It’s Not Nice to Close Mother Nature
Read Wildlife Sanctuary, Rye
Six nature centers, including Rye’s Marshlands Conservancy (173 acres) and the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary (179 acres) will close under a plan in the County’s 2012 budget.
Both preserves are important bird sanctuaries and migratory flyways that also protect diverse habitats and species.
In addition, the budget eliminates funding for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester (saving $990,000), which provides local horticulture, gardening, and ecological and conservation information to the public, as well as youth programs.
Judith A. Myers, a member of the the Environment and Energy Committee and Majority Whip of the Westchester County Board of Legislators is livid.
“I totally disagree with the proposal by the county executive (Executive Rob Astorino-R) to cut the funding for the six nature centers,” says Myers. “To remove the naturalists and curators, as proposed, is irresponsible and short-sighted. They provide the eyes and ears to prevent vandalism and destruction of sensitive environmental areas, as well as education to all residents.”
The four additional nature centers slated for closing are: Cranberry Lake Preserve in West Harrison, Croton Point Nature Center, Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers, and Trailside Nature Museum inside Ward Pound Ridge preserve in Cross River.
Overall, the proposed budget calls for a 5 percent reduction in spending for Parks and Recreation, bringing expenses down to $48 million from $51 million in 2011. Parks has 26 layoffs or 9 percent of the department.
There have been two public comment sessions on the proposed 2012 budget to date. On Tuesday December 6, the third and final public hearing on the 2012 budget will be held at the Board of Legislature Chambers, 8th Floor Michaelian Office Building, White Plains at 7 PM.
Photo: Mockba1
Category: Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, News, Rye, Scarsdale, Towns, Yonkers
[...] The Westchester Board of Legislators (BOL) restored funds in the 2012 county budget to keep six nature centers open as well as the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester. (See our previous coverage.) [...]
As a neighbor of the Marshland’s Conservancy, and the mother of a boy who attended the camp last summer, I am heartbroken that we might lose what is not only a treasure where you can get-away from some of the nonsense of living in a rich community, but you can send your children to learn that crawling through tunnel logs and creating housing out of the forest floor is richer than anything else they might encounter.
I know the folks that run the Conservancy and they are earnest and knowledgable keepers of this important property. Let’s not take the risk of not being able to undo a bad decision.