Town councillor Alex Reed has set the wheels in motion to create a task force to preserve Cochrane's natural beauty for now and generations to come.

Last night, town council supported his notice of motion to strike a Natural Environmental Protection Task Force.

He wants to task force to identify and prioritize natural areas that should be preserved or restored within town boundaries.

"To me, it's means preserving the beauty of Cochrane for generations to come, not only within our boundaries, but recognizing that some of these resources straddle out to the Rocky View County, so to work within the town, within the county and the province in doing that."

He says residents have indicated a strong desire to keep Cochrane's natural resources as well as its traditional history and passive recreational opportunities.

He says it builds upon Cochrane sustainability plan and council's strategic priorities.

It also falls within the objective of Canada's 30x30 target to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030, something he takes to heart.

The task force will include a mixture of members of council, administration and the public. Several councillors called for a representative of the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee to serve on the task force.

The proposed terms of reference for the task force, including its membership, will be presented to town council no later than Oct. 1 by town administration.

There was a call out to follow the current town council procedural bylaw during discussions. It has become a contentious issue within the chambers. Recently, council reviewed a draft of a new procedural bylaw that has been sent back for a few revisions before being adopted.

A vote was taken to ensure 2/3 of council was willing to discuss the motion. It also received unanimous support.