08-04-2026 Conservation Agenda Packet

Marianne Plunder, Chair TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY Judith Murphy, Vice Chair Conservation Committee Meeting Megan Richards, Secretary Nona Chiariello, Member August 4, 2026 Teresa Coleman, Member 5:30 PM Sarah Gilbert, Member Eliza Low, Student Member Chris Morace, Member Dieter Walz, Member AGENDA HISTORIC SCHOOLHOUSE– 765 PORTOLA RD. – PORTOLA VALLEY, CA REMOTE MEETING ADVISORY: On March 1, 2023, all committees in Portola Valley will return to conducting in-person meetings. A Zoom link will be provided for members of the public to participate remotely; however, the Town cannot guarantee there will be no technical issues with the software during the meeting. For best public participation results, attending the meeting in-person is advised. ASSISTANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Town Clerk at (650) 851-1700 or by email at towncenter@portolavalley.net. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the Town to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION VIA ZOOM To access the meeting by computer: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87992926554?pwd=693De433oOBsYZZvbM4TyHpbDIYC99.1 Meeting ID: 879 9292 6554 Passcode: 369532 To access the meeting by phone: 1-669-900-6833 or 1-888-788-0099 (toll free) 1. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL 2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA a. Speaker’s time is limited to three minutes. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES July 7, 2026 4. COMMITTEE BUSINESS a. Membership update i. Kori Anne Bagrowsky submitted her application. TC approval on the 8/26/2026 agenda ii. Remote participation with voting rights iii. Subcommittee spreadsheet (FYI - Appendix D) 5. OLD BUSINESS a. Tip of the Month (Richards) b. What’s Blooming Now (Chiariello) c. Committee / Townwide Cooperation i. Conservation Committee duties & code - Objective design standards subcommittee (Murphy lead) i. Get TC support ii. Work closely with ASCC ii. Redwood Guidelines Subcommittee Report, Appendix A (Chiariello) iii. Community Engagement Subcommittee Report, Appendix B (Murphy) iv. Nature App Sub Committee - C. Morace (lead) plans to demo the working prototype to the full committee in September, with a rollout plan to follow. No committee action is needed. - v. Committee liaison reports - Wildfire Preparedness Update (Appendix C) - Open Space - Trails - ASCC - Other 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Report on new beetles threat (Chiariello) 7. SITE REVIEWS - None 8. TREE PERMITS a. 22 Groce (pending) b. 1375 Westridge Drive (done) c. 43 Hillbrook Dr. (done) d. 747 Westridge Dr. (done) e. 20 Bow Way (done) f. 600 Westridge Dr. (done) g. 4580 Alpine Road (done) 9. TABLED ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION WHEN UPDATES AVAILABLE a. Biocide Subcommittee (Chiariello) b. Subcommittee on wildlife-friendly fencing (Plunder) c. Conservation Committee duties & Code Subcommittee (Plunder) 1. Town Manager proposed meeting with Planning (TBD) 2. Open issues - Codified – Approved Plant list - Semi-codified – Review of Landscaping plans - Discretionary – Wildlife corridors & habitat preservation - 5.c.i 3. Conservation Committee Charter updates d. Town Picnic Subcommittee (Murphy, Plunder) i. Plunder to liaise with Holly Cormier, SPCA for tabling e. Cooperation with WASC (Plunder) f. Owl box community project (Low) 10. ADJOURNMENT a. The next regularly scheduled meeting date is September1, 2026, at 5:30pm The Town of Portola Valley acknowledges the colonial history of this land we dwell upon—the unceded territory of the Ramaytush (rah-my-toosh) Ohlone, Tamien Nation, and Muwekma (mah-WEK-mah) Ohlone, who endured a human and cultural genocide that included removal from their lands and their sacred relationship to the land. Portola Valley recognizes that we profit from the commodification of land seized from indigenous peoples and now bear the ecological consequences. We seek to understand the impact of these legacies on all beings and to find ways to make repair. Marianne Plunder, Chair TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY Judith Murphy, Vice Chair Conservation Committee Meeting Megan Richards, Secretary Nona Chiariello, Member Jul 07, 2026 Teresa Coleman, Member 5:30 PM Sarah Gilbert, Member Eliza Low, Student Member (honorary) Christopher Morace, Member Dieter Walz, Member MEETING MINUTES - DRAFT 1. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 5:32 Members present: M. Plunder, M. Richards, J. Murphy, S. Gilbert, T. Coleman, J. Zimmermann, D. Walz Members absent: C. Morace, E. Low, N. Chiariello Also present: D. Smith, R. Flynn (Town liaison), S. Cawrse Attendance Via zoom: K. A. Bagrowski, D. Cardinal 2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA a. J. Murphy offered a remembrance for Jane Bourne, who participated on the Committee for a number of years and recently passed away. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Jun 02, 2026 a. Approved unanimously with one clarification from Judy: i. Edit item 5.c.i to read “Midpen approved the [parking] concept plan” 4. COMMITTEE BUSINESS a. Membership update: J. Zimmermann submitted his resignation; the Committee thanks J. Zimmermann for his years of dedicated service. b. Kori Ann Bagrowski expressed her interest in joining the committee and introduced herself as an avid gardener and president of Westridge Garden Club, with an interest in native plants and the local ecology and a background in biology; as a homeowner, she has had to work with permitting agencies to restore Corte Madera Creek. She connected with Marianne over the death of a bobcat, possibly by secondary poisoning. 5. OLD BUSINESS a. Tip of the Month (Richards): Planning the garden in July i. M. Plunder noted that upcoming Town Newsletter due dates are 7/14 and 8/4 b. What’s blooming now (Chiariello): Coyote Mint and Yarrow, recently posted on Forum c. Committee / Townwide Cooperation i. Liaison reports: (none) ii. PV Post article (FYI, Appendix A): not discussed iii. Biocide subcommittee report - update (Chiariello, Gilbert) 1. Committee is addressing all pesticides and herbicides 2. Met with S. Weber (Public Works) to discuss the extent and management of reports on PV Connect; dead animals are rarely reported on PVConnect compared with the quantity tracked by the humane society; has not received reports of sick animals; is open to the Committee directing reports to PVConnect. 3. Subcommittee discussed methods to determine the possible extent of a rodenticide issue in town, if there is one, but data are not available; dead animals that are picked up are not tested or photographed. 4. Recently crafted and posted PV Forum email (Appendix B) 5. D. Smith: PVConnect app is no longer supported, may be replaced. PVConnect can still be accessed via the Town website - Public Works is acting as a middleman; residents could be directed to the Humane Society directly. Updated Town Website will provide residents with this information. Urgent cases can be reported directly to the Town by phone. - Consider inviting Humane Society to table at an upcoming event. 6. M. Plunder: Humane Society is limited in what they can respond to. 7. M. Plunder suggests that the subcommittee investigate additional options for rodent control as residents have been reporting infestations and asking for guidance. iv. Subcommittee on wildlife-friendly fencing - update (Plunder) 1. Discussion: How important is the conversation around wildlife corridors and habitat preservation for the Committee? 2. J. Murphy, S. Gilbert and D. Walz expressed that wildlife corridors and preservation are important to the Committee’s mission 3. T. Coleman: Anything we move forward should influence both existing properties and proposed improvements - M. Plunder agreed the greatest impact would be to address both 4. J. Murphy: Questions the power of the Committee to institute retroactive code changes; may be limited to educational efforts - T. Coleman: Make sure that what we pursue has appropriate Town Council support, and that we should look for that support as early in the process as possible. 5. R. Flynn: welcomes input from Committees, but new proposals need to consider constraints of Town operations. Suggests looking to collaborate with work that is actively being pursued. E.g. objective requirements of the design guidelines may become a priority for Council. - T. Coleman: Design guidelines could be an ideal opportunity to take a broader approach than one focused on fencing. 6. D. Cardinal supports the Committee’s goals 7. M. Plunder: Consider engaging the community at large to learn how residents envision the Town; do the Founding Vision and the