Comments from Patricia Burkhart on Gov Paterson veto, etc. August 7, 2008

Yesterday, Governor David Paterson vetoed bill S6728a/A9870a (the transfer of Pilgrim land to the Edgewood Preserve), thus caving in to special interests and ignoring a state law that says Pilgrim land no longer needed by the hospital must be incorporated into the Edgewood Preserve.

Among other things, the transfer of this land would have expanded the PROTECTED groundwater area in Western Suffolk, ensuring the sustainability of clean drinking water for Long Islanders.  Seems pretty important to us.

The bill passed the Senate 48-7 and the DEMOCRAT-controlled Assembly 143-0. We had the score wrong — it was even more astonishing than we had reported (100-0).  So, the Governor not only ignored the will of his own lawmakers, he ignored the will of the majority of Long Islanders, which is extremely disheartening.

There are some who lobbied the Governor to veto the bill.  We feel it is our responsibility, as elections approach, to inform you of those who pushed hard for a veto, who turned their backs on the will of the people, who killed the democratic process.  As you go to the polls this year or as you try to decide who to donate money to, please keep this list handy.

Edgewood: Summer Newsletter July 31, 2008

Click here for PDF version of the summer 2008 newsletter.

Friends of Edgewood NEWS

The Quarterly Newsletter of Friends of the Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve: An all-volunteer, not for profit organization dedicated to protecting the natural beauty & improving the conditions of the Edgewood State Nature Preserve through advocacy and education

Summer 2008 ! Volume 2, Issue 4

The Thrill of the Whip-poor-will’s Return
By Mary Beth Tomko

It was just past dusk and our disappointment was palpable as my husband and I walked along the trail heading toward Old Commack Road. The temperature on this late spring evening felt more like Halloween than Memorial Day. We had hoped to spot an owl of any type, but what we were secretly hoping for was the vociferous sound of the Whip-poor-will.

Action Alert: Your letter can help the preserve July 9, 2008

URGENT – ask Gov Paterson to sign the EDGEWOOD bill!

!!ACTION ALERT!!

from Friends of the Edgewood Preserve

The legislation to transfer land to the Edgewood Preserve

passed the Senate (48-5) on June 12^th
and passed the Assembly (100-0) on June 24^th!

Thank you to everyone who supported and helped get this far.

We would not have been able to make this incredible journey without you and would not have accomplished what we have without your efforts.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP ONE MORE TIME!

The bill will soon be sent to Governor David Paterson for his signature.

There are some powerful forces out there pushing for a veto of this bill, including the editorial board of Newsday – bowing to pressure from the DOT.

It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that the Governor hear from you,

your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors ASAP!

Here’s how YOU can make a difference:

1. Send a letter by mail to the Governor. Signature and address a must! If you can, send a copy to Judith Enck, the Deputy Secretary for the Environment. You do NOT need to send Friends of Edgewood a copy this time around!

1. Fax a letter to the Governor. 518-474-1513.

1. Call the Governor. 518-474-8390. State your name, where you are from and just say that you want the Governor to know that it is important to you and your family that he sign the Edgewood bill – S6728-a / A9870-a. The receptionist will likely ask for your zip code and that is all. It’s an easy phone call!

1. E-mail the Governor. http://161.11.121.121/govemail. Click on this link and it will take you to directly to the e-mail page for the Governor.

PLEASE DO IT TODAY. WE ARE ALMOST THERE. Thank you!

See sample letter on page below…

PO Box 162 Deer Park, NY 11729 • 242-7402 box#3 • patricia@friendsofedgewood.com

[Sample letter]

Simply cut and paste into a blank document. If you are a professional or represent an organization or group, please consider putting this on letterhead. Personalizing the letter will have even more impact. It is very important to sign and print your name and address.

July 2008

The Honorable David Paterson

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Paterson,

I am writing today to kindly ask that you sign S6728-a/A9870-a (“the transfer of certain lands to the Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve”) into law.

The Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve is the second largest parcel of pitch-pine scrub oak barrens in New York. It is an irreplaceable and fragile habitat, home to numerous species of migratory birds, as well as a wide variety of other wildlife. It is one of nine areas in New York that comprise the State Nature and Historic Preserve, as outlined in our State Constitution. The preserve and adjacent lands provide prime nesting for New York State’s Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern species.

The transfer of these lands will not only preserve more open space in a region of Long Island that has long-experienced environmental neglect and overdevelopment, but also ensure the sustainability of Long Island’s clean drinking water supply by significantly expanding the groundwater protection area, thus satisfying the requirements of the Sole Source Aquifer Act of 1987, which limits development in Deep Flow Recharge Areas.

This is a rare opportunity to ensure that Western Suffolk County remains a place where families can look forward to a bright future, one that includes: clean air, safe drinking water and “forever wild” habitats that future generations of children can both enjoy and learn from. As you know, so much of Long Island’s natural beauty is vanishing at a rapid pace. It is up to each of us to do our part to protect it before it is too late.

Please do not let this moment slip away. Long after specific projects have come and gone, areas preserved in their natural state will continue to attest to the foresight of those who helped protect them. I hope I can depend on you to sign this measure into law.

Thank you for your kind consideration of this important issue and for the work you do every day on behalf of all New Yorkers.

Sincerely,

Cc:

Judith Enck, Deputy Secretary for the Environment

Spring 2008 newsletter June 17, 2008

Hello all,

Click here for the PDF of the Spring 2008 newsletter. Hope you will read and pass on to others.

Enjoy the warmer, longer days…be well and happy.

Thanks for your support.

Cheers,
Patricia

Urgent action – Call to save Edgewood Preserve June 16, 2008

action action
URGENT UPDATE-protection for Edgewood Preserve

Last week, the bill (S6728-A) to add additional land (the land that the DOT wanted to use for their Intermodal) to the Edgewood Preserve passed the Senate 48-5 (7 absent). The companion bill (9870-A) in the Assembly needs your help ASAP!

It is being held up in the Ways and Means Committee and we need you to make ONE PHONE CALL ONLY
edge
Call Assemblyman Farrell (chair, Ways and Means Committee) at 518-455-5491. His assistant will answer.

All you need to say is this:

Your name, that you are a resident of Long Island and that you are calling about bill #9870-A.
Say that this bill is extremely important to you, your family and your community and that you want Assemblyman Farrell to pass the bill through committee as soon as possible and send it to the floor for a full vote.

That’s it. The assistant will likely ask you for your zip code.

No one will ask you any other questions.

Please do this FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. The legislative session ends on 6/23. We only have a few days left. Please, do not delay. This one phone call —– can mean the difference between victory or defeat.

If you have more than one person in your house, please — get as many to make the call as possible! We need to get at least 100 people to call. Pass this on to others too.

PLEASE HELP — it’s now or never time — and, of course, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Patricia

Patricia Burkhart
Friends of the Edgewood Preserve
www.friendsofedgewoodpreserve.org
P.O. Box 162
Deer Park, NY 11729
631-242-7402

Images of the preserve May 15, 2008

Impressions from some amateur photographers and nature lovers, from their cell phone camera. Please consider coming by the preserve. A short drive and no money allows you a sense of being in the wild. The musical sound of various and distinct bird songs is amazing. Makes you understand right away the biodiversity of the preserve.

Current concern: stop the LI TRIM March 7, 2008

There are currently proposals to build a Truck to Rail Intermodal Facility or TRIM adjacent to the Edgewood Preserve and 1/4 mile from residential areas (mainly Dix Hills, Deer Park and Brentwood). The Friends of the Edgewood Preserve believes that building this facility would be illegal, based on NY State laws, and also a bad idea.

The Friends of the Edgewood Preserve have been discussing, debating and opposing the TRIM for many months now. There is some movement towards defeating the project. And, the passage of the Edgewood Preserve legislation is part of the work that needs to be done.

The current bills in the NY State Legislature that would help to underscore the protection of the preserve are:

In the Assembly: A09870

and

In the State Senate: S6728

Please contact your State Assemblyperson and State Senator in order to show your support for this positive and proactive legislation. In addition, there is a focus on communicating the importance of this legislation to Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver. Click here for a sample letter which we are asking people to sign and send. The address for Assemblyman Sheldon Silver is:

The Honorable Sheldon Silver
Speaker of the Assembly
Legislative Office Building 932
Albany, NY 12248

If you write to Sheldon Silver, please send a copy to the Friends of Edgewood Preserve, so that we can hear from you, and copy your letter to key legislators. The sample letter includes his address and our address to make this step simple.

Our ecosystem March 7, 2008

The Edgewood-Oak Brush Plain State Preserve is part of the State Nature and Historic Preserve and is the largest parcel of open space west of Brookhaven and the second largest remnant of pitch-pine scrub oak habitat in all of New York State.

The Preserve is an irreplaceable and fragile ecosystem that is home to a wide variety of migratory birds and other wildlife. The preserve and adjacent lands provide prime nesting for plant and animal species that are on New York State’s Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern lists.

The Preserve and adjacent lands are part of a Special Groundwater Protection Area, a major source of drinking water for both Nassau County and Suffolk County.

What do we do? March 7, 2008

Friends of the Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve, is a not-for- profit, all volunteer organization dedicated to improving and maintaining the 813-acre rare pitch pine scruboak state nature preserve, which is located on Commack Road in Deer Park.

The group works both independently of and in cooperation with the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (who owns and manages the land) on various projects and programs. Through education and advocacy the group hopes to increase public awareness of the importance of this particular parcel of open space and encourage more meaningful public stewardship, especially by young Long Islanders.

Hello world! March 7, 2008

Welcome to the new website for Friends of the Edgewood Preserve. We are working on a more detailed web-site, to feature natural scenes from the preserve. Though, for now, we are glad you stopped by, and hope you will contact us.