Madison Conservation Commission Prepares Earth Day Cleanup, Advances Natural Resource Inventory Review

Conservation · Meeting of April 22, 2026

CT MADISON — Madison's Conservation Commission finalized Green-Up Clean-Up assignments and moved toward issuing a Request for Qualifications for a Natural Resource Inventory at its April 22 meeting. Chair Amy Thomas and members Terry Vandendolder, Heather Crawford, Jon Cohen, and Sufia Uddin assigned themselves to three April 25 cleanup sites — North Madison Congregational Church, Bauer Park, and Memorial Town Hall — and authorized a "weirdest trash" photo competition. Crawford said the RFQ, developed from a draft prepared by a town staff member identified as Erin, could go out as early as April 28 but will wait for the Tree Advisory Committee to vote on a formal "notable tree" definition, which sets a default threshold of 18 inches diameter at breast height.

The commission also began reviewing a reorganized zoning regulations draft, flagging sections on light trespass, tree preservation during construction, and coastal habitat, and voted unanimously to request a table at a town advocacy fair on April 29 at Memorial Town Hall.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,019 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of April 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

MADISON — April 22, 2026 — The Madison Conservation Commission finalized site assignments for its annual Green-Up Clean-Up event, advanced a Request for Qualifications for a Natural Resource Inventory, and began reviewing a reorganized draft of the town's zoning regulations at its April 22 meeting.

Five members were present — Chair Amy Thomas, Terry Vandendolder, Heather Crawford, Jon Cohen, and Sufia Uddin — along with Richard Talentino, a prospective member who attended after applying for a seat on the commission roughly six months ago.

The Full Story

The commission devoted a substantial portion of its meeting to logistics for the April 25 Green-Up Clean-Up, a community trash pickup running from 8 a.m. to noon. Members assigned themselves across three locations: Thomas and Talentino to North Madison Congregational Church, Vandendolder and a member identified only as Alex to Bauer Park, and Cohen and Thomas to Memorial Town Hall, where staff member Austin Hall from Beach and Recreation will manage a downtown booth. A "weirdest trash" photo competition was authorized, with submissions directed to Hall. Members noted a roughly 70 percent chance of rain Saturday morning and encouraged participants to treat the event's start as flexible.

Vandendolder reported posting Green-Up promotions to several Facebook pages, including Madison Comet CT, and said the commission received feedback suggesting herbicide, pesticide, and rodenticide language had been dropped from a published list of 10 clean-up items and should be restored for next year. Thomas said she was considering a letter to the editor drawing attention to two conservation-themed banners the commission had placed on Route 79 near CVS.

On the Natural Resource Inventory, the commission voted to reframe its procurement as a Request for Qualifications rather than a Request for Proposals, a change Heather Crawford had discussed earlier in the day with a contact identified only as Erin in the town's finance office. The finance office had asked for a projected budget figure; Crawford explained that an RFQ format allows the commission to solicit qualifications and cost estimates from consultants without committing to a fixed price upfront. Crawford said she could send the RFQ out as early as the following Monday, pending final language. The commission agreed to hold the document until the Tree Advisory Committee — which has been asked by the Board of Selectmen to fold a notable-tree inventory into the NRI — votes on definition language for "notable trees" at a planned special meeting. A draft definition shared by a Tree Advisory Committee member identified only as Fran during the meeting specifies that any tree with a diameter at breast height greater than 18 inches may automatically qualify, with final determination by the Tree Advisory Committee or the town tree warden.

"The idea is that, to the best of our ability, notable trees will be protected and will be included, hopefully, in the analysis by planning and zoning." [No timestamp index provided] — Richard Talentino, prospective commission member

The commission also reviewed the table of contents of a reorganized draft of Madison's zoning regulations, which Crawford said must address state-mandated amendments — specifically those required by Public Act 25-1, which allows residential developments of two to nine units in commercial zones — before a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing scheduled for May 7. Members identified sections on soil erosion, stormwater management, floodplain districts, and coastal zone regulations as priorities for Conservation Commission input and said they aim to have recommendations ready by July, when section-by-section review is expected to begin.

"We're trying to get the planning and zoning commission to understand that dark-sky compliant just means it points down — it doesn't reduce the problem with light trespass." [No timestamp index provided] — Amy Thomas, chair

A discussion of potential summer intern projects generated several ideas, including a tree survey along the Shoreline Greenway Trail, a ground-truth comparison of a 1976 bicentennial tree map against current conditions on the town green, and collaborative invasive-species removal work. Crawford said a town staff member identified only as Erin confirmed that budget funds must be spent by June 30 and that intern positions may be a viable use of the remaining money. The commission identified at least three college-level candidates — referred to as Carolyn, Jane, and Maya — plus high school member Aubrey as potential interns.

Finally, commission member Uddin raised a town advocacy event scheduled for April 29 at Memorial Town Hall, 6 to 9 p.m., organized by the Madison Democratic Committee. The commission voted to request a table at the event, where members said they would discuss light pollution, tree preservation, and commission outreach.

"We get people — we tell people about where to, you know — we can, if we only have three minutes, use that time to let them know we are here and what we do and how to contact us or get involved." [No timestamp index provided] — Sufia Uddin, commission member

Why It Matters

The commission's two most consequential threads have direct bearing on Madison's land-use future. The Natural Resource Inventory, once scoped and funded, will provide the baseline data needed for the town to assess tree canopy, coastal habitats, and notable trees on public property — information that planners and regulators currently lack. Members noted that without an official list of notable trees, there is no mechanism to require their identification or protection during development review.

The zoning regulations review carries a near-term deadline: Planning and Zoning must adopt procedures for small residential developments in commercial zones before state requirements take effect, with a public hearing set for May 7. The Conservation Commission intends to submit recommendations on tree preservation, light management, and coastal language as that section-by-section revision unfolds beginning in July.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Add discussion of Conservation Commission participation in the April 29 town advocacy event to the agenda Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Request a table at the April 29 town advocacy event at Memorial Town Hall Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Approval of minutes from the March 25, 2026 meeting — Tabled to May 2026 meeting

Source

Madison's community access TV: Conservation Commission meeting, April 22, 2026