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9 <br />others. Other departments similar to the nature of the proposal exist in <br />other states, as well. <br />3. Board of Directors <br />One speaker at the hearing suggested creating a new Board of <br />Directors for the department to work with, drawing members from <br />different areas of interest and organizations. This an interesting <br />concept, and staff could be instructed to explore the idea further at a <br />later date. <br />4. Other Comments <br />Two speakers asked that the new department develop a close working <br />relationship with County landowners, noting that such a relationship <br />would be crucial to success in acquiring priority resources. We agree <br />that this is a vital component of the new department's task -and <br />would propose to involve interested landowners in the proposed <br />meeting series for 1999, in addition to other forums and methods. <br />The idea of a different title for the department came up at the <br />Economic Development Commission meeting. One member suggested <br />that the word "department" implied a large, bureaucratic organization <br />- which is clearly not the intent of the proposal. <br />Recommendation <br />The efforts of the last six months to develop the mission, tasks and <br />program for the new department rely heavily on previous reports and <br />knowledge, ideas and concepts from the Board, and staff research. <br />Using these components as a framework, the proposal attempts to <br />develop a program for environment and resource conservation that <br />builds on the existing base of organizations, departments and <br />individuals, where possible. The primary focus of the proposal remains <br />to be found in two keywords: voluntary and collaborative. <br />There are many mechanisms that exist to allow the County to work <br />proactively with agencies, boards and other internal departments <br />towards the goals of environment and resource conservation. The <br />opportunity exists to build on the examples of the farsighted citizens <br />who have already found ways to conserve resources on their <br />properties. By providing a higher focus and profile, the new <br />department should be able to greatly expand the potential for resource <br />conservation that has occurred to date while working closely with other <br />