Policy Committee
The NJ Highlands Coalition is truly a coalition. Our policy directions and priorities are determined by the representatives of our member organizations that self-select to participate in our monthly Policy Committee meetings. The Chairperson of the Committee is a Trustee of the Coalition who also represents one of our member organizations. While NJ Highlands Coalition staff are vital participants in Policy Committee discussions and deliberations, on voting matters they have only an advisory role.
The Policy Committee meetings are typically spirited and topics are vigorously discussed. They also provide many benefits for participants. The larger organizations that have been vital members since the Coalition was first formed maintain their continued stake in the Coalition’s success. Smaller, grassroots organizations find support for their local concerns in the expertise and the resources of the larger organizations. For all participants, it is a collegial, informative discussion among a network of committed Highlands advocates.
Occasionally, guest speakers, experts in various areas of concern, are invited to make presentations.
Natural Heritage Committee
The Committee’s objective is to seek consensus among experts, professionals and concerned citizens on effective strategies and best management practices towards the stewardship of the region’s valuable natural heritage issues and to publish white papers and other reports and to recommend action by the Policy Committee. Membership is by invitation.
Cultural Resources Committee
The Cultural Resource Subcommittee seeks to identify the historical features in our natural and built environments that have significantly shaped who we are today and have altered our current landscape, to achieve a better understanding of society today from an investigation of our past. In evaluating historical features, those that are found to have historical resource value, we advocate for their protection, which may include listing on the State and Federal Registers, and where appropriate, provided with interpretation so that the public may understand how the resource connects with the region’s history.
