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<br /> <br /> 1 <br />Orange County <br />Commission for the Environment <br /> <br />Meeting Summary <br /> <br />May 9, 2016 <br />Orange County Solid Waste Administration Building, Chapel Hill <br />________________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />PRESENT: Lydia Wegman (Chair), Peter Cada, Jeanette O’Connor, Bill Kaiser, Bill Newby, <br />Rebecca Ray, Sheila Thomas-Ambat <br /> <br />ABSENT: May Becker, Thomas Eisenhart, Lynne Gronback, Loren Hintz, David Welch <br /> <br />STAFF: Rich Shaw, Tom Davis <br />_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />I. Call to Order – Wegman called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm. <br /> <br />II. Ad ditions or Changes to Agenda – There were none. <br /> <br />III. Minutes – Wegman asked for comments on the April 11 meeting summary. Cada <br />motioned approval; seconded by Kaiser. Motion approved unanimously. <br /> <br />IV. Regional Conservation Planning – Shaw presented information about a collaborative <br />effort by Shaw and his colleagues from several land conservation entities to develop a <br />comprehensive conservation plan for Orange, Durham, and Chatham counties. Shaw <br />explained that the idea for developing such a plan for Orange County was recommended <br />by CFE members several years ago, and was also included as a recommendation in the <br />Orange County Comprehensive Plan (2008), and recent State of the Environment report. <br />He noted that David Welch and other members of the CFE Land Resources Committee <br />had proposed establishing a steering committee such as this group Shaw has been <br />meeting with since September 2015. <br /> <br /> Shaw said after five meetings thus far, the group’s consensus is to explore effective <br />ways to identify and preserve important landscape corridors that connect significant <br />natural areas and open space in the three-county region. <br /> <br />Shaw said the group is currently identifying potential funding sources, including the NC <br />Wildlife Resources Commission (NC WRC) that offers grant funds for projects that help <br />protect important wildlife habitat and travel corridors. The group plans to submit a grant <br />application to the NC WRC’s Partners for Green Growth. Other potential funding sources <br />include Triangle Community Foundation, NC Dept. of Transportation, and the Climate <br />Adaptation Fund. Shaw hopes to provide matching funds from Orange County. <br /> <br />Shaw said he plans to involve the CFE Land Resources Committee in the project, but <br />other CFE members are also welcome. Cada offered his potential GIS assistance. <br />Wegman recommended briefing the BOCC and possibly asking for additional funding. <br /> <br /> Wegman and CFE members thanked Shaw for this information. <br /> <br />V. CFE Outreach Opportunities – Shaw presented a revised list of CFE outreach <br />opportunities, including quarterly news articles, outdoor street festivals (Last Friday, <br />Festifall), social media (CFE webpage, Facebook, Twitter), and potential radio spots. <br />