Member Job Description

Open Space Planning Committee Volunteers  
North Yarmouth is seeking resident volunteers to form a new ad hoc committee responsible for identifying opportunities and making specific recommendations to preserve key open spaces within the town. This is a unique opportunity for residents to help preserve North Yarmouth’s natural beauty now and for future generations! 
 
Committee Charge 
The Select Board charges the Open Space Planning Committee with inventorying 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.  
 
Key Details  
  • The Committee will consist of 7 voting members in addition to non-voting liaisons from the Select Board and local conservation organizations or other interested parties 
  • The term of the Committee will be (at most) 2 years 
  • The Committee will meet a minimum of once per month and lead public forums as necessary to ensure adequate public input  
  • The Committee will report to the Select Board and collaborate readily with the Parks Committee, local conservation organizations and other interested parties 
Requirements 
  • Must be a North Yarmouth resident 
  • Attend regular (monthly) meetings and public feedback sessions as determined by the Committee 
  • Commitment to the Committee’s mission and willingness to spend several hours between meetings on research and communication 
  • Ability to communicate effectively and build productive relationships with community members, town officials, town committees and other interested parties to advance the Committee’s goals 
Other Desirable Attributes 
  • Strong passion for preserving North Yarmouth’s open spaces for conservation and recreation 
  • Familiarity with land preservation, conservation and access issues 
  • Experience volunteering in conservation organizations and/or municipal government 
  • Expertise with topography and GIS tools