DACC discusses brush code, I-81 project effects

TOWN OF DEWITT – During its meeting on Oct. 6, the DeWitt Advisory Conservation Commission (DACC) discussed the town’s brush code and pertinent environmental concerns.
A legislative document provided by commission member Angela Weiler went over proposed orders for the maintenance of vegetation on any type of tenancy or parcel of land in DeWitt.
The document states that the accumulation of dead vegetation and the growth of turf-grass and other non-native vegetation, except for trees or shrubs, to a height greater than 12 inches shall be unlawful.
A managed natural landscape consisting primarily of plants native to the northeastern United States would be exempted from the directive.
The code dictates that natural landscapes of this sort would need to be purposefully maintained as such. In line with that, there would need to be regular eradication of non-native and invasive plants.
Whether vegetation is native or not would be determined in accordance with definitions from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The accumulation of dead vegetation for the purpose of providing compost would also be allowed to a certain degree under the altered brush code pending approval.
“We wanted to put in more specific language and basically just allow people, if they wanted to, to add a wild area without being cited,” Weiler said. “It would allow people to have more parts of their property that contribute to habitat.”
DACC member Brian Solomon said that it would be “time-consuming” for code enforcement officers to identify whether the type of vegetation they see would be allowed under these rules, but he said that the conservation commission members would be willing to assist in spotting which vegetation would need to be cut or removed.
The DACC members present at the Oct. 6 meeting discussed whether there was anything to modify in the proposed brush code, which the group plans to present to the DeWitt Town Board at a public hearing by the end of the year.
A few days before the meeting, member and bat expert Jonathan Kresge informed commission chair Dennis Payne that eight out of the nine New York State bat species use areas of the Butternut Creek corridor along Interstate-481 where the Department of Transportation is planning to construct parts of the new I-81.
“Bats are very sensitive to noise and light, so any increase in these would disturb the bats as well as other wildlife,” Kresge said in his email. “In the summer, many of these areas around the Butternut Creek corridor would most likely be used as maternity and paternity colonies as well as areas where the bats would hunt for food. Any disruptions to the bats’ ability to effectively hunt for food or care for their young would be hindered by higher noise levels.”
Kresge also said that increased traffic resulting from the interstate project would potentially bring in more air pollution and runoff into roadside wetland habitats where amphibians and wading birds nest and breed.
At the end of the meeting, member Sonia Kragh brought it to the attention of those gathered that there would be a proposition on the November ballot for an amendment to the New York State Constitution promising for “clean air, clean water and a healthful environment for all.”
The DeWitt Advisory Conservation Commission’s open-to-the-public meetings take place at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month in Meeting Room B on the second floor of the DeWitt Town Hall on Butternut Drive.