Otsego County Conservation Association records,
- Author:
- Otsego County Conservation Association.
- Call Number:
- MSS APAP-158 local
- Abstract:
- This collection covers the Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) from its founding in 1968 through 2001. Activities of the Board of Directors are well-documented through meeting agendas, minutes, and correspondence. There are detailed reports on the activities of the OCCA Coordinator and the State University College at Oneonta Biological Field Station's Environmental Administrator. Monthly treasurer's reports provide evidence of OCCA's financial affairs. There are some issues of the OCCA Newsletter, later renamed "The Lookout". The collection also contains information on OCCA's environmental initiatives. The Otsego Lake files include a great deal of material on OCCA's opposition to a motor boat launch in Glimmerglass State Park, proposed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Other Otsego Lake issues covered by this collection include commercial and residential development along the shore of the lake, fish and fishery management, lake management, and watershed management. The solid waste files focus on controversy related to the Montgomery-Otsego-Schoharie Solid Waste Management Authority (MOSA). There are also files related to other environmental projects and issues. These include files on the Cherry Valley Sewer Initiative, the Wal-Mart distribution center in Sharon Springs, and Otsego 2000's lawsuit against the County Planning Board, as well as subject files on general environmental issues.
- Historical Note:
- The Otsego County Conservation Association was founded in 1968 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of natural resources within Otsego County. The primary goals of OCCA are to support and promote the conservation of Otsego County's natural resources; to support and publicize conservation-related educational programs; to cooperate with similar organizations and with all levels of government to "promote maximum benefit from privately owned rural land," and to enhance appreciation for rural living. OCCA is governed by an elected board of volunteer directors. Officers include a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer. The Board of Directors meets monthly. Full membership meetings are held annually, usually in October. Committees, which form to address specific issues, include the Otsego Lake Committee, the Land Use Committee, the Conservation Education Committee, and the Scientific Advisory Committee. In 1994, OCCA hired its first full-time employee. Teresa Winchester was originally hired as Coordinator, but her title was later changed to Executive Director. OCCA has long enjoyed a close relationship with the State University of New York College at Oneonta's Biological Field Station, a research facility located along the shore of Otsego Lake. OCCA has also collaborated with other local and regional environmental organizations on issues of mutual concern; most notably, with Otsego 2000 on issues such as the Glimmerglass State Park proposed motor boat launch in the 1990s. Presidents of OCCA in the years covered by this collection were: Frederick H.V. Mecklenberg (1968-1973), John Olsen (1973-1975), Willard Harman (1975-1978), Bill Powers (1978-1979), Willard Harman (1979-1981), Irene Mozolewski (1981-1989), Lewis Hamilton (1989-1992), James Austin (1992-1994), Bonnie Canning Hoffman (1994-1997), Edna Holowachuk (1997-2000), and James Bernegger (2000- ).
- Physical Description:
- 6.4 cu. ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy. local
- Subjects:
- Environmental health Political aspects New York (State) Otsego County, Social ecology New York (State) Otsego County, Environmental policy New York (State) Otsego County, Environmental health New York (State) Otsego County, Environmental management New York (State) Otsego County, Environmental protection New York (State) Otsego County, Refuse and refuse disposal New York (State) Otsego County, Water Pollution New York (State) Otsego County, Environmental health, Environmental health Political aspects, Environmental management, Environmental policy, Environmental protection, Refuse and refuse disposal, Social ecology, and Water Pollution
- Genres/Forms:
- Agendas. aat, budgets. aat, ordinances. aat, Clippings. aat, correspondence. aat, Minutes. aat, newsletters. aat, and reports. aat
- Corporate Names:
- Otsego County Conservation Association, Otsego 2000, Montgomery-Otsego-Schoharie Solid Waste Management Authority, New York (State). Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York (State). Department of Environmental Conservation
- Geographic Terms:
- New York (State) Otsego County
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