For anyone who hasn't heard......
Jeanne
We need your help!
Westchester County Plans to CLOSE Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary and 5
other Nature Centers, and lay off the Curators/Naturalists.
As you may be aware, Westchester County's proposed 2012 budget includes
210 layoffs and further cuts across many departments. A large percentage of
these layoffs and cuts have come from the Conservation Division of the
Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, including the closing of
all six nature centers and cancellation of all wildlife monitoring, habitat
maintenance, and nature education programs. This Division is entrusted
with protecting the natural resources of County parkland, and these layoffs
further erode environmental programs that have already been reduced. Further
information on the budget can be found here:
_http://www3.westchestergov.com/news/3102-astorino-proposes-2012-budget-with-zero-increase-in-county-tax-levy_
(http://www3.westchestergov.com/news/3102-astorino-proposes-2012-budget-with-zero-increase-in-county-tax-levy)
Here are the list of nature centers whose buildings will close and whose
staff will be eliminated if this budget is adopted:
-- Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary in Rye, NY
-- Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, NY
-- Cranberry Lake Preserve in West Harrison, NY
-- Croton Point Nature Center in Croton-on-Hudson, NY
-- Trailside Nature Museum (Pound Ridge) in Cross River, NY
-- Lenior Preserve in Yonkers, NY
We urge you to please make every effort to attend one of the public budget
hearings listed below to let your concerns with these budget cuts be
known.
The Southern Westchester County Regional Public Hearing on the 2012 Budget
will take place on Tuesday, November 22 at 7pm at New Rochelle High
School, 265 Clove Road, New Rochelle.
The Northern Westchester County Regional Public Hearing on the budget will
take place on Wednesday, November 30 at 7pm at Somers High School, 120
Primrose Street, Lincolndale.
The third and final Regional Public Hearing on the 2012 Budget will take
place on Tuesday, December 6 at 7pm in the Board Of Legislators Chambers on
the 8th Floor of the Michaelian Office Building in White Plains.
Please take a moment to call, e-mail and/or send a hard copy letter to all
of your legislators NOW - before you forget!
Their address is:
800 Michaelian Office Building,
148 Martine Ave, 8th Floor,
White Plains, NY 10601
Please use the attached letter as a template, and feel free to change it
and personalize it - particularly the first sentence. You can also e-mail
your letters. Sending both hard copy and e-mail letters would be the best
option. For a directory of legislators please go to:
_http://westchesterlegislators.com/contact-us.html_
(http://westchesterlegislators.com/contact-us.html)
Please also send a letter to the County Executive, Robert Astorino at:
_ce@westchestergov.com_ (mailto:c...@westchestergov.com) or
_http://www3.westchestergov.com/home/e-mail-the-ce_
(http://www3.westchestergov.com/home/e-mail-the-ce)
and hard copy to:
County Executive,
900 Michaelian Building,
148 Martine Ave.,
White Plains, NY 10601
Please send a letter to the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation &
Conservation Kathleen O'Connor at:
_parksinfo@westchestergov.com_ (mailto:parksi...@westchestergov.com)
and hard copy to:
25 Moore Ave.,
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Friends of Read Wildlife Sanctuary
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