Amanda LaValle, Ulster County's new Department of the Environment coordinator, is already establishing the focal points of her work, according to the [1]Daily Freeman. [2]

Ulster CountyFirst and foremost will be to define a clear role for the department by identifying which environmental needs are currently being overlooked. Second, is to preserve open space [3] as the county faces increasing development pressure. Third is to have the county government and local towns cooperate and coordinate their efforts.

"How we choose to develop in the future needs a lot of consideration," LaValle told the Freeman.

The Department of the Environment [4] was created earlier this year, to bring the county's environmental work under a single umbrella agency.