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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCFE Meeting Summary 04142025 Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary April 14th, 2025; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 1 of 4 Present: Kristie Mather, Ian Morse, John Bucher, Matthew Ferguson, Regina Baratta, Lily Schacht, Aimee Vandemark, Patrick Fn’Piere, Reade Oakley Absent: Veronica Penn Beattie, Mark Randall Staff: Chris Hirni, Wesley Poole (Teams), Kalani Allen, Amy Eckberg, Karina Nabors, Melony Gilles Guests: William L. Branch I. Call to Order Chair Regina Baratta called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. II. Additions or Changes to Agenda None. III. Approval of DRAFT Meeting Summary – March 10th, 2025 Motion to approve by Ian Morse; seconded by Aimee Vandemark; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed. IV. CFE Introductions / Candidate Recruitment Chair Regina Baratta recognized the new CFE members that were just appointed by the BOCC, William L. Branch and Mayur Lodaya. William L. Branch was in attendance as a guest and Mayur Lodaya will be at the next meeting. The CFE recognized Jane Harris for her years of service and will give her a certificate of appreciation. CFE continued the discussion on what it would take to get a Youth Delegate on the board. V. Earth Evening The CFE discussed Earth Evening that will be coming up on April 25th in Hillsborough. Amy Eckberg has requested three tables…one for herself, one for an Electric Vehicle ambassador, and one for the CFE. Chair Regina Baratta will have a kid friendly activity at the CFE table and invited anyone who would like to volunteer to come on out. VI. Sub-Committee Breakouts The CFE broke out into committee assignments and discussed goals / projects for the year. Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary April 14th, 2025; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 2 of 4 Sub-Committee Breakout Meeting Summaries Air & Energy Resources Sub-committee: Present: John Bucher, Ian Morse, Matthew Ferguson, Kristie Mather Absent: Veronica Penn Beattie Staff: Amy Eckberg • Talked about ways to find data that had been removed and resources to access them. • Reviewed initial outlines of topics for Climate Change impacts. • Decided to add research to Nuclear Power Generation to list of topics. • Talked about Senate Bill 261: New bill to undo Duke Energy Climate goals for 2030. Water Resources Sub-committee: Present: Lily Schacht, Patrick Fn’Piere Absent: Mark Randall Staff: Wesley Poole (Teams), Melony Gilles • Highlight gaps in data through recommendations. • Recommend writing a grant? • Direct a push to look for specific data. • Ask and answer specific questions. • EcoStudio taking applications for the Fall: https://ecostudio.unc.edu/ Land Resources Sub-committee: Present: Regina Baratta, Aimee Vandemark, Reade Oakley Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary April 14th, 2025; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 3 of 4 Absent: None Staff: Chris Hirni, Karina Nabors Big questions to consider for SOE: • What is sustainability in OC? • What is Orange County’s Carrying Capacity? Could farms in OC feed every citizen? • What will the impact of more frequent droughts and heat increases mean for crop production and farmers in general? • How does our land use impact the local water cycle (certain crop’s transpiration can impact local moisture levels)? • Discussed methods for collecting data on farms and land use in general. • Will refer to Ag Preservation Board data on farmland preservation (including timber farming). • One recommendation for the upcoming SOE will be for a Tree Canopy Study to be done in OC (like Wake, Durham). VII. Updates and Information Items • Chair Regina Baratta gave an update on the Hillsborough Climate Challenge. The next event will be a composting demo here at the Bonnie B. Davis facility tomorrow. • Amy Eckberg notified the CFE about the “Down to Earth” exhibit and special event coming up at the Art Center in Carrboro on April 26th. • Amy Eckberg notified the CFE that they had gotten a $200,000 grant that they had applied for to put solar on the Cedar Grove Community Center. • Karina Nabors and Melony Gilles gave the CFE a recap of the recent Tree Giveaway and Repair Café…both events were a success. • Melony Gilles notified the CFE on a Clothing and Art Swap that will be held at the Arts Mill on May 17th. Orange County Commission for the Environment Meeting Summary April 14th, 2025; 7:00 pm Hybrid Meeting Page 4 of 4 • Kalani Allen notified the CFE that the Orange County Trails Plan would be holding two community workshops on May 18th 2-5pm and May 21st 6-9pm. • Chris Hirni notified the CFE that Abby Mattingly had asked him to inform them that the Orange County Photo Contest was not getting many youth submissions, so please share. The deadline to submit pictures is May 31st. VIII. Adjournment Regina Baratta motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 pm; seconded by Matthew Ferguson; all in favor; none opposed; motion passed.