Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2020 03 11

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes February 12, 2020 Page 2 of 4 these were total sites, some of which were taken. David and Jessamine asked for and received some clarification about the memorial bench program. G. Ember passed out the board contact list for the city. H. See further Staff Updates on page 5 of the meeting packet. 6. Board Updates None 7. Public Comments on Items Not on the Agenda Kelly Bartell (563 West Cedar Place) came to the meeting because she wanted to hear about the biodiversity study (Agenda Item VIII). She lives adjacent to North Open Space and doesn’t see much biodiversity and wildlife there and she would like to see it increased. She added that in the summer she hears lots of crickets and frogs and at some point in the summer it suddenly “goes quiet,” and she finds that alarming. Helen commented that the board has prioritized resource management and is very interested in good scientific practice of this information. Ember clarified that on North Open Space all weed control is spot-spraying (single plant) rather than broadcast spraying. Charles suggested the sudden silence could do with ditches running dry. Nathan and Ember added that they didn’t know of any mosquito spraying on the property and that it would always include notification, but said they’d look into it further. 8. Open Space Biodiversity Database. Presented by Steve Roels, Senior Natural Resource Specialist (see page 9-14 of the meeting packet) Steve is originally from Michigan. He has worked for a land trust doing conservation easement work. He has his Master’s Degree from University of Kansas studying milkweeds and his PhD from Michigan State where he focused on restoration ecology of birds in Panama. He is currently working on a database to consolidate and format all existing records and studies for the Louisville Open Space properties. He shared the basic structure of the database and his process and he explained how a relational database makes the existing data searchable, updatable, and much more valuable. He gave a summary of what species are on our Open Space land and considered the data’s context and sampling bias (both by location and by taxonomy). He also summarized the sort of data and information he has already amassed. He also gave examples of how this database can be used and the division plans for the future. One plan is the integration of citizen science data into the database. He has already figured out how to upload citizen scientist data from iNaturalist and eBird on City properties. Laura said she was very excited about this work. Charles suggested an app called Seek. Steve will present to the public about citizen science in the fall. Helen suggested a learning guide for the tools so citizens can learn to use it. Peter asked if the database will be publically accessible, suggesting it could be popular for citizens and valuable for stake holders. Steve pointed out that there could be implications for sensitive species. Ember said there could be a summary-type document produced at the end of the year. David commented that Steve collaborate with neighboring communities. He added that he would be interested in having Steve’s input on our assessment/acquisition process. Nathan asked if there are ways to do biodiversity surveys without trespassing on private land. Steve suggested there were some ways to infer certain things about plant communities from satellite imagery. Jessamine was hoping for another update from Steve in the fall. Helen added that the database should be the new standard for any future contracting work. 9. Discussion Item: Discuss and Approve OSAB 2020 Goals (see pages 16-18 of the Meeting Packet) 3