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.