Daily archive for January 15, 2020

Dear Friends, It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as the President of NYSACC for the last 30 years.  I want to welcome Simon Skolnik, Chair of the Town of Bedford Conservation Board and former NYSACC Vice President, into his new position as President of our fine organization.  For 25 years, he has been my steadfast supporter.  We are lucky to have him, with his fresh ideas and clear vision for NYSACC.  He will bring us a wonderful Conference this year in Westchester.  The NYSACC Board of Directors has bestowed upon me the honorable title of President Emeritus.  I am glad to continue in this new role. I’ve become sentimental about my time with NYSACC, especially as I look over old editions of NYSACC News.  Here, you can see my first President’s Message, from January 1990. I was surprised to read that many of the environmental issues that plagued New York State in 1990 remain equally concerning today.  But now we have added a bigger issue: climate change.   Our country isn’t where I’d like it to be environmentally, and I wish we were making a positive impact on the world’s environment.  We must

Many of you are familiar with educational credits required by the state for members of regulatory commissions, such as planning boards and zoning boards of appeal.   ELLA works with agencies like the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to provide credit-based workshops whenever possible and hopes to renew its Conservation Accreditation Program (CAP) in the future.  We all know the responsibility we have been given by our own municipalities to submit the best scientific information we can provide to assist them in making decisions on matters of great importance.  Having a system in which we can maintain a level of education, be it voluntary or mandatory, would be a tremendous asset for our groups.  If you are interested in learning more about this program, please contact  nysaccofficemanager@gmail.com.

The Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA), first introduced in 2007, was relaunched in 2019.  The Alliance currently brings together members of 22 municipal conservation commissions from the lower Hudson Valley that serve as advisors to town councils, planning boards and zoning commissions on critical land use decisions and other important environmental matters. ELLA provides a much-needed mechanism for improving communication between municipalities on regional environmental issues that cross political boundaries.  The more knowledgeable Alliance members become in relevant technical matters and best management practices, the more effective they will be at guiding their town’s zoning and permitting officials and policy decision-makers. Bringing a broad range of expertise, ELLA members are provided a forum to share their experiences and learn from each other in order to create lasting change. Members participate in quarterly training workshops, share lessons learned, and build inter-municipal solutions to regional environmental issues. Teatown Lake Reservation, in partnership with Pace University and the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, serves as the convener and administrator of ELLA.  With its unique team learning approach, the Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance aims to positively influence future environmental decisions in the Hudson Valley, and to become a model for other regional networks throughout