The Town of Montgomery Conservation Advisory Council completed an update of its 2008 Natural Resources Inventory originally done together with the Town of Wallkill. This new 2020 version features digitized maps completed by the Orange County Planning Department and the latest research in habitat and species existing in the Town compiled by conservation specialists at the Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudsonia. The inventory documents all the important natural resources within the Town such as forests, streams, wetlands, rivers and geological formations. The goal was to have the document in an easier-to-access format that could be used during the planning and project review process.

CAC members and Nate Nardi-Cyrus from the Hudson River Estuary Program worked to have the revised information incorporated into the 2020 Town Comprehensive Plan. It is planned to have the CAC 2020 Natural Resources Inventory adopted in May by the Town Board and also attached to the new Town Comprehensive Plan as an appendix.

As a result of having recently completed the updated Natural Resources Inventory, the TOM Conservation Advisory Council had the opportunity to apply for a free workshop on how to use the designation of “Critical Environmental Areas”. These are listed in the Environmental impact statement, but do not exist in any Orange County municipalities. If an area is identified in this way, it requires that any harmful impacts be evaluated. A CEA designation can encourage more pro-active planning and design that considers issues like habitat connectivity and watershed protection.

Only three towns were being accepted into this training program and the Town of Montgomery was one of those selected. Among the volunteers are four CAC members and one Town Board member.