[Adopted 1-20-1987 (Ch. 2, Art. III, Div. 2, of the 1990 Code of Ordinances)]
There shall be a Conservation Commission for the Town consisting of seven members who shall be appointed by the Town Council to serve a term of three years. All present members shall serve the terms to which they have been currently appointed. In the event of a vacancy, interim appointments may be made by the Town Council to complete the unexpired term of such position.
The purpose of the Conservation Commission is to promote and develop the natural resources, to protect the watershed resources and to preserve natural aesthetic areas within the Town.
The Conservation Commission shall elect one of its members as Chairman and one of its members as Vice Chairman of the Commission. The Conservation Commission shall elect one of its members as Secretary who shall receive monthly compensation to be decided by the Commission. All other members of the Commission shall serve without pay.
The Conservation Commission shall conduct researches into its local land areas and shall seek to coordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes, and may advertise, prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts, plans and pamphlets which in its judgment it deems necessary for its work. It shall make and keep an index of all open spaces within the Town in publicly or privately owned, including open marshlands, swamps and other wetlands, for the purpose of obtaining information on the proper use of such areas. It may recommend to municipal councils, boards or agencies, a program for the better promotion, development, utilization or preservation of open areas, streams, shores, wooded areas, roadsides, swamps, marshlands and natural aesthetic areas. It shall keep accurate records of its meetings and actions and shall file an annual report.
The Conservation Commission, subject to the approval of the Town Council and Financial Town Meeting, may receive gifts of funds, lands, buildings or other properties in the name of the municipality and may also acquire by gift, purchase, grant, bequest, devise, lease, or otherwise the fee in such lands or water rights or any lease interest, development right, easement, covenant or other contractual right, including conveyances, and thereafter shall manage the same in accordance with the purposes set forth in this article. However, nothing in this article shall be construed to deny to the people access to such lands for all legitimate purposes. The Town may not deny nor restrict to the people free access to such lands, or to any other land held by or for the Town for recreation purposes.
All meetings of the Conservation Commission shall be open to the public and any person or his duly constituted representative shall be entitled to appear and be heard on any matter before the Commission before it reaches its decision. All records of its proceedings, resolutions and actions shall be open to public view.