Many aspects of climate adaptation and mitigation boil down to local land use. Local governments guide future development, as well as preservation of natural areas, through planning and land use regulations. Our partners at the New York State Hudson River Estuary Program will provide a basic overview of how communities can incorporate conservation and climate adaptation strategies into local planning and regulatory systems. We’ll learn how comprehensive plans, natural resource inventories, open space plans, and zoning can be used as powerful tools toward achieving climate and ecological goals. We’ll then hear from an environmental leader in Ancram (Columbia County) on how her town did just that. 

Moderator: Paige Ruane, Founding Partner, Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley

Speakers:

• Christine Vanderlan, Conservation and Land Use Specialist, NYS Hudson River Estuary Program

• Colleen Lutz, Ancram Climate Smart Community Task Force Member and Representative to the Columbia County Environmental Management Council, and Assistant Biologist for the New York Natural Heritage Program