Abby Hoover is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson officials April 1, announced the city will appoint a Climate Smart Task Force in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. The task force will first conduct an assessment of the city’s actions concerning climate change before prioritizing its next steps at a meeting to be held later this month. Cornell Cooperative will provide technical expertise and administrative support for the task force. The city will work with Cornell to create a flood guide and road stream-crossing management plan, which count as actions in the Climate Smart program. These actions are “important to sustainability planning in the city of Hudson, especially with increasingly intense weather events and rising waters of climate change,” according to the statement. Mayor's Aide Michael Chameides will chair the task force and serve as the Climate Smart coordinator. Communities that take the Climate Smart Community Pledge commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving taxpayer dollars, increasing energy security and reliability, supporting a green innovation economy and more. Other Columbia County communities working toward the Climate Smart certification are Ancram, Austerlitz, Chatham, Copake, Ghent, Hillsdale, Kinderhook, and Philmont. In Greene County, Athens, Cairo, Catskill, Hunter and Jewett are working toward certification. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.