Established:
By Section 1003 of the Home Rule Charter for the Town of Tiverton

Mission:
The Conservation Commission shall report to the Town Administrator and take an active role in all Town issues related to conservation. The Commission shall act as an advisory body to the Council and to all Town agencies on conservation matters. This includes: protection of surface water and groundwater; compliance with the RI Freshwater Wetlands Act; monitoring of stormwater runoff; compliance with soil erosion and sedimentation control regulations; monitoring of underground storage tanks; monitoring the environmental impact of the Town landfill and solid waste management; compliance with regulations that protect coastal areas including salt marshes, bogs and ponds; protection of other environmentally sensitive or unique areas; protection of agricultural resources; protection of air quality; protection of the rural integrity and scenic character of the Town including tree and woodland preservation.

Subcommittees:
Litter: Patrica Sullivan, Contact

Boards or Committees:
Members of the Conservation Commission serve on the following boards or committees:

Town Council Landfill Subcommittee - Tom Ramotowski
Tree Commission – Rachel Elder
Fogland Beach Oversight Committee – Tom Ramotowski
Onsight Wastewater management Committee – Wayne Karzenski*, Pat Sullivan and Tom Ramotowski
Planning Board – Noel Berg*
Stone Bridge Improvement Taskforce – Pat Sullivan
Stafford Pond Advisory Committee – Pat Sullivan
(* indicates associate member of the Conservation Commission)

High-level Goals:

1. Protection of surface and groundwater:
A. leadership initiatives to protect Stafford Pond
B. Participate in the implementation of the Town’s Storm Water Management Plan
C. Watershed Management Planning

2. Protection of Rural Integrity & Scenic Beauty
A. Provide continued leadership to litter control efforts
B. Initiate and implement activities related to noise and light pollution, including a review of outdoor lighting regulations in the Planning and Zoning ordinances
C. Assist in the enforcement of signage regulations.
D. Monitor RI-DOT litter clean-ups and vegetation trimming along state roads.
E. Assist the Planning Board with its ongoing review of the Zoning Ordinance, the Land Development and Subdivision regulations and the Comprehensive Community Plan
F. Develop and present to the Town Council an ordinance for preserving stone walls in Tiverton.

3. Protection of Environmentally Sensitive and Unique Areas:
A. Ongoing monitoring of Town Planning and development activities.
B. Assist in the preservation of open space, natural resources, farmland, wetlands
and salt water estuaries.
C. Encourage the development of a written policy on the disposal of Town
property, seeking conservation easements on environmentally sensitive parcels.
D. Assist the Open Space Commission in its efforts to identify, inventory and evaluate
the ecological value of Town-owned land
E. Assist with the development of a long-term management plan for Fogland Beach
and maintain an oversight role for the conservation areas at Fogland.
F. Work with the Planning Board to develop conservation friendly design standards
for residential development in Tiverton.

4. Monitoring of Solid Waste Management Regulations and Impacts:
A. Assist with issues related to solid waste management and recycling efforts and procedures.
B. Maintain an official presence on the Town Council’s Landfill Committee and
assist with monitoring the actual and potential environmental impacts of the Town
landfill on adjacent properties.
C. Encourage Town schools to fully participate in the recycling program.
D. Encourage implementation of a "pay-as-you-throw" system for Tiverton.

Meeting Schedule:
On the third Tuesday of each month with the exception of August (no meeting in August, 2006). Meetings run from 7:00 PM to approximately 9:15 PM at the Town Hall, 343 Highland Road.

2008 Meeting Schedule

Contact:
Inquiries may be directed to Tom Ramotowski at: thomas.ramotowski@worldnet.att.net
or 624-2859