About the Conservation Advisory Council

The Conservation Advisory Council shall have the following powers and duties:

1. To conduct research into the land area of the municipality for which it was created.
2. To seek to coordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes and to cooperate with other official City bodies active in the area of community planning for the City of Peekskill.
3. To advertise, prepare, print, and distribute books, maps, charts, plans, and pamphlets.
4. To keep an inventory and map, as defined in § 239-y of Article 12-F of the General Municipal Law, of all open areas within the City of Peekskill with the plan of obtaining information pertinent to proper utilization of such open lands, including lands owned by the state, any other municipality within the state or by the City of Peekskill itself.
5. To keep an inventory and map of all open marshlands, swamps, and all other wetlands in a like manner, and it may recommend to the Common Council a program for ecologically suitable utilization of all such areas.
6. To help build awareness and support for the management and protection of Peekskill's natural resources and parks, including but not limited to recommending, on referral from the Common Council or Planning Commission, environmental ordinances for consideration by the Common Council; reviewing Environmental Impact Statements, on referral from the Common Council or Planning Commission; reviewing site plans and special permits for land use projects, on referral from the Common Council or Planning Commission; advising the Common Council, and Planning Commission on policy matters related to the protection of natural resources and the overall quality of the environment in Peekskill; and advising the City Manager at his or her request on administrative matters related to the protection of natural resources and the environment in the City.
7. To be a source of public information in the City and to foster an increased understanding of conservation and environmental issues.
8. To organize volunteers for conservation projects as needed.
9. To identify funding opportunities for conservation projects.
10. To keep accurate records of its meetings and actions, it shall file an annual report with the Common Council on or before the 31st day of December of each and every year. Once approved, the Common Council shall forward a copy of this report to the State Commissioner of Environmental Conservation.
11. To carry out any other duties, tasks, or responsibilities, consistent with the objectives of Article 12-F of the General Municipal Law, assigned to it by resolution of the Common Council.