NC, KG, SW, and Council Liaison Roger Spreen met with City Manager Carl Cahill on June 9, 2017 to discuss this and received permission to interview vendors to 1) evaluate the weed-infested wetland area below the barn; 2) prepare a short reports with recommendations for management and cost estimate to do this work; and 3) provide a rough cost estimate for invasive weed management for the entire 15-acre WWCB parcel. A subcommittee (NC, KG, SW) was formed for this. B. Tree Ordinance Proposed by EDPC and OSC. The purpose of the revised ordinance is to protect significant trees other than Heritage oaks and other legally designated heritage trees, which are the only trees protected by current LAH ordinances. NC reported that Planning Director Suzanne Avila reviewed tree ordinances from nearby cities and found all provide more protection for trees than does the existing LAH ordinance. Planner Steve Padovan will write the new ordinance and send it to OSC and EDPC for review before taking it to Planning Commission for approval. Commissioner Mandle suggested adding a list of trees to be exempt from the new ordinance. KG sent the Planning Department a list of trees that are better alternatives to oaks for landscape screening. C. Subdivision Ordinance Update. Currently on hold prior to review by Planning Commission. KG reports that most of OSC comments were incorporated. D. Pest Plant Messaging for Residents. Deferred. E. Fence Regulation Review; Fences Near Waterways. Not discussed. F. Site Development & Fast Track Review Meetings. OSC members were reminded to volunteer to attend these important planning meetings (held Tuesdays at 10 am) to provide input on potential impact of proposed development projects on creeks, trees, and other conservation resources. G. Arundo Removal. Not discussed. 4. Planning A. Fence Permit Reviews. AS reviewed fence plans for the following parcels: i) 11499 Summit Wood Road. Lot has existing fence; plan is to add fence to a small area on either side of the house. No open space or conservation issues identified. ii) 14271 Miranda Road. Plan for 6-ft “deer fence”; check that setback is sufficient. iii) 14230 Wild Plum Lane. Plan is for perimeter fence excluding the conservation easement along Adobe Creek. iv) 25750 Moody Road (intersection of Moody and Rhus Ridge Road). Plan is for a 6-ft tall wrought- iron fence, some of which fall within the riparian setback along Adobe Creek. Recommend not approving the fence in the location proposed and not installing wrought iron fence in this area close to open space lands where wildlife is abundant. B. OSC Site Reviews and Recommendations for Development Projects. None i) 12735 Alto Verde. KG and SW volunteered to make site visit and write a draft OSC review. Open Discussion. A. Recommendation on types of fences. It was suggested OSC write recommendations for safe fencing in wildlife-dense areas, including photos and rationale. Document will be sent to Planning Director, Suzanne Avila to include with fence and general development guidelines. B. Memorial Stone for Alan Lambert. LAH resident Heather Knight presented a request to place a memorial stone in Byrne Preserve for Alan Lambert, who traded his property for other property in Town to help make creation of Byrne Open Space Preserve possible by providing connectivity to open space lands in Hidden Villa and MROSD. C. News of Interest. Article in Wall Street Journal about importance of wildlife corridors. D. OSC Member Renewals. WW is requesting appointment to a third term on OSC and the will be before Council on August 20, 2017. The next OSC vacancy will be in Feb 2018. OSC FInal_Minutes17-0720.docx 5/10/19 3 E. Role of Volunteers in LAH. In response to comments from the recent survey of Town that volunteers take large amounts of staff time, OSC briefly discussed 1) the role of committee volunteers; and 2) training new volunteers about how to communicate effectively with staff. 6. Communications from the Floor. None. 7. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 11:05 am. Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:00 AM at LAH Parks and Recreation Building Final minutes were approved with minor amendments at the regular OSC meeting of Aug 10, 2017.