Natural Resources Inventory mapping tool moves toward town adoption; board readies Arbor Day distribution

Members described the town's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) and an associated mapping tool that aggregates dozens of layers — wetlands, soils, tree inventories and other ecological data — and said the tool is hosted by Grand Island while the town works on integration with municipal GIS.

A Committee member said the mapping tool has "60-something layers" and that the team is working to make it accessible on the town website so residents and reviewers can layer data for parcels of interest. The board agreed the easiest route to official adoption would be a town resolution, which several members said has fewer procedural hurdles than other adoption methods.

Separately, the group discussed Arbor Day preparations. An organizer reported that Erie County Soil and Water confirmed receipt of the order and that the pickup will proceed; the order included 50 river birch, 50 white oak, 50 tulip trees, 50 sycamore, 20 American chestnut and 20 white pine, plus a 50–100 shrubs order for community distribution. The Arbor Day event and tree list are intended to support a Tree City USA designation, which requires an annual Arbor Day event.

Members discussed publicizing the NRI and a short checklist to explain triggers for when property matters should be routed to the LWRP or advisory boards. They also discussed grant-writing needs and the potential to hire a grant writer to help the town use the NRI for grant scoring and applications.

Next steps: continue drafting a resolution for NRI adoption, work on integrating the mapping tool with town GIS, prepare and publicize Arbor Day distribution and pursue grant-writer procurement.