Madison Conservation Commission Elects Vice Chair, Eyes Natural Resource Inventory Consultant

Conservation · Meeting of April 24, 2025

CT MADISON — Madison Conservation Commission fills leadership gap and advances long-delayed natural resource inventory. The commission unanimously elected member Cecilia as vice chair at its April 24 meeting, filling a role Chair Heather said was needed to keep the body functional. Town Planner Erin told the commission she would circulate sample requests for proposals so the panel can scope a natural resources inventory the town is statutorily required to have but has never completed — an oversight dating to at least 2011.

A consultant has estimated the project at between $20,000 and $50,000, with funding expected from a dedicated town planning fund subject to First Selectman Peggy Lyons's approval. The commission also discussed a potential consolidation with the Inland Wetlands Agency, which currently has four of its seven regular member seats vacant, though Erin cautioned that statutory minority-party representation requirements could complicate a merger under both boards' current compositions.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of April 24, 2025, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

MADISON — April 24, 2025 — The Madison Conservation Commission elected a vice chair, took preliminary steps toward hiring a consultant for a long-overdue natural resource inventory, and discussed a potential merger with the Inland Wetlands Agency at its April 24 meeting.

Commission Chair Heather opened the meeting with seven members present, noting that member Alex was absent. The commission moved through a packed agenda that included spring outreach planning, a discussion of the commission's possible restructuring, and a unanimous vote to nominate a community member for an environmental award.

The Full Story

The most consequential organizational action of the evening was the unanimous election of Cecilia as vice chair. Cecilia, who had been attending as a newer commission member, nominated herself from the floor after Chair Heather described the role as primarily learning the chair's duties and running meetings in her absence. Member Sophia seconded the nomination. The vote was unanimous.

"I'm interested in helping to kind of organize the meeting and the agenda setting and timekeeping to make sure that we're really sticking to a tight and efficient meeting," Cecilia said. "If that's part of it, I'm happy to jump in and do it."

The commission spent the bulk of its meeting discussing its primary 2025 goal: completing a natural resources inventory, or NRI, which is required by state statute and which Madison has never produced. Chair Heather noted the commission was formed nearly 20 years ago and has made previous attempts at the inventory in 2010 and again around 2018 or 2019. Town Planner Erin told the commission she would circulate three or four sample requests for proposals from other municipalities, along with the relevant state statute, so members could weigh in on the scope of the project. A consultant named Jim Nordgren, described as having experience conducting natural resource inventories in western Connecticut and into New York state, had previously estimated the cost at between $20,000 and $50,000. The commission discussed aiming to issue a request for proposals by August, with the goal of having a consultant under contract by October.

"If we're trying to get someone in by end of the summer, we do need to start moving on this sooner rather than later," Town Planner Erin said. "Summer is July and August and it always goes so much faster than we think."

A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to whether the Conservation Commission should merge with the Inland Wetlands Agency, which currently has four vacancies among its seven regular member seats and three alternate seats. Town Planner Erin said both bodies have struggled to reach quorum and that consolidation aligns with a goal articulated in the town's recent charter rewrite to reduce the number of boards and committees. She said she has worked in communities, including the city of Norwalk, where the conservation commission successfully served as the inland wetlands agency simultaneously. She cautioned, however, that a statutory requirement for minority-party representation could complicate any merger under the current composition of both boards, noting the two bodies are both heavily aligned with one party. Any consolidation would require a selectmen's vote, an ordinance change, and a public hearing. Commission members raised concerns that absorbing the regulatory role of the wetlands agency could crowd out the commission's advisory, outreach, and advocacy work, a dynamic Town Planner Erin said other communities had navigated with varying success. No vote was taken on the question. Erin said she had not yet approached the Inland Wetlands Agency chair, identified as Kealoha, about the idea.

The commission also voted unanimously to submit a nomination for community member Fran Brady for an Environmental Champions Award offered by a water company, with Chair Heather, Secretary Sophia, and member Terry agreeing to complete the application before the May 9 deadline. Earlier in the meeting, the commission heard an update from high school Eco Club member Aubrey, who described Earth Day trivia events and a school-wide hydroponics initiative underway at Madison's high school.

Why It Matters

Madison has been out of compliance with the state statute requiring a natural resource inventory for well over a decade, and commission members acknowledged the town has never completed one. The inventory, once finished, is intended to serve as a foundation for the town's open space plan, inform zoning and land-use decisions, and provide data for boards reviewing development applications. The commission's parallel discussion of a potential merger with the Inland Wetlands Agency could reshape how Madison handles both conservation outreach and wetlands regulation going forward, affecting applicants who come before both bodies and volunteers who sit on them. The next concrete step is Town Planner Erin circulating sample RFP documents for commission review.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Election of Cecilia as Vice Chair of the Conservation Commission Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Authorization to submit a nomination for Fran Brady for the Environmental Champions Award, with Chair Heather, Secretary Sophia, and member Terry working on the application before May 9 Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Madison's community access TV: Conservation Commission meeting, April 24, 2025