Editor’s Note: This is second of a two-part series on the role of Peekskill’s Conservation Advisory Council, reported and written by the Herald’s Newmark Journalism intern Ray DePaul. Funding was provided by the New York Community Trust – Westchester. Part one is here.
When a Peekskill resident goes to the city website and looks under Board and Commissions, they will find an extensive recounting of the accomplishments of the Conservation Advisory Council. For the last 13 years the volunteer council has produced an annual report with activities and achievements as mandated by the City Charter.
From showing environmental films for the public at no cost (that sometimes had extreme weather cancel outdoor screenings in the summer) to collecting air samples in 2017 from four neighborhoods for a state Air Screening evaluation, the Council itself has been a force of nature..
In July of 2011, Peekskill’s Common Council repealed the ordinance titled “Conservation and Parks Advisory Council” and adopted a new Chapter 24 of the City Code establishing a Conservation Advisory Council.
New York State’s government encourages each municipality to establish a Conservation Advisory Council, granting the power through Article 12-F of the General Municipality Law. “CACs contribute to local land use decision-making, conservation, and quality of life for residents in the community… they are uniquely positioned to provide the ‘big picture’ view needed for natural resource-based planning,” reads the state Conservation Advisory Council Fact Sheet.
However, it is worth noting that Conservation Councils cannot make any legislative decisions. “We’re supposed to bring [the city] information and advise them on which direction to go about,” says Jan Melillo, a member of Council. This can be contentious, according to Melillo and Kay Barthelmes, a veteran member of the Council, due to many people’s knee-jerk aversion to “caring about” environmental issues. Policymakers can potentially find it difficult to give these issues a proper spotlight.
Enter New York State’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, which rewards municipalities based on their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. Shifting to clean renewable energy, building a climate-smart community and inventory emissions, are only a few categories that reward points. Most importantly, each action is worth a certain amount of points, and communities can “rank up” to bronze and silver communities, which grants them more state funding.
“You have to document the whole thing,” Barthelmes said. “The [sustainability coordinator and the CAC] worked hard to participate in the program, and ever since, we’ve reached bronze level.”
Phillipstown in Putnam County and other municipalities in neighboring counties also participate in the Climate Smart Communities program. Martha Upton, Phillipstown’s climate-smart coordinator, notes that programs like CSC and Clean Energy Communities (CEC) can feel like “luxuries” for groups having trouble navigating grant application processes.
“It’s been an amazing experience to have an advisory committee whose job it is to help our town government reach its own climate goals,” said Upton. “Having that strong relationship with the town board, which makes so many regulations and has the power to help us move forward, [is essential].”
Despite being unable to pass policy, Peekskill’s CAC works tirelessly to advocate for better environmental practices and encourages community members concerned about the negative impacts of climate change to work towards a holistic environment.
Getting citizen’s attention to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change can be challenging for a group that is advisory in nature. “Sometimes you’re swimming against the tide,” said Melillo. “Many people are just barely keeping it together. They’re good people…but their situation doesn’t lean towards doing this extra work.” The extra work can include identifying and sorting different types of plastics, remembering what days collections happen, all while working and taking care of a family.
Barthelmes’ journey with the CAC began in 2015 when she was still working as a teacher. Mary Foster, who was Peekskill’s mayor at the time, and Council member Kathie Talbot took a progressive position on environmental issues and inspired Barthelmes to get involved in volunteer work for the city of Peekskill.
“I went to a conference with Talbot and Foster at Pace [University], and I made a list of all the acronyms presenters used that I was unfamiliar with,” Barthelmes said. “There had to be at least 20 to 25.” She had no background in environmental science but was committed to the cause nevertheless, showing that a dedicated volunteer can learn and make a difference quickly.
Today, Barthelmes has become one of the leading experts within the group. Since she has been on the committee, the Peekskill group successfully lobbied for a tree inventory, saved trees from excavation in Riverfront Park and participated in the Climate Action Planning Institute (CAPI).
Barthelmes gives Talbot credit for speaking on environmental issues in Peekskill at a time when “hearing anybody talk about [this] at that point was really [shocking].” Peekskill’s tree population has often been on the agenda of the CAC, in some form or another.
The CAC pushed the city of Peekskill to pass a tree ordinance in December 2021, the last municipality within Westchester to do so. The CAC had made three attempts to get a tree ordinance passed before finally accomplishing the feat. Having an ordinance in place was crucial in order for the CAC to apply for funding for an inventory.
Barthelmes described a “very difficult” grant application process through the state to achieve funding to conduct a tree inventory. Upon the first application, Peekskill was rejected. They proceeded to apply twice more before eventually attaining the goal.
“The Peekskill CAC really stuck it out,” said George Profous, the urban forester covering Westchester County. Profous was not only on the board that decided to bestow the grant to Peekskill for a tree inventory, but he was also a strong supporter of its passage and the CAC’s efforts.
Profous encouraged Barthelmes to help meet goals that made Peekskill a Tree City USA, which granted them a certain amount of points through the Climate Smart Communities program. “It’s all a matter of accumulating points,” Barthemles said. After receiving those points, and a few others, Peekskill moved closer to the top of the list for the grant funding. This played a large role in their success in subsequent applications.
The tree ordinance fines those who remove trees without a permit and establishes minimum standards for tree protection. Today’s tree cover on Spring Street compared to that in early 2021 illustrates the issue of a diminishing tree canopy.
“If you don’t know what trees you have in the city, you don’t have a plan of taking care of them,” Barthelmes said. “With a tree inventory, you have information that theoretically the Department of Public Works (DPW) would work with and with us, [to know] what kind of trees to plant. It’s a really a lot.”
In addition to development and tree removal, seasonal storms and competition from invasive species continue regardless of the tree ordinance, also causing Peekskill’s tree population to decline.
One area where the Peekskill CAC successfully saved trees and prevented development was Teacher’s Park, a small park off Crompond Road. Once a privately owned park in the mid-to-late 20th century, the Westchester Land Trust purchased the property and gave it to the city of Peekskill in 2015, provided that they would not attempt to build over it.
“It’s a major entrance to the city,” said Barthelmes. “It shows the city at its best.”
Peekskill’s designation of an “environmental justice community” is also of importance to the CAC.. An engaged and active community that is environmentally conscious bodes well for the future of the CAC.
“We’ve been having conversations with people who are dropping off food scraps, down at the DPW site,” said Melillo. “It’s the best place to engage people because they’re already environmentally interested and acting on it.”
Barthelmes and Melillo described tabling at different events, such as the Farmer’s Market and the Cherry Blossom Festival, and how Peekskill citizens engage them and give them two minutes to speak about CAC goals.
“It’s tiring, but you have your rewards, too,” said Barthelmes. “It can be hard to get anybody to put their name down, but we’ve had it pretty easy.”
It is clear there is galvanization behind making more climate-friendly decisions. An election for a new chairperson of the Conservation Advisory Council is imminent and committee members are hopeful for an infusion of new members to continue the work of advising the city on “green decisions.”
