Minutes - Environmental Policy Board - 12/04/2006

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• Mr. Peterson stated that every time one of these studies is done, they are working on a different version of MNRAM. Board Member Bentz asked if the database required data for an entire wetland or whether it was broken down by sections. Ms. Kampbell explained how data was compiled. She stated differences in vantage points were taken into consideration. Ms. Kampbell explained the reason behind the wildlife exception was because the National Heritage database included blandings turtles. Environmental Specialist Bacon asked how the database was added to if there was a Blanding's turtle found someplace else. Ms. Kampbell stated that she assumed it would be reported to the DNR. She stated the data was always updated, either quarterly or annually. Chairperson McDilda stated that it was important to look at the intent, both present and future, of this project. He noted that one important factor was the buffer ordinance and how it fits into the wetland buffers. The other important factor is looking at future developments. Board Member Max asked Mr. Peterson and Ms. Kampbell to clarify what the "unavailable" notations were on the maps. Chairperson McDilda asked for clarification in the report to describe what the term "unavailable" meant. Ms. Kampbell stated she would have to call the Board of Water and Soil Resources because she was unaware of the reason why the summary is shown sometimes. Chairperson McDilda noted his concern and asked for clarification regarding drainage situations and running sewer pipes into wetlands. He stated that it will be important to prioritize what classifications will be most important to deal with. Ms. Kampbell stated that she followed the Board of Water and Soil Resources guidelines on how to assign values. She stated they assign their own criteria for determining what is the most important and weighted the results. Chairperson McDilda asked where the samples were taken and how were they taken. Ms. Kampbell stated that there were photos taken at every point. Board Member Max asked if they were referenced. Ms. Kampbell stated they could be provided electronically by hotlink or a point file indicating where the sample points were. She stated that if the city would be looking at using this in a GIS, a hotlink could be used to click on the photo. Environmental Policy Board/ December 4, 2006 Page 9 of 19