Take part in Millerton climate smart survey

MILLERTON — The Millerton Climate Smart Task Force (CSTF) launched a survey at the start of the year to find out how residents in the town of North East and the village of Millerton view climate warming and what actions they feel local government, and the CSTF, should take to address the issue.

Launched in January, the survey was designed by CSTF Coordinator Kathy Chow and its summer intern Emma Benardete, and edited by member Tom Parrett.

Regarding its inception, Parrett said the goal of the survey was to first learn something about how local citizens view climate change.

This includes learning where most people  fall “on a scale from not aware to intimately knowledgeable,” Parrett said.

It also includes what the most important issues associated with climate warming are in people’s minds.

Parrett said a big part of the survey is to find out what local residents know about the state’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program.

Chow explained New York’s CSC program has very specific goals. It’s ultimate wish is for municipalities and residents throughout New York to participate in a number of priority actions on its list. Many Harlem Valley municipalities participate.

The Millerton CSTF has been working hard with the town and village to get those items checked off the state’s list. Chow said that’s one main reason why it’s conducting the survey, so residents can help select which actions should be prioritized.

“We want to know from our residents — they’re the ones we care about the most,” she said.

On the other hand, Chow noted there are certain actions the task force can easily move forward with to stay climate smart. Those include: setting up emergency plans; educating residents about how to protect their homes from storms and floods; and informing residents on how to make their homes resilient to the risks of climate change.

Through the survey, the CSTF hopes to gauge residents on what they think is most important when it comes to climate change. The task force can then pick and choose actions to address from what respondents submitted and design programs to benefit town and village residents.

As the CSTF has already been working on various educational community programs — including hosting its annual village-wide Earth Day event each spring — Chow said, “If we know what people care about, we can tailor those programs to what they want to know.”

One of its goals is to educate people about the dangers of climate change and how to try to mitigate its impacts.

“We encourage people to tell us about local extreme weather events they experienced in the past,” Chow said. “Those dramatic stories are fascinating to know — we will recount some in our communications — and that knowledge will help the town and village to be prepared for what Mother Nature can throw our way.”

Survey results will be analyzed this month and shared at a later date.

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