Meet the Conservation Commission/Advisory Council and its Chair Tracy Stora
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Meet the Conservation Commission/Advisory Council and its Chair Tracy Stora.
Your Name: Tracy Stora
Board or Commission you chair: Conservation Commission/Advisory Council
Your role: Chair
MyRye.com: What is the charter for your Commission?
Stora: The Conservation Commission/Advisory Council (“CC/AC”) is a 53-year-old advisory council to the City of Rye Planning Commission. It is part of a network of over 200 Conservation Advisory Commissions in New York State.
The CC/AC was established in response to a New York state law (Article 12 of General Municipal Law) encouraging the creation of environmental bodies to advise municipal governments on environmental stewardship and best practices.
Looking at 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
Stora: CC/AC’s primary role has been and will continue to be to comment on wetland permits submitted to the Planning Commission and provide expertise to the Planning Commission and City Council regarding environmental matters. Due to Rye’s unique water-adjacent topography, many properties in Rye include wetland or wetland buffers. Wetlands, among other things, are critical to a healthy community because of wetlands:
- Help control flooding by absorbing excess rainwater and gradually releasing it.
- Support biodiversity, serving as feeding habitats for fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals.
- Clean water by acting as a natural filter, trapping pollutants.
- Sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas concentrations.
- Control erosion and stabilize soil to prevent shoreline and floodplain degradation.
- Recharge groundwater aquifers by allowing water to slowly percolate through the soil.
- Save the City money by reducing costs related to erosion control, flood management, and water purification.
Additional projects:
- Partner with Local Municipalities for Clean-up Days: In partnership with the City of Rye, the Rye Sustainability Committee, and neighboring municipalities, we will organize fall and spring community clean-up days to promote environmental stewardship and community engagement.
- Provide Opportunities for Young People Through the Junior Commissioner Role: This initiative aims to engage young people in environmental conservation and community service, providing them with valuable experience and leadership opportunities.
- Partner with the Rye Sustainability Committee on the Pollinator Pathway/Healthy Yard Program: We will partner with the Rye Sustainability Committee to support the Pollinator Pathway and the Healthy Yard Program, promoting sustainable practices that protect pollinators, enhance local ecosystems, and improve water quality in our streams, lakes, and the Long Island Sound.
- Endeavor to take an inventory of the square footage of Rye that becomes covered or uncovered by impervious surfaces. Due to the increase of flooding events in Rye, CC/AC will work to educate the public on the need for surfaces to remain pervious (or uncovered by surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, or building materials) so that Rye surface land can help absorb water. We will also work to educate homeowners on the benefits of planting trees and converting manicured lawns to native plantings as tools to become more flood-resilient.
Who is the City Council liaison to your Commission for 2025?
Stora: William Henderson, since January 2022.
Tell us about the residents or others you interact with at your Commission.
Stora: Residents are invited to attend CC/AC meetings to share concerns about wetland issues, neighborhood development, and flooding concerns. Residents are also encouraged to participate in voluntary clean-ups with the CC/AC that partners with other groups in Rye.
When was your Commission chartered by the City of Rye?
Stora: September 22, 1972. Until 2000, the CC/AC managed the Rye Nature Center and now serves as a resource to it.
Looking back across 2024, what were your Commission’s top achievements?
Stora:
- Wetland Permits: In 2024, CC/AC reviewed and provided comments on 25 wetland permits (“WPs”), often addressing multiple referrals related to specific sites. This is consistent with the previous years: 19 WPs in 2023, 28 WPs in 2022, 25 WPs in 2021, 18 WPs in 2020, and 20 WPs in 2019.
- City Projects: The CC/AC also provided comments on the Nursery Field Project and submitted a letter of support to the City Council for the Rye Nature Center streambank riparian restoration project, where the City Council served as the Lead Agency. These achievements were made possible by the exceptional dedication and hard work of commissioners Ryan Prime, Jeannette Cummins, Julie Canter, and Jr. Commissioner Ella Froah with special recognition to our Vice Chair, Lexy DeVane-Tomaino, for her outstanding contributions.
- Planning Commission Engagement: The CC/AC attended all Planning Commission meetings and related site visits throughout the year, ensuring continued collaboration.
- Community Clean-Ups: In partnership with the Rye Sustainability Committee and the Bird House Meeting House Conservancy, we organized two successful clean-up events at the Bird House Meeting House Conservancy.
- Workshops & Training: Several commissioners attended Westchester County workshops focused on invasive species management, expanding our expertise in this critical area.
- Collaboration with Stakeholders: We met with stakeholders from Blind Brook and the Save the Sound Ecological Restoration division to discuss ongoing environmental efforts and explore new restoration initiatives.
- Field Trip Participation: We participated in a field trip sponsored by The Long Island Sound Study and Sea Grant, which included a tour of the Living Shoreline project at Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary, gaining valuable insights into coastal restoration.
- Junior Commissioner Initiative: Jr. Commissioner Ella Froah worked with the Little Garden Club of Rye, high school volunteers, and The Rye Nature Center to install a new pollinator garden at the Rye Nature Center, furthering our commitment to local biodiversity. She also created a video celebrating National Wetland Month for the City’s Instagram page featuring freshwater and saltwater wetlands in Rye.
- 2024 update on the Coastal Resiliency Network: Vice Chair Lexy DeVane-Tomaino continues to work with NYSAAC Chair Simon Skolnik and representatives from the Long Island Sound Study and New York Sea Grant to work on a regional information and advocacy network amongst commissions in Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau counties abutting the Long Island Sound to prepare and engage in best practices for sea level rise. The group has held quarterly webinars and worked to find grants for projects relating to the problem of increasing water from the sea.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Stora: Chair: 2019-2025, Vice Chair: 2014-2018, Commissioner: Since 2012.
Who appointed you to this position, and when?
Stora: Mayor Doug French appointed me to the CC/AC in 2012. Chair appointment was in 2019 by Mayor Cohn.
Is the role full-time or part-time? Paid or volunteer?
Stora: Volunteer.
What is your day job?
Stora: Environmental Advocacy/Marketing and Publishing.
How much time does your role require in a typical month?
Stora: The CC/AC meets once a month. In addition, the CC/AC attends all Planning Commission meetings and monthly Planning Commission site walks. As Chair, I attend the Rye Sustainability Committee meetings to foster partnerships and programs between both committees.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Stora: Milton School/Rye Town Park neighborhood. I have lived in Rye for 24 years.
Thanks Tracy!
Learn More:
Are your meetings recorded. No
Are written agendas and written meeting minutes available? Yes.
Main Conservation Commission/Advisory Council page on City website
Members of Board:
Tracy Stora, Chair 12-31-26 (term expires)
Julie Canter 12-31-26
Joie Cooney 12-31-27
Vacant 12-31-26
Jeanette Cummins 12-31-27
Ryan Prime 12-31-26
Alexis Devane Tomaino, Vice Chair 12-31-25
Ella Froah (Jr Commissioner) 03-31-25
