Smither's Pond - Lick the Damn Stamp
I’m lucky enough to know the Smither’s property first hand (by way of trespass I’m afraid). I started climbing the fence to fish there when I was ~12 years old and in high school we would go there to swim off the dam in the upper pond. The water was crystal clear and the fishing was great. It would be a sin to allow this property to be subdivided and developed.
I have posted a sample letter below for people to copy, paste and modify, or just copy, paste and sign. What matters is that we let our legislators know that this is important to us and that we let them know on time. That means that you have to do it pretty much immediately. I have posted the E-mail and mailing addresses to make it as easy as possible and suggest that you e-mail your letters immediately, as well as snail mail them for Tuesday morning pick up.
Please, lick the damn stamp and let us know that you did it. Mine were E-mailed this morning and dropped in the box this afternoon (thanks Tom and Scott for your letters).
Barry E. Lamb
Bayville
The letter:
The Honorable Thomas Souzzi
Nassau County Executive Director
One West Street
Mineola, NY 11501
February 17, 2008
Dear County Executive Souzzi,
I am writing you to covey my absolute support for the acquisition of the Smither’s property under the 2006 Nassau County Environmental Bond Program. The acquisition of this 25 acre property will combine with the Shu Swamp Preserve, Beaver Dam, Mill Neck Bayand the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge to create an unfragmented, continuous preserve to forever protect this beautiful water course.
An opportunity like this will only present itself once before this property is forever lost to development, profoundly affecting not only this property, but also the ecology of the entire downstream habitat.
The acquisition of this property may prove, in time, to be the crown jewel of the Environmental Bond Program. Please do everything in your power to ensure that this opportunity is not lost forever.
Sincerely,
<Your Name/Address>
The mailing addresses:
The Honorable Diane Yatauro
Presiding Officer, Nassau County Legislator
One West Street
Mineola, NY 11501
Dear Presiding Officer Yatauro,
The Honorable Peter Schmitt
Nassau County Minority Leader
One West Street
Mineola, NY 11501
Dear Minority Leader Schmitt,
And the E-mail addresses:
tsuozzi@nassaucountyny.gov
pschmitt@attglobal.net
Thanks in advance to all that respond
Signed petition yesterday (thanks Sue) and sent e mails this morning -
couldn't agree more "it would be a sin to allow this property to be subdivided and developed!"
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Thanks Kate. And thanks also to Pam and Frank who sent 6 letters and to the anonymous person who is circulating a petition (thanks Sue - Kate already gave you away).
Where is everyone else? We have maybe 2 more days to get letters in the mail and through the weekend for E-mails at best.
Let us know.
Barry
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I should also thank the guys at Trout Unlimited. I forwarded them the NSLA's and FOB's e-mails and a link to the blog and it looks like they will also be submitting a letter. Shu Swamp holds one of the last populations of native Brook Trout in Nassau County.
I hope that everyone realizes that the letters generated here not only affect this one issue, but also keep this a credible forum for future issues.
Barry
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I received an "Action Alert" E-mail from Trout Unlimited that was sent out to the Long Island T.U. membership. It is basically a modified version of the E-mail that the NSLA sent out originally asking for letters of support. As previously stated, I also expect them to submit a letter from the organization itself.
The question is, where are the letters from the readers of the Bayville Blog? Letters should be in the mail today to be sure to get there - tomorrow morning at the latest. Where is Anette, megan, Lisa, Chris, Chuck, Laura and the others who sent letters for the MNBM and the Birches who I still haven't heard from?
The only thing easier that copying and pasting a letter or E-mail together is doing nothing and then complaining about the poor decisions of your elected officials.
We gotta be able to do better than this - we get over 1000 hits a week.
Barry
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ok ok ok Barry! (:
Sending 2 letters in today, just saw Friends of the Bay article in OB Pilot!!!
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Thanks MDK,
Several of the TU officers have also e-mailed me copies of letters that they have sent in, so at least we're on their radar.
Barry
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The Leader has coverage of the smithers issue at:
http://www.theleaderonline.com/2007/UpdateontheSpaceRace.htm
and the NSLA is asking that all who can attend the meeting this Monday at 10:00 am.
151 Post Road
Old Westbury, New York (516) 626-0908
info@northshorelandalliance.org
ACTION ALERT!
Please come to the legislature building on Monday, February 25th at 10:00 am to show your support of the Smithers property acquisition.
Thanks to everyone who wrote letters to, called and emailed the legislators regarding saving the critical 25-acre Smithers property. The legislators have heard from us but will they vote YES?
As of today, we are not certain which way they will vote. Do not let partisan politics derail this acquisition.
Please show your support by attending the final vote on Monday, February 25th at 10:00 a.m. If the vote is no, the property will go on the market and most surely be permanently lost to development.
A critical mass speaks volumes! Please try to attend.
The vote will take place at the Legislative offices (5th Floor) at
One West Street, Mineola.
Directions to One West Street http://www.mapquest.com
For more information on the North Shore Land Alliance, please visit:
http://www.northshorelandalliance.org
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Sue has also come across with over 70 names on a petition which she has submitted. Thanks to everyone who signed, and especially to Sue. Awesome.
Barry
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Hi Barry,
Thank you for posting this. I emailed the letter to the legislators earlier in the week. Was the petition submitted? I will sign if it has not been mailed yet.
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Mine were sent along with emails
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My nine-year-old, Peter, and I were walking by the Smithers property this afternoon and met an environmental researcher who specializes in otters. He showed us the holes they made in the ice in Francis Pond (called "push ups"), their tracks, and an otter slide. He said he thinks the area has the largest otter population on Long Island. I told him about the hearing tomorrow. He said he would try to contact NSLA.
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Thanks Jen and Jeff.
And thanks Eric. Hopefully he will contact the NSLA and they will get him to attend the meeting. The only reason the otters can flourish here is because the watershed is intact all the way to the bay and they can move around. They have also been reported in Rake's Pond which is along a separate stream course so they are expanding their range by moving through the Bay.
For those of you who have decided to go to the meeting - see you there.
Barry
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Nassau OKs purchase of Mill Neck estate
BY WILLIAM MURPHY | william.murphy@newsday.com
1:42 PM EST, February 25, 2008
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The Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously Monday to buy most of the 31-acre Smithers Estate in Mill Neck for $7.8 million and preserve it as open space.
The county used money from its 2006 environmental bond to acquire 25 acres of ponds, woodlands and open space, and the Smithers Foundation retained the six acres that includes the headquarters of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation.
The Smithers purchase has been delayed since January as Democrats and Republicans in the legislature questioned the administration of County Executive Thomas Suozzi on why such open-space projects seemed to move so quickly while less-glamorous projects like parks improvements seemed to move slowly.
However, the purchase breezed through on a voice vote Monday with no comments from any legislators.
The first environmental bond in the county's history was approved by voters in 2004, and the Suozzi administration has used all of the $38 million allocated for open space purchases, but has moved slowly in spending $12 million earmarked for parks improvements and other projects.
About $77 million of the 2006 bond issue will be used to buy open space and $13 million will go to other projects involving parks, storm-water runoff and the cleaning of contaminated brownfields.
Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick), chairman of the Committee on Planning, Development and the Environment, has been one of the most vocal legislative critics of the administration on its handling of the bond issue.
"There is a responsibility to the voters to show progress on completing these projects," Denenberg said at a committee hearing last month. "I don't know why they don't get that."
Aides to Suozzi said land acquisitions were relatively simple, while parks improvements and other projects had to go through a lengthy and complicated bidding procedure to get the work done.
To see a video of the estate prepared by Friends of the Bay, an environmental advocacy group, click here.
More articles
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Congratulations and thanks for your advocacy, Barry. Where is Rake's Pond?
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Rake's pond is at the end of Kaintuck La. in Locust Valley. It's also called Kaintuck Pond, the Rakes family were literally squatters on the land in the sixties (they had a VW bus and everything - I went for ice cream in it when I was 7).
I have never seen the otters personally, but was told years ago that they were there by someone who had. It makes sense that they would move throughout the connected watersheds through Beaver Lake and even Mill Neck Creek.
Barry
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I have seen what I thought were Beavers several times in the Creek just on the saltwater side of the causewsay. I never stopped to think that they could be Otters....Either way, it's amazing to have this kind of wildlife in our backyard. Congratulations to all who cared and were heard regarding Smithers!
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I emailed the letter to the legislators. What about an online petition?
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Falcon habitat
Immediate response is needed and required due to the extremely hazardous chemical product of DD7 and
DD2 which is derived from the genetic warfare cells found in chemical warfare agents of the Great world war and the DD2 and DD7 is presently being used in the fertilizer-pesticide placed in buildings and on the ground in the United States with the shipping to and from Asia, China, Japan and Thailand and it has already been deemed a very dangerous chemical and is absorbed through the skin causing sneezing, eye irritation and bad health of all living in man as well as the important environment of ground, land, soil, trees and water aquifers.
The chemical warfare additives is already killing the tree bark and the damage done might be resolved with clean manure top soil with soda lime mixture at this time.
Stephen Brexel
sbrex2000@aol.com
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pct v iydjg
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