Open Space Planning Committee

In accordance with Town Charter, Art. IV, Sec. 4, the Select Board creates this Ad Hoc Committee to be charged with inventorying existing public and conservation land, identifying potential areas for habitat and recreational priority on unprotected land, and creating a vision for maintaining and expanding open space in North Yarmouth.  

The Committee will coordinate with the Parks Committee and Select Board to gather data from community members, including administering a community survey and hosting at least one community visioning session, to understand community priorities for open space and land protection. The Committee will prioritize community land conservation and access goals and will develop a written Open Space Acquisition Plan with accompanying Acquisition Evaluation Process (AEP), which will be used to evaluate potential acquisitions in a consistent manner. The Committee will engage in discussions with landowners and regional land trusts and make recommendations to the Select Board to secure access to land/corridors through acquisitions, easements, land swaps, and other forms of agreements.

The Committee will consist of seven (7) voting members and three (3) alternate members made up of North Yarmouth residents, and one (1) or two (2) non-voting Select Board Liaison(s). The Select Board may also appoint additional non-voting liaisons from local conservation organizations or other interested parties as appropriate. The term of the Committee shall be two years, which may be extended by the Select Board for additional terms if deemed necessary.