Article 12-F Section 239-X of the NYS General Municipal Law enables the local legislative body of any city, town or village to establish a Conservation Advisory Council to advise in the development, management and protection of its natural resources. CACs are strictly advisory bodies.

A local legislative body, for example the Town Board, may create a CAC in one of these ways:

•  A resolution can be drafted pursuant to Section 239-X to establish a council

•  A council can be created by ordinance

•  A council can be created by local law. Since adopting a proposed local law requires a public
hearing, this hearing provides the opportunity to explain the purpose and usefulness of a
conservation council.

CACs are sanctioned to perform the following activities:

•  Land research including open space, wetlands and natural resource inventories and maps

•  Advising, cooperating and working with other unofficial and official municipal agencies involved in similar activities

•  Publishing informational and educational literature

•  Preparation of an annual report

Membership

Section 239–X states that CACs shall consist of not less than three nor more than nine members who shall be appointed by the local legislative body and serve at the pleasure of such body for a term not exceeding two years, with subsequent reappointment at the pleasure of the legislative body. Up to two additional members may also be appointed who are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one.

It is important for members to realize that the CAC is an advisory body. The key to an effective CAC is establishing good working relationships with the approval authorities. It is advisable to have a council with a wide range of varying backgrounds and viewpoints with geographic diversity in the town who are willing to cooperate and work as a unified body. The legislative body appoints the chairperson. Members must be willing to meet once or twice a month on set dates.

For further information two publications may be helpful:

Conservation Advisory Councils and Boards: A Guide to the Organization and Operation of Local Environmental Advisory Councils
by the Westchester County Environmental Management Council

Primer for Local Officials and Citizens: Local Land Use Law and Practice in New York
by John R. Nolon Well Grounded Practice Series of Pace University School of Law