With more than 15 years of service to the town and a volunteer dedicated to land preservation, Conservation Commission Vice Chairman Joe Hovious is stepping down. Mr Hovious submitted his resignation, which the commission learned at its October 6 meeting.

“His dedication and expertise has been invaluable and he will be sorely missed by all,” Commission Chairman Ann Astarita said.

Serving as chairman of the Open Space Task Force since 2003, he continued as chairman when that group later became the Conservation Commission in 2006.

“He resigned, but I don’t think he’ll ever retire,” said Ms Astarita.

With a nod to Mr Hovious as a former chair of the Conservation Commission, conservation chair of the Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, founding board member of the Pootatuck Watershed Association, and a respected colleague, Ms Astarita said, “Joe is a tireless environmental advocate who has an admirable work ethic and a broad knowledge of environmental and engineering matters. He brought his skills and experience to the expansion of open space, the protection of watercourses, and the development of usable public resources like the trails at Pole Bridge and Al’s Trail.”

While he will be missed for his “tireless advocacy and expertise,” Ms Astarita said, “The real loss is to the Town of Newtown.”

She gave her thanks for his years of service “in the protection of Newtown’s natural resources and wish him and his family every happiness in his future endeavors.”

Past commission member Mary Gaudet-Wilson, who worked alongside Mr Hovious on that commission for seven years, said, “I can say that this town is lucky to be the beneficiary of his effective leadership and commitment to conservation in general and open space in particular. His technical background and love of the outdoors brought the right combination of expertise and passion to the table.

“His willingness to work hard for what he believed in resulted in numerous gains for the town. Although the Conservation Commission will miss him, I wish him a well-deserved ‘retirement’ with many new adventures,” Ms Gaudet-Wilson said.

Deputy Director of Planning and Land Use Rob Sibley also offers his best wishes to Mr Hovious. He said, “Joe has been a passionate volunteer for the Town of Newtown for over a decade. His clear dedication to the protection of the environment has been a reliable fixture for the Conservation Commission, and an example to all. I wish him and his family well in their next endeavors.”

Considering the past years on the Conservation Commission, Mr Hovious said, “We certainly acquired property and increased our acres, but resources to maintain it have gone down.”

The town has nearly 1,700 acres of open space, he said, but “very little budget to support it.” While money goes toward purchases, he said, he would like if the town “got serious” about its maintenance. Invasive species are a problem throughout town. He said, “Those first green signs of spring are mostly barberry — invasives.” Existing trails need upkeep, and certain locations such as a parcel on Pond Brook are not accessible, he said.

He has been to “a lot of meetings” and done “a lot of walking of properties” in his time with the commission. He said, “You learn a lot about the town.” He noted that there are “some really sweet pieces of property.” He mentioned one parcel for which he had helped write the grant application. The town received land along the Halfway River, “a very nice piece to get.” Funds came through the General Electric Natural Resource Damage claim after a contamination spill damaged waters from Massachusetts on down the river and passing through Newtown.

Volunteers are important to open space stewardship, identifying problems on a parcel, and more. He said volunteers can help by being “alert and aware and identify issues and problems.”

Considering open space funds, Ms Astarita said her commission “doesn’t always have as much of a say as we’d like regarding how those funds are spent.”

She believes in spending funds on new trails for passive recreation and invasive plants management “on key properties so more residents can enjoy Newtown’s open spaces.”

Newtown is “fortunate” to have fields, forests, wetlands and hilltops, she said. Ms Astarita would also “love to see habitat trails created online which identify key environmental features so people can use their phones to follow trails and simultaneously learn more about vernal pools, why wetlands are so important, and the benefits of maintaining fields and forests.”

The commission is now seeking two more commissioners “with a passion for open space and environmental conservation,” she said. Interested volunteers should contact the first selectman’s office at 203-270-4201.