July 28, 2026 Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes
TOWN OF SOUTH HERO
Conservation Commission Meeting
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 4:30 P.M.
at the South Hero Town Office
and via Zoom
Members present: Bob Fireovid, Joan Falcao, Bridget Kerr, Mark Naud (via Zoom)
Members of the public: Invited guest, Anne Zolotas, Tree Warden & Selectboard member
Call to Order: 4:35 pm
Public Input (items not on the agenda): NA
Finalize Agenda: Reordered items to accommodate Anne Z. for the beach shoreline project and
trees discussion. Added items “approve minutes” and “kestrel data.”
Approve Minutes: Bob F. made a motion to approve the minutes of June 23, 2026; minutes
approved.
White’s/Town Beach shoreline project and trees:
Anne reported that the Selectboard just approved the South Hero Town Beach Shoreline
Bioengineering Project (being administered by the Grand Isle County Natural Resources
Conservation District, the South Hero Land Trust, and the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain)
to proceed with securing funding for the implementation phase. Meanwhile, the large mature
cottonwoods, which can be prone to wind damage, have been “trimmed back considerably” and
are “being monitored” for safety by the town. The plan is for these trees to be removed before
the 6-week installation period, currently scheduled for October/November of 2027. The average
lifespan of cottonwoods is 50-70 years; however, the age of these particular trees is not known.
Anne remarked that when she first came to South Hero, there were as many as 30 cottonwoods at
the beach. SHLT’s beach project includes planting and maintaining replacement native
trees/shrubs, ideally low-growing enough to allow parents to watch children in the water from
the lawn (species are yet to be determined).
Town-owned Lavin parcel update: Fitzgerald Environmental Associates has identified more
wetlands within the parcel (in the middle of Lot 5 and parts of Lot 6) than previously mapped.
This will likely limit development opportunities due to additional wetland setbacks. Anne shared
that the state Agency of Natural Resources recently required the owners of adjacent Lot 2
(permitted by the DRB to develop a mini golf course) to do remediation because of a ”new buffer
zone.” Anne wondered if perhaps the increased wetlands mapped by Fitzgerald were due to the
wet spring. There has also been continued delay with getting the new wetlands mapping
confirmed by the state. Mark N., who has extensive experience with wetlands regulation and
water quality issues, explained that delays with state confirmation are likely due to state staffing
shortages, and that it would be rare for a state wetlands approval to differ materially from
Fitzgerald’s findings.
Kestrel Data: Based on an email from VINS biologist Jim Armbruster, it appears that there was
another successful kestrel nest this season in South Hero! Bridget K. will follow up with Jim at
VINS to confirm and get details and then submit a Front Porch Forum post to inform the South
Hero community & neighboring towns about this season’s kestrel news.
County-wide Conservation: There was a discussion about the block party events hosted by
other conservation organizations, including the SHLT. Mark will reach out to Molly Varner of the
Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District (GICNRCD) and invite her to attend
a future CC meeting so that the SHCC could be more involved in county-wide conservation
collaboration.
Proposed Green Up Day central planning: Green Up Day Vermont contacted the CC about a
pilot program for collecting statewide data and online sign-up systems for road sections and
volunteers via an app. The CC already collects more data (formal and informal) than this pilot
program proposes. After some discussion, it was agreed that being involved in this pilot program
would require more work for CC members and, more importantly, could potentially complicate
things for our regular volunteers. Bob has drafted an email to Kate Albirghini, which he will
share with CC members before replying to her invite.
CC Membership – additional recruitment: Bridget will invite residents who attended the June
Lavin Community Walk to the Lavin Visioning event on August, 18.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 18, 6-8 pm at Folsom School Gym; CC members will attend
and participate in the Lavin Property Community Visioning Event as a board.
Adjourn: 6:30 pm
These minutes are unofficial until approved at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Submitted by Bridget Kerr, CC Clerk