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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEAC Min Sept 2026Minutes of the Ecological Advocacy Committee (EAC) Meeting on September 14th, 2026 Committee Members Present: Clay Kusbach (Chair) Charlene Rountree (Vice-Chair) Andy Schnabel Andrew Tucker Brian Will Diana Zebroski John Hamilton Others Present: Garry Harrington – VPA, Director of Rum Village Nature Center John Martinez – VPA, Director of Grounds Mary Wojcik – Horticulturist, VPA Brent Thompson – VPA, City Forester Michael Schmidt – Attorney, City of South Bend Barbara Dale – Office of Sustainability, City of South Bend Patrick Sherman – VPA, City Development I. Call to Order – Meeting at Rum Village Nature Center at 8:36am. II. Approval of Minutes Andy S. moved to approve the minutes of August 3rd, 2026. Brian W. seconded. The motion passed unanimously. III. Privilege of the Floor None IV. Old Business A. Seed Selection for Rum Village Park Clay K. provided a seed varietal list as a recommended foundation for habitat plantings to suit VPA’s needs, including for properties such as Rum Village Park. This was for the benefit of the development efforts discussed and requested for committee advice on by Patrick S. The estimated costs of these seed orders would be approximately $500/acre. Spence Nursery would be a good provider of the native seed selections provided, too. B. Recommended Species List for Potawatomi Park Patrick S. commented further on how recommendations for seed and plant selections for Potawatomi Park would influence his decisions for Rum Village Park as well. He has done his own independent research with Spence Nursery for their capacity to provide seed lists that suit specific habitats that VPA is addressing. The Upland Woodland seed mix was one of his considerations. The selection suggested by Clay K. looks very promising, too. He will be making an order using our committee’s seed list selection suggestions soon. V. New Business A. Ecological Improvement for Veteran’s Memorial Park Andy S. presented on how the under-appreciated Veteran’s Memorial Park has an oak savanna habitat that is at risk to detrimental effects of development initiatives. He explained IUSB’s involvement with the park and their efforts to remove invasive plant species in coordination with Brent T.’s forestry efforts, too. The amenities being considered as developmental additions to the park including sports fields would affect the ecology of that area considerably. Andy further referenced the proposal document shared from before that showcases his major ecological concerns for the property, citing mainly reduction in tree canopy, and the building of a boat launch and expansion of its use as well. These will be included in our committee’s year-end annual report to the Park Board. B. Potential 35th St. Wetlands Presentation Andrew T. reviewed the “Good, Better, Best” proposal that he prepared for the 35th Street Wetlands property from previous requested ecological insights. He highly encouraged and delved into the strategy proposed in coordination with VPA and Public Works. He provided more copies of that proposal for everyone to review and for this to be featured in the committee’s year-end annual report as well. C. USDA Grant and IDNR Neighborhood Tree Stewards 2027 Barbara D. informed on how the USDA grant is proceeding into its 3rd year of provision, to everyone’s relief. The program in general is grateful for the increased stability in the grant’s existence given the instabilities of before. They are looking forward to more community plantings this Fall in various park locations and the involvement of volunteer participants, too. IDNR Tree Stewards 2-day training this year in 2026 went well; however, in preparation for another scheduling of this for 2027, their department is considering performing something more accessible to the public. Their idea is to put together a variation called IDNR Neighborhood Tree Stewards which would not entail a 2-day dedicated training, but instead have a less intensive training approach with more focus on practical application skills as a requirement. VI. VPA and City Updates Mary W. informed that Fall plantings are commencing in coordination with Wild Ones SB Chapter. John M. updated on how VPA has submitted their budget for the year and will restructure employment as a response to the changes in that. They are also trying to improve more on the horticulture front and incorporate Garry H. into the Forestry division more. All of these foci were praised! VII. Miscellaneous Clay's self inquiry and public comment regarding his employer & professional company pursuing work and project engagement with VPA and potential for conflict of interest. Michael Schmidt, city attorney will review and advise on recommendations. Action Items • Veterans Memorial Park drafted letter to discuss ecological concerns over their Improvement Plan. • Pro-actively review VPA’s The Strategic Plan – provide 1 improvement suggestion focused on ecology. • Begin constructing together with Chair an end-of-year annual report for the Park Board. • Brainstorm revenue-generating ideas for VPA that could help achieve ecological improvements. • Consider potential training workshops and channel productive use of volunteers. The next meeting will be on Monday, October 26th, 2026; 8:30 am at Rum Village. The meeting was adjourned at 10:06 am.