The 2014 State Open Space Conservation Plan has been released for public comment. The plan guides State Environmental Protection Fund investments in open space protection. Public comments on the draft plan will be accepted from Sept. 17 until Dec. 17 and a series of public hearings will be held across the state from Oct. 21 to 23.

Since 1992, the plan has served as the blueprint for the State’s Open Space Program, guiding the investment of land protection funds from the Environmental Protection Fund. As required by law, the plan is updated periodically, relying heavily on the work of the nine Regional Advisory Committees. Following the public comment period, the plan will be finalized and submitted to the governor for approval in 2015.

The draft plan, according to a release from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, makes recommendations on how open-space conservation will ensure clean water, air, and land for a healthy public and vibrant economy; green New York’s economy; protect natural resources and promote outdoor recreation; increase and improve visitors’ experiences; create a 21st-Century parks system that is aesthetically compelling, energy, and operationally efficient, and built to last; and address climate change.

Building upon the recommendations of the regional committees, the public is being asked how open-space conservation programs can make the state better prepared and more resilient in preparation of future storms and climate change.

Governor Andrew Cuomo created the New York State 2100 Commission in response to Hurricane Sandy to generate recommendations to improve resilience and strengthen the state’s infrastructure in the face of natural disasters and other emergencies. Many of the open-space recommendations included in the 2100 commission report are integrated into the draft plan.

The nine regional committees were made up of representatives of county governments and people knowledgeable in open-space conservation selected by the DEC and State Parks. The nine committees correspond to the DEC’s nine administrative regions. Each committee was asked to review the existing 2009 plan, including the list of priority open-space conservation projects, as well as policy recommendations, to make New York’s comprehensive open-space conservation program stronger in the future.

Specifically, public comments could offer suggestions on:

— How the state and its partners can promote and enhance existing and new state lands as tourism destinations as part of a comprehensive open space conservation program;

— How the state can make public lands attractive to a diversity of New Yorkers;

— How the DEC and State Parks can offer better access for sportsmen and women;

— How the DEC and State Parks can work to provide outdoor recreation opportunities for New Yorkers and visitors of all abilities through universal access;

— Where the DEC and State Parks can further develop universal access; and

— What the state can do to acquire and make more accessible lands near and in urban centers.

An electronic version of the draft plan is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/317.html.

The public hearing for Region 4 will be held on Oct. 21 at the DEC Region 4 Office at 1130 North Westcott Rd., Schenectady, NY 12306.

There will be a workshop before the hearing, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., and the public will have an opportunity to attend either an afternoon or evening hearing session — from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. or from 7 to 9 p.m.