Greenway Ecological Standing Committee

MEETING NOTES

DATE/TIME: December 18, 2009 10 am- 12 pm

LOCATION:  Beaver Island Club House

Attendees:

Bill Hudson - Audubon New York;

David Frazier - Gomez and Sullivan Engineers;

Douglas Brackett - Environmental Design & Research;

Edward Alkiewicz - New York Power Authority;

Lawrence Beahan - Sierra Club;

Linda Logan - Tonawanda Seneca Nation;

Mardell Sundown - Tonawanda Seneca Nation;

Margaret Wooster -Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper;

Michael Wilkinson - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation;

Michele Stottler -Gomez and Sullivan Engineers;

Michele Vanstrom - Niagara Frontier Wildlife Habitat Council;

Neil Patterson Jr.- Tuscarora Indian Nation;

Paul Dyster - City of Niagara Falls;

Rene Rickard - Tuscarora Indian Nation;

Richard Soluri - Village of Lewiston;

Robert Baxter - Niagara Heritage Partnership;

Robert Daly - New York Power Authority;

Russell Biss - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation;

Scott Schlueter - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service;

Steve Schoenwiesner - New York Power Authority;

Agenda:

1. Wild Ones/EDR Presentation

2. Revised Proposal from BUDC

3. Committee Business

Action Items/Agreements:

1. EDR made a presentation on behalf of the Wild Ones sponsored project called Regional Economic Growth Through Ecological Restoration of the Niagara Gorge Rim..

2. The Committee will schedule a meeting in January with USACE, BUDC, and DEC to discuss BUDR Revised Proposal and Budget for the Union Ship Canal Public Open Space project. Margaret will draft a letter and send to group for approval before sending to BUDC.

3. Need a meeting to discuss committee business. Margaret will draft a description of the responsibilities for Chair, vice Chair, and Secretary.

4. Steve Schoenwiesner agreed to be Secretary.

5. Committee wants fund recipients to submit a written report and make a presentation to the Committee.

6. Margaret reported that Fenian Marker’s proposal will not be discussed because they haven’t received a greenway consistency determination yet.

7. NYPA reported that the Committee has funded 5 projects so far. At the beginning of 2010, there will be roughly $2M. Interest and escalation rates were defined in the settlement agreement. Interest was defined at 6.5%.

8. NYPA will send funding table to Committee members.