Put it in Writing: How Local Governments Can Plan for Climate Change

Many aspects of climate adaptation and mitigation boil down to local land use. Through planning and land use regulations, local officials make decisions that determine the breadth and location of allowable development and the preservation of natural areas.

This webinar will provide a basic overview of how communities can incorporate conservation and climate adaptation strategies into planning and regulatory systems. We will discuss how comprehensive plans, natural resource inventories, open space plans, and zoning can be used as powerful tools toward achieving climate and ecological goals. We will then hear from an environmental leader in Ancram (Columbia County) on how her town did just that.

Speakers:
Christine Vanderlan, Conservation and Land Use Specialist, Hudson River Estuary Program/Cornell University
Colleen Lutz, Ancram Climate Smart Community Task Force Member, Columbia County Environmental Management Council Representative, and Assistant Biologist, NY Natural Heritage Program