Mission:
At the annual Town Meeting, March, 1969, in accordance with RSA 36-A, Sutton voters established the Sutton Conservation Commission, and charged the Commission with the protection, utilization, and management of Sutton’s natural resources.
The Sutton Conservation Commission is a member of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions, Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, New Hampshire Lakes Association, Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition.
In addition, the Commission routinely works in close co-ordination with a variety of State agencies, including the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Wetlands Bureau, New Hampshire Department of Economic Resources and Development Trails Bureau, New Hampshire Division of Forestry and Lands, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Services, University of New Hampshire Environmental Studies Program.
Responsibilities:
The Conservation Commission meets once a month, or more frequently as required, for the purposes of:
l reviewing current applications for wetlands activity, and preparing comments to the Wetlands Bureau if appropriate;
l reviewing proposed timber harvests, and submitting comments to the Town’s Timber Monitor if appropriate, and particularly in light of potential impact to adjacent or on-site wetlands;
l development of land protection criteria and researching potential conservation lands within Sutton which meet those criteria;
l development of outreach efforts and preparation of educational presentations;
l facilitation and preparation of conservation easements and other open space protective measures;
l preparation of management plans for properties currently under the auspices of the Sutton Conservation Commission, and scheduling implementation of those plans as well as monitoring efforts, often in coordination with Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust.
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