Conservation Advisory Council
The Town of North East’s Conservation Advisory Council is the community’s municipal resource for conservation guidance. Appointed by the Town Board, its volunteer members are dedicated to preserving, protecting, and making more resilient the Town’s natural and environmental resources to the best understanding of current science and sound environmental management practices. CAC members are particularly focused on maintaining the integrity of ecosystems, with special focus on protecting fragile, existing habitats. They also provide information on present and future impacts of climate warming on the health, safety, and property of the community and its inhabitants.
In particular, they work towards realizing these goals from the Town Comprehensive Plan:
- Protect the natural environment, ecosystems and open spaces in a resilient and sustainable way and restore where feasible
- Maintain and protect the natural beauty, rural character, and scenic resources of the community.
- Protect our valuable farmlands, support our farms and their products, and encourage the continuation and diversification of agricultural activities.
- Rich Stalzer, Chair
- Kathy Chow
- Diane Engleke
- Tom Parrett
- Camillo Rojas
- Margaret Rubin
- Andrew Stayman
- Kak Weathers
Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The Town of North East and the Village of Millerton each registered as a Climate Smart Community in 2018. The Town of North East earned Bronze Certification in 2022 supported by the joint North East/Millerton Climate Smart Task Force.
Here are links to some of the current, future, and work-in-progress projects: