Tara Silberberg, Town Board member Sara McGhee and Chair Carol Smillie at the Ancram Affordable Housing Fair.
The Climate Smart Task Force is a town appointed group that meets monthly to discuss issues affecting the town as a result of climate change. Working with NYSERTA and other government agencies, the Task Force has been educating residents of programs, rebates and other incentives to cut carbon emissions and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We have been awarded over $10,000 in grant monies which are being held in a Green Fund to assist the town with applicable projects. We welcome new members, if you are interested in getting involved please reach out to Tara Silberberg for more information. tarasilberberg5@gmail.com
Town of Gallatin Community Resilience Vision
The town of Gallatin recognizes the increasing importance of preparing for climate change and insuring a resilient and sustainable future for its residents. The vision for our community climate adaptation and resilience plan is based on the desire to care for the critical systems that support life, protect clean water, air and natural resources.
Achieving a resilient and sustainable future that is prepared for the climate hazards threatening our residents and natural ecosystems will depend on our ability to improve communications and education, safeguard vulnerable populations during weather emergencies, and foster environmentally responsible development and economic stability.
The following principles, in accordance with Gallatin’s 2023 Comprehensive Plan (see Addendum) and developed with public input, underlie Gallatin’s strategies to conserve, promote, and enhance adaptation and resilience in the community:
- Preserve Gallatin’s unique natural beauty and rural character including hamlets, farms, streams, and important woodlands.
- Enhance cell service infrastructure to provide reliable and accessible communication for all, promoting connectivity, safety, and convenience in the community.
- Implement and enhance robust monitoring and communication systems that prioritize the safety and well-being of elderly and disabled populations during emergencies.
- Address the risk of heat and cold-related health issues, illnesses, and deaths through proactive measures and education campaigns that ensure the well-being of residents during extreme weather events.
- Invest in improved roadways, ditches, swales and culverts that enhance waterway resilience, habitat conservation, and protections from flooding using best management practices for storm water.
- Safeguard and preserve streams, tributaries, and wetlands with undeveloped buffer setback areas that store water and reduce pollutants, recognizing their ecological significance and vital role in sustaining healthy ecosystems.
- Promote biodiversity education that fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world, ecosystems, and responsible stewardship.
- Mitigate the impact of climate disasters by seeking local opportunities to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and promote alternative energies.
- Implement robust environmental impact reviews to ensure that development and economic growth support resilience and a sustainable prosperous future for our community and planet.
Addendum:
The Town of Gallatin recently completed its 2023 Comprehensive Plan. The following Vision Statement and Goals for Implementation, taken from the Plan, are in support of the Vision and Principles for a Climate Resilient Gallatin.
2023 Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement:
“From Signal Rock to the Roeliff Jansen Kill and Lake Taghkanic State Park, Gallatin is distinguished as a community with unique natural beauty and rural character. Its historical settlement patterns of hamlets, farms, and pristine woodlands are major and important features of our landscape. The Gallatin community is deeply invested in maintaining its open spaces, active agriculture, scenic views, habitats for wildlife, and protecting its water resources. The town has been designated a Clean Energy Community and strives to be a model for sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and climate resilience policy, while cherishing and preserving our historic character and natural features.
Gallatin is a welcoming town made up of people of all ages and income levels and recognizes the value of a diverse population as a benefit to our growth, future, and community. While quality small-town public services and recreational opportunities exist within a framework of fiscal responsibility, Gallatin encourages the development of affordable housing and is accommodating to low impact development consistent with our rural character and environment. In addition, the town looks forward to meeting the technological challenges in support of our growing population of home-based workers and businesses.
Our Town Government is open and diligent in its efforts to be responsive to the needs of all its residents and encourages the town’s distinctive identity of volunteerism and community spirit as it endeavors to live up to its motto “Gallatin – a great little town.”
2023 Comprehensive Plan Goals for Implementation:
Goal 1: To preserve Gallatin’s rural, peaceful and quiet character and scenic beauty and maintain its natural environment and wildlife habitats by fostering community stewardship of the land and ensuring low density, climate smart, and low impact future development.
Goal 2: To ensure that farming remains an integral part of Gallatin by protecting and supporting existing farms while also encouraging new forms of sustainable and regenerative farming.
Goal 3: To ensure that Gallatin remains a community that is open to diversity and accessible to all ages and income levels by supporting the development of affordable housing and relevant social services.
Goal 4: To foster Gallatin’s community pride and generous neighborly spirit by developing more substantial modes of community connection, both by investing in digital technology and outreach as well as by supporting local events and places for gathering and sharing information.
Goal 5: To support the development in Gallatin of small ag-related and low impact businesses that serve local and county residents while also embracing the diverse working types/styles that are not traditional such as remote work and/or e-commerce occupations within homes, as well as the flexible live/workspaces needed by Gallatin’s artists, craftspeople, and domestic vendors.
Goal 6: To ensure that Gallatin continues to develop the quality of its public services as well as its responsive and inclusive governance of all its stakeholders.
Goal 7: To ensure that the historic and locally significant resources of Gallatin are preserved in the spirit of embracing change while maintaining the community’s values.
Goal 8: To further develop ample recreation opportunities for Gallatin’s residents through local and state (Lake Taghkanic State Park) initiatives, public-private partnerships, The Columbia Land Conservancy, and the shared value of agreements with adjacent towns.