Mission:

Our mission is to ensure the responsible and sustainable management of our natural resources. Working together with the community and local government we provide informed guidance and support for the protection, preservation, and resiliency preparedness of our environment.
Our values include:

1. Environmental Preservation: We are committed to conserving and restoring our local environment, maintaining its ecological health.
2. Sustainability: We promote practices that balance environmental, social, and economic needs.
3. Scientific Integrity: We base our recommendations on scientific knowledge to make informed decisions.
4. Community Engagement: We involve and educate community members to encourage their active participation in conservation efforts.
5. Collaboration: We work with local partners to address conservation issues effectively.
6. Advocacy: We advocate for policies that support habitat protection and educate the public on conservation importance.

Our goal is to be a source of knowledge and support, ensuring that our community is equipped to protect our natural environment for future 

What We Do:

Our activities are varied, but each play a crucial role in promoting responsible environmental stewardship of place we all call home.

• Using all available data, we identify and prioritize areas for open space preservation or conservation easements and work to acquire and protect natural areas, parks, and green spaces for the benefit of the community.
• Make recommendations to the Town Board for changes in the existing local laws and ordinances relating to environmental control, or new local laws and ordinances when needed.
• Review development proposals and conduct site visits to ensure adherence to environmental regulations and best practices. We make recommendations to mitigate any potential harm to natural resources.
• Organize educational programs, workshops, and outreach events to foster increased understanding and encourage active participation in conservation, sustainability and climate resiliency practices. 
• Participate in public meetings and hearings to engage with the community, gather input, and discuss conservation-related matters, such as land use policies, ordinances, and development proposals.
• Collaborate with our Town’s municipal departments and boards, such as the Town, Planning, and Zoning Boards and the Planning and Community Development Department. 
• Represent the interests of the CAC on various projects and committees such as Quarry Redevelopment and LWRP projects.
• Maintain liaison and communications with public and private agencies and organizations of local, state, and national scope, whose programs and activities have an impact on the quality of the environment.

Who We Are:

Wendy Talio, Chair  
Paul Buckout, Vice Chair
Anthony Carbone
Mark Barth
MaryBeth Knecht
Ramsey Salcedo
Patrick Thomas
Chris Vargo

Interested in joining us?  While expertise in a particular focus area of conservation is advantageous, it is not a requirement. We look for team players with diverse perspectives who share our values, are committed to the long-term sustainability of our environment and are willing to learn and actively participate. For more information, contact claudiav@townofcortlandt.com

ProjectS – 

New Food Scrap Drop-Off Program is here! 

Food scraps are one of the largest components of trash sent to landfills and incinerators. In a landfill, food scraps create methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas that traps CO2 and contributes to global warming. When sent to an incinerator, food scraps reduce the efficiency of the incinerator because they contain water and therefore don't burn well.

Now there is a better alternative – recycle your scraps  into compost.  Click here to learn more. 

Open Space Plan Updates:

Work has begun to review progress to date on protection efforts identified in the Town’s 2004 Open Space Report. This is in preparation for creating a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) that compiles and describes all important, naturally occurring resources (such as forests, streams, wildlife habitat, soils, and bedrock geology) and also includes cultural resources, such as agricultural, historic, scenic, and recreational assets.
The NRI will then be used to update the Open Space Plan and inform continued action. Here are links to prior related reports that form a starting point for the NRI.

Open Space Report 2004
Historical Roads Study
Resiliency Report 2019

Reference Links:

Learning

CAC Fact Sheet

NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation: Webinars

Organizations:

Federated Conservationist of Westchester County
New York State Association of Conservation Commissions

New York State Federation of Lake Associations
Scenic Hudson
Sustainable Westchester
Westchester Association for Sustainable Solutions
Westchester Land Trust