Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conservation commission greenlights $500 for youth trails challenge, readies outreach and roadside cleanup
Summary
The commission approved a $500 allocation toward a proposed youth/community trails challenge (stickers/prizes), reviewed plans for roadside cleanup and community outreach events, and discussed working with local groups and the library on seasonal nature activities.
The Brentwood Conservation Commission approved up to $500 from its events budget on April 9 to support a youth and community trails challenge aimed at encouraging families and children to use town trails.
Commission members discussed several approaches for the challenge: a passport-style booklet with rubbings or drawings, a photo-submission format where participants take pictures at specified trail locations, geocache-style points, or small local prizes (examples suggested included an ice-cream voucher or stickers). Commissioners and volunteers suggested coordinating with the library or local businesses for prize distribution and proposed using trail photographs and social-media posts as a low-cost engagement strategy.
A commission member volunteered to coordinate design, and members agreed the commission’s events budget will fund prize procurement or sticker printing up to the approved $500. The commission also discussed potential partnerships (e.g., pollinator-pathways seed distributions at local plant sales) and agreed staff should reach out to local nurseries and community organizations to explore hosting or partnering on seed giveaways and children’s craft activities.
On community cleanups, commissioners confirmed the town roadside cleanup is scheduled for the same day as the town gardeners’ cleanup and that the commission will provide gloves, trash bags and food (coffee and donuts) beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Recreation Center pavilion. The commission noted the recent purchase of gloves and small supplies and agreed to publicize the event on Facebook and in the town newsletter; volunteers were reminded to report needles or hazardous finds to police.
Commissioners also discussed outreach ideas (site walks for landowners, “walk with a landowner” events to showcase easements, and layered trail activities) and asked staff to compile dates and next steps for planned events. The commission authorized staff to spend up to $500 on materials for the youth challenge and asked for a short report on expenditures at the next meeting.
