The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance will partner with Hudsonia Ltd. and the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program to host two land use planning workshops, on October 1 and 18. The workshops will introduce ecological maps created for the Plateau’s 11 municipalities that can inform planning and project review in Plateau towns. Participants will work hands-on with the maps to identify important natural resources, apply conservation principles and discuss strategies for conserving forests, wildlife and water resources through townwide policy, planning and project reviews.
“The maps from the Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan highlight extraordinary natural features that are central to our community’s character and quality of life – places for healthy family activities and recreation, sustainable forestry, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and more,” according to President Jim Bonesteel.
The workshops will be led by Gretchen Stevens, a biologist with Hudsonia Ltd., a non-profit, non-advocacy environmental research and education institute based in Dutchess County and working throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond. Funding for the events has been provided by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program. The workshops are free of charge.
The first workshop will be held on Wednesday, October 1, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm in the Brunswick Community Center, 18 Keyes Lane. A second workshop will be held on Saturday, October 18, from 9 am to 1 pm at Sand Lake Town Hall, 8428 NYS Route 66. To register, contact Leah Ceperley at 845-758-7053 or lceperle@bard.edu. Space is limited, and preference will be given to members of town boards, planning boards, conservation advisory councils, land trust staff and other agencies and conservation organizations directly involved in environmental reviews and land use planning. Self-certification forms for four hours of municipal training credit will be provided.
For more information on the Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan maps, please visit www.rensselaerplateau.org.
