The Village of New Paltz  

Environmental   Conservation   Commission

The Village of New Paltz Environmental Conservation Commission (EnCC) is a commission appointed by the New Paltz Village Board authorized by state law to protect the environment in the Village of New Paltz. The EnCC has been offering internships to SUNY students since 2005. Interns work directly with the commissioners and the mayor of New Paltz. This internship is ideal for SUNY students as the EnCC meets one block from campus and the fieldwork takes place less than one mile from campus. Interns who can commit to more than one semester may join the commission as official members, building their resumes while being active participants in their local government. Students will be put in touch with local experts in the field and have access to the latest, maps, data, and institutional knowledge. They may qualify for various stipends, grants and scholarships from both campus and the village depending on the project and the students’ ability and degree of commitment.

EnCC internships 08 and 09

• The EnCC will be responsible for providing interns with training, information about projects in the community, and contact with professional consultants.
• The EnCC has the possibility of providing stipends and will assist the intern in finding and applying for scholarships.
• Interns have the opportunity to become commissioners.  This is a resume booster that shows civic responsibility.

The following positions are available for the Fall of 08 and the Spring/Summer of 09

Millbrook Preserve Project Assistant

This long term project involves preserving a wooded wetland area as a central park for the village of New Paltz. Our commission encourages students to design studies and also affords several opportunities in ongoing work involving data collection, analysis and public outreach. Students interested in the environmental sciences (including but not limited to biology, geology, chemistry) can take part in our ongoing water testing and habitat assessment research. Students interested in geography can map various attributes of the park & surrounding region, and students in other fields can contribute to filming, photo-documentation and public outreach for the project. There are also political and legal aspects of land use and conservation that make excellent subjects for student research and participation in local government.

Riparian Survey and Restoration Project Manager

One of the largest streams is the Millbrook stream which runs through the Millbrook Preserve and along the rail trail to the Wallkill River. The portion of the stream along the rail trail is highly impacted and faces a great amount of erosion. Every spring there is a riparian tree give-away hosted by the department of environmental conservation. This internship is to survey the streams in New Paltz for a suitability analysis of riparian tree plantings in different locations as a mechanism for controlling erosion and improving habitat. The intern will also work with other volunteers to plant riparian trees.

Village of New Paltz Planning Board Liaison

The EnCC will provide the intern with draft environmental impact statements and consultant’s comments, and information about pending developments.

Intern will attend Planning Board meetings and public hearings about one or more developments, take notes, and report back to the EnCC.

Local Pesticide Initiative

The EnCC will provide the intern with research about pesticides and alternative practices

An immediate goal is for the intern to convince the largest apartment building complexes New Paltz to stop using pesticides. The intern will also assist a local pesticide reducing initiative with educational outreach.

R2R (Reduce to Reuse) Community Liaison (available in the Spring)

The EnCC will provide the intern with background information on the project and introduced to the local charities. Intern will attend SUNY Environmental Task Force meetings when R2R is on the agenda. The intern will also volunteer at the local charities who benefit (St. Boscoes foster home and Family of New Paltz) to better assess their needs and to facilitate the distribution of goods to them.

Alternative Sewage Treatment Initiative

The EnCC will provide the intern with a tour and explanation of the village sewage treatment plant. The intern will compile and chart data from the current operating system and do research on the expansion of the Phragmites reed beds as a method of processing sludge.

EnCC Webmaster

The Sunflower Project (only available Spring/Summer)

The EnCC will provide the intern with seeds, seedlings, and web space. The intern will help educate the public at tabling events, distribute the seeds, plant certain areas of New Paltz, and photograph the results.

This is the mission statement of the Village of New Paltz Environmental Conservation Commission

The powers and duties of the Village Environmental Conservation Commission are as follows:

1.    Advise the Village Board of Trustees on matters affecting the preservation, development, and use of the natural resources of the Village insofar as beauty, quality, biologic integrity and recreation are concerned so as to enhance the long range value of the environment for the people of the Village and to protect it from destruction.

2.    Develop and, after receiving general approval by resolution of the Village Board of Trustees, conduct a program of public information in the community which shall foster increased understanding of environmental issues and support for sustainable solutions.

3.    Conduct studies, surveys, and inventories within the Village of New Paltz as may be necessary to carry out the general purposes of this commission.

For more information and to contact the co-chairs

Rachel Lagodka (845)430-0941  rachel.lagodka@gmail.com

David Jakim (516)509-3294  jakim88@newpaltz.edu