The Open Space Committee (OSC) updated its name and charge in 2023. The Town Council created the Committee in 2005, originally as the Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee. This Committee meets monthly and is charged with keeping the Open Space and Recreation Plan and the open space section of the Local Comprehensive Plan updated and current; reviewing conservation restrictions and making recommendations for approval to the Town Council; recommending parcels of land available for purchase or protection to the Community Preservation Committee or to the Town Manager, if the funding will be from non-Community Preservation Act funds; assisting Town departments in the management of Land Bank lands acquired under the Land Bank Act in accordance with the Act and its provisions; implementing and promoting the approved Cape Cod Pathways Plan within the Town of Barnstable, including but not limited to promoting and advising on the Town’s Walking Library, which is accessible to the public online and details the various walks throughout the Town; and educating the public about open space issues through speakers at meetings of the Open Space Committee. Additionally, a member of the OSC serves as the Town’s representative on the Santuit Preserve Management Committee.