🦅 Conservation Advisory Council
Recreation Department Takes Over Earth Day Logistics
The Croton Conservation Advisory Council voted unanimously to shift Earth Day operational logistics to the village Recreation Department while retaining curation control over vendors. The committee also initiated a multi-month effort to draft a village Dark Sky code and announced an upcoming Repair Cafe event on February 28.
◆ Key Actions & Decisions
- **Resolutions Passed**
- December 2025 meeting minutes approved (unanimous).
- Earth Day operational handoff: Approved a proposal to memorialize current Earth Day procedures and transfer logistical responsibilities (vendor coordination, promotion, bulk purchasing of compostable supplies) to the village Recreation Department, while the CAC retains authority over vendor curation and mission-aligned activities like bird walks and bike rides (unanimous agreement).
- **Resolutions Failed**
- None.
- **Applications Reviewed**
- None.
- **Public Comments**
- None.
- **Reports**
- **Earth Day:** Scheduled for Saturday, May 2 (rain date May 9), likely moving to Vassallo Park. The CAC will draft an operational guide for the Rec Department. Scheduling noted to avoid conflict with the Food Pantry day at Holy Name of Mary.
- **Leadership:** John Ealer will continue as Chair and lead CLEAN, but will miss some future meetings due to travel.
- **Trails:** Updated village trail map is essentially complete and shared with NRI organizers. Volunteer trail work days will restart in late March.
- **Dark Skies:** Initiated a multi-month process to propose a village Dark Sky code. Reviewed existing codes from Yorktown and Cortlandt; Planning Board liaison Steve Krisky to review current village regulations. Next steps include defining regulations by light emitted versus light source types, and time-of-day restrictions.
- **Repair Cafe:** Scheduled for February 28 at the Croton Free Library. Currently has 10 coaches signed up but still needs sewing and bicycle repair coaches.
- **Natural Resources Inventory (NRI):** Logistical meeting held at the municipal building; next meeting is March 11. Coordinating with engineers and the building department, and working with the county to obtain matching GIS data for the new trail map.
- **CLEAN:** Programming will restart in March.
- **Garden Club:** 100 seedlings reserved for Earth Day through the NYS seedling sale; pending a village purchase order for payment.
- **Committee Scheduling:** Mayor Pugh to explore moving CAC meetings to the 1st or 3rd Tuesday of the month to avoid conflicts with Planning Board liaisons.
Croton’s Earth Day celebration is getting a logistical makeover. At their January 13 meeting, the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) agreed to hand off the heavy lifting of running the annual festival to the village’s Recreation Department, a move designed to let the volunteer committee focus on its core environmental mission.
Set for Saturday, May 2 at Vassallo Park (with a rain date of May 9), the event will still bear the CAC’s fingerprints. While the village will handle vendor logistics, promotion, and bulk-buying compostable plates and utensils, the CAC will retain the power to curate the vendor list to ensure it aligns with Earth Day goals. The committee will also continue organizing its signature nature activities, like guided bird walks and bike rides.
To formalize the transition, the CAC will write up a comprehensive "how-to" guide for the Rec Department. Members also noted they will schedule volunteers to stand by waste bins to help attendees properly sort trash, compost, and recycling.
In other business, the council took its first formal steps toward regulating light pollution. Council member Jason Mencher shared dark sky codes from the towns of Yorktown and Cortlandt as reference materials, noting there is currently no county-level guidance on the issue. The committee will spend the next several months drafting a local proposal, with early discussions focusing on how to regulate light by actual emissions rather than by specific fixture types, such as rope lights, as well as potential time-of-day restrictions.
Residents looking to reduce waste can mark their calendars for the winter Repair Cafe on February 28 at the Croton Free Library. The event currently has 10 fix-it coaches signed up, but organizers are actively looking for volunteers with sewing and bicycle repair skills. Those interested in a two-hour shift can sign up through the CAC.
On the infrastructure front, an updated village trail map is essentially finished and has been shared with the team working on the village's Natural Resources Inventory (NRI). The NRI team will hold its next public meeting on March 11. Volunteer trail maintenance days are slated to kick off in late March once the weather warms up.
Coverage of the Conservation Advisory Council meeting on 2026-01-13,
Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
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