To the Editor:

I am writing to invite residents of Newtown to join Newtown’s Inland Wetlands Commission.  We currently have two vacancies, one for a Democrat and one for a Republican.  Unaffiliated voters may also fill either vacancy. 

The Newtown Inland Wetland Commission is responsible for three aspects of sustainable development in town: we implement the town’s inland wetland regulations, its aquifer protection regulations and its forest practices regulations. While a background in natural sciences and/or engineering is helpful, it is not necessary because the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection offers a training program for wetland commissioners.  The classes range from introductory topics and current developments through hands-on classes on subjects ranging from the use of GIS data to best management practices in forestry. 

We generally meet on the second and fourth Wednesday evening of the month except in November and December, when we meet on the second Wednesday, only. We also schedule site walks once or twice a month based on our land use staff’s and commissioners’ availability. In implementing Newtown’s wetlands, aquifer and forest practices regulations, we work closely with Newtown’s land use staff and with local residents, builders, engineers, scientists, landscape designers and others. 

Inland Wetland Commissioners are appointed by the Board of Selectmen for a four-year term. The selectmen appoint individuals who are recommended by the applicable political party or who have expressed an interest directly to the Board of Selectmen. If you would like to serve, please contact your political party or notify the First Selectman Llodra at first.selectman@newtown-ct.gov with a copy to susan.marcinek@newtown-ct.gov. 

If you would like to learn more about what we do, please feel free to attend one or more of our meetings, check out DEEP’s Inland Wetlands page at www.ct.gov/dep/inlandwetlands and/or Newtown’s Land Use page at

http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_Land/index or send me an email at NIWC.peters@gmail.com. 

Our next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Wednesday, October 23rd at the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.   We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

Anne Peters

Chairman

Newtown Inland Wetlands Commission

3 Primrose Street, Newtown                    October 14, 2013