Charlestown Township
Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC)
Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 12, 2023

Meeting was held at Township Office 11 General Warren Blvd., Suite 1. Armstrong opened the meeting at 7:04.

Attendees:
Carol Armstrong, (Chair), Dan Walker (co-chair), Meg Solomon (Secretary), Sharon Richardson, Pete Goodman, Stephanie Yocum.

Richardson submitted her resignation. She no longer lives in the township.

May minutes were approved.

Place Holders

(Reminder of EAC-initiated projects for next 6+ months):

New Business

  1. Riparian Buffer in Charlestown Park and Pickering Creek - Armstrong and Goodman talked to Stroud about taking on this restoration. They looked at the site and didn’t feel it was big enough to use as a project for the current grant they are seeking from PA DEP. However, Stroud is willing to build some funding into their grant restoration work along the Pickering (Ice Dam Buffer). They feel it would be a great use of their resources. Calen Wylie of the Stroud Water Research Center who visited the site thought that it was still a good site for restoration, even if all the invasives cannot be removed, and made recommendations for theplantings to consider should we wish to improve the site (plantings would cool the stream aquatic life, contribute to better water quality, and augment biodiversity). We will investigate doing a soil sample per the requests of Supervisor Hugh Willig and previous Trails Committee Chair Frank Beyer.
  2. Buckeye Pipeline off Pikeland Rd. - Supposedly an abandoned oil pipeline. Goodman expressed concern that the pipe that sits on the stream surface is unstable and could be damaged in a storm. He will confirm with Buckeye if it contains material or is empty, and what the plans are for it. It is labeled as containing petroleum product.

Ongoing Business

  1. GIS Mapping - offer from We Conserve PA to provide education on how to create a GIS Map. Armstrong sent recommendations to the EAC regarding possible projects; a) Flooding/Watershed Management (storm water runoff) or b)riparian buffer analysis. GIS analyst Irina Beal stated that they have chosen other projects but she said if she has time she would be glad to work with us.
  2. Storage Closet (in township meeting room) Shelving - Yocum sent options. Everyone agreed we should buy the shelves. She will send specs to Csete along with the request to purchase a shelf lamp.
  3. RES Work at Brightside Park - update from Jess from RES at BoS meeting. Next step is removing herbicides so that they can plant in spring. Second phase was approved (2 years). Have seen new birds. BoS is going to talk to Deerfield regarding management of their buffer coordinated with our restoration efforts.
  4. Beginners evening bird walk - found Orioles, Common Yellow Throat. Very pleasant evening.
  5. Single Use Plastic bags/items ban -no update.
  6. Bird Town - Cindy Underhill took wonderful photos of the birds in Brightside. Pete attended Bird Town Cluster meeting with ChesCo and DelCo reps. One idea that came up was the Environthon. Goodman talked to Cory Trice of the Chester County Conservation District which sponsors the Environthon. It is an international high school competition. (Move this item to placeholders in July).
  7. Keep PA Beautiful - No update.
  8. Mushpekat Run - Goodman and Armstrong spoke virtually to Katelyn Lucas, the Delaware National Tribal Preservation Officer, and Carissa Speck, Delaware National Historic Preservation Director, both in Oklahoma, to ask if Mushpekat was consistent with Lenape cultural heritage. There was no objection to this name. The name has been approved by the Board of Geographic Names for the historical record.
  9. Naming of headwater tributary at Charlestown Park - perennial stream that starts near Charlestown Park. Armstrong will initiate the USGS application and is working with Lenape Nation leaders regarding naming this stream. The EAC was given contacts from the three other recognized Lenape tribal offices (Susan Bachor, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer fort the Delaware Tribe of Indians in OK, Monique Tyndall, Director of Cultural Affairs in WI, and Jeremy Johnson, Cultural Department Director in OK, who can provide information about Lenape culture.)
  10. Pennsylvania Native Species Day, May 18th, 2023 - (PNSD), May 18th, 2023- Green gave update. The Quiz/Art contest was popular with the young preschool and school-age kids who attended. The quizzes for adults were submitted based on social media, but several adults completed the quiz about native species during the day that Armstrong spent at Brightside Farm Park with support from the Goodman’s. Armstrong provided education to many visitors to the park who were very interested in the grassland restoration and the riparian buffers planted in 2019 and 2020, and their purposes of increasing native species diversity and numbers. The PNSD subcommittee Identified and Green published the winners. Every child who participated got a pollinator seed packet and the winners were offered native trees or shrubs. Adults won gift cards to several restaurants. Green sent the award and acknowledgement notices to the winners via mail.
  11. Invasives - Discussed incentives for homeowners. Richardson will consider leading a project to provide ideas and incentives for homeowners. Solomon to assist. Richardson will contact potential donors. Solomon to write piece for NN and July newsletter.
  12. Nature News topic for July -how to maintain birds on your property, how do you know if you have an ecologically healthy yard? One idea - Wasps destroy the harmful Tomato Horn Worms.
  13. Township Newsletters - (due dates are 1/15, 4/15, 7/15, 10/15):
    1. A notice for homeowners to remove noxious invasive flora from their properties and a contest to be awarded native plants will be the content for the article due 7/15/23.
    2. Future topic ideas include:
      what to do when you hit a deer (good topic for fall).
  14. Community Education - Instead of a lecture or webinar presentation, we will dooutreach to community residents - the invasive removal project (see #11 above).
    Other ideas include:
    1. Bird Town programs
    2. Tour of invasive species
    3. Watershed friendly property certification

Meeting adjourned at 8:30.