He will reprise this training module at the MACC Annual Environmental Conference (AEC) on March 2, 2024 at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA.

MACC long has had a goal to educate and train these volunteer municipal boards from whom permissions of various kinds are needed to do work or engage in activities in and near wetlands and related water bodies.

Massachusetts was the first state to create local conservation boards and to enact a state Wetlands Protection Act, now administered by conservation commissions under the auspices of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

Mr. Stevens will lead this workshop which features a mock Conservation Commission hearing with ten roles played by workshop participants. The workshop will cover such essentials as meeting preparation, participants and their interests, group dynamics, record keeping, time tracking, and communication techniques.

These are all important procedural skills for boards to be efficient and effective and enjoy credibility and acceptance. Equally important are the substantive principles of permit review, public hearings, decision criteria, Conflict-of-Interest Law, Open Meeting Law, Public Records Act, issuing decisions, and avoiding appeals and court challenges.