Through community forums, surveys, and public meetings, local people have repeatedly told the Commission they want to maintain what they treasure most about Tug Hill: clean water, healthy forests, productive farms, stable communities, and opportunities for hunting, fishing, and recreation. The Commission works toward these goals by building the capacity of the region’s people to chart their own future.
The commission’s programs and services are directed at strengthening local decision making, saving money through information sharing and training, and help in coordinating and raising funds for community improvement projects. The commission’s five program areas are described below.
Technical Assistance
The commission’s technical assistance service, using its institutional knowledge and experience as well as established links with other agencies, answers hundreds of requests for information a year. Questions cover a wide range of topics, including land use law, budgeting, recent legislative actions, and court rulings. This service saves local officials time and money while providing the information they need to govern effectively. More…
Natural Resources Management
Tug Hill is known for its abundant natural resources, including forests, agricultural land, streams and wetlands that provide environmental benefits and support the regional economy that is largely dependent on a working landscape. Commission staff is available to assist local towns and villages, as well as organizations, natural resource-based industries and residents, in managing those natural resources to support both the environment and the economy. This assistance often takes the form of watershed planning and projects, recreational or energy projects, natural resource restoration projects, and support on regional natural resource issues. The commission also monitors activity pertaining to natural resource use that might affect part or all of the region and shares that information with interested communities and organizations. More…
Community Development
GIS
The commission’s geographic information system (computerized mapping) supports all aspects of the agency’s programs and services. The system provides data on land use patterns, property ownership, natural resources, and more. Much of this information would normally be time consuming or expensive for local officials to obtain. Through its GIS system, however, the commission is able to provide specific information to assist local land use planning and economic development projects, answer technical assistance requests, and aid regional natural resource management projects. More…
Planning