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City of Missoula, Montana Item to be Referred to City Council Committee Committee: Conservation Item: Reorganization of conservation lands advisory committees Date: Nov 3, 2010 Prepared by: Marilyn Marler Initiated by: Marilyn Marler Action Required: We need to consider streamlining the formal process by which the City receives input from citizen Advisory boards related to Conservation Lands. Currently, Mt Jumbo and Greenough Park have their own committees, while the South Hills, Mt Sentinel, Tower Street and the North Hills have no advisory committees. Meeting with various committees take a lot of staff time, and does not contribute to a larger cooperative effort in support of managing Conservation Lands. Separate committees also result in unequal attention paid to the various lands around town. One advisory committee, tentatively titled the Conservation Land Management Committee, could advise Council and Parks Department on management issues across the city. I would strongly recommend that existing coalitions in support of specific areas (Mt Jumbo and Greenhough Park) form "Friends of" groups to continue site specific advocacy and fund raising. Recommended Motion: I move that we terminate (with gratitude for years of volunteer service) the Mt Jumbo Advisory Committee, Conservation Lands Working Group, and Greenough Park Advisory Committee Timeline: Referral to committee: November 3, 2010 Committee discussion: December 1, 2010 Council acts to set hearing: na Public Hearing: na Deadline: List deadline associated if applicable, otherwise delete Background and Alternatives Explored: Since at least 1995, the Parks Department and City Council have benefitted from input from citizens via Advisory Committees for Mount Jumbo and Greenough Park. Since 1995, the City has purchased many more acres of Conservation Land, including Mopunt Sentinel, the North Hills, and Tower Street. Under the current Advisory Committee structure, these newer lands do not have a "voice." Feedback Parks Staff indicates that the recently formed (and disbanded) Conservation Lands Working Group was very helpful in taking a broad view of our Conservation Land system and setting clear policies. ---PAGE BREAK--- It is my opinion (as a land manager and a council member) that one consolidated committee would be more efficient for: - Prioritizing management efforts and dollars - Communicating with parks staff and the general public - Creating a dialogue within and for the Missoula conservation community One committee to provide management advice on the system as a whole is a more efficient (in terms of time and effort and overall communication) than continuing a new Advisory Committee for each of the new conservations lands. I would like to explicitly thank the citizens that have been involved in Open Space Advisory Committees for the past many years, and I hope that they will participate in this conversation as it develops. Financial Implications: Significant staff time will be redirected from meetings to land management activities, resulting in more management work accomplished per dollar. Attachments: