Floyd Bennett Field's future in your hands --we need public support

 
National Park Conservation Association "Action Alert"

NPCA and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz invite you to attend a public meeting to share your thoughts about the future of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, the 1,400 acre unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. One of New York City's largest public spaces, Floyd Bennett Field provides many environmental, recreational, and cultural benefits to the people of Brooklyn and beyond, but its full potential has never been realized.

The National Park Service is now drafting a plan to shape Gateway's future, and Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Anthony Weiner have formed a Blue Ribbon Panel to provide recommendations about Floyd Bennett Field for this plan. NPCA is working with the Regional Plan Association (RPA) and our elected officials to make sure your voice is heard by the people creating the plan for Gateway's future.

Please join this important conversation.

WHAT: Brooklyn public meeting about Floyd Bennett Field

WHEN: Tuesday, September 21, 6 - 8 p.m.

WHERE: Aviator Sports Center, Hangar 5, Floyd Bennett Field, 3159 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11234

WHO: Event is FREE and open to the public. Meeting hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, NPCA, and RPA.

CONTACT: Questions? Contact Maya Borgenicht with the Regional Plan Association at maya@rpa.org or 917.652.6359.

For more information, go to www.rpa.org/floydbennett

More history

http://www.npca.org/search.jsp?query=floyd%20bennett&x=12&y=9

The National Park Service MISSION STATEMENT

The National Park System
Caring for the American Legacy

"...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.

What you can do to save Ridgewood Reservoir.

http://www.nycaudubon.org/home/ridgewood.shtml

About a month ago , I sent out a note about Ridgewood Reservoir coming under review by the NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation for wetland protection. We have a chance as a concerned birding community to save a critical habitat from destruction for sports fields by the city parks.

NYC Audubon created a form letter ( if letter writing isn't your strong suit) you can use  to copy and paste unto a Microsoft word document ( or similar software) and mail. Its that simple. Our appreciation to NYC Audubon for coming up with the form letter.See the link above.

We do need to save this wonderful place on the north Brooklyn border.

Please act today.

---Kinsgboider

NYS Hydrofracking moratorium bill passed

----- Original Message -----

From: Catskill Mountainkeeper

To: amlazarus@earthlink.net

Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 1:15 PM

Subject: CORRECTED Action Alert: ASSEMBLY BILL # IS A11443-b NYS Drilling Moratorium Passes Senate





Catskill Mountainkeeper Action Alert

August 4, 2010


CORRECTED ASSEMBLY BILL NUMBER BELOW

The New York State Senate Passes Gas Drilling Moratorium Bill

The fight to prevent unsafe gas drilling in New York State received a huge boost last night when at 12:17 AM the New York State Senate passed a bill that would impose a moratorium on granting permits for hydrofracking until May 15, 2011.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo), was passed by a margin of 48-9. The vote had strong bipartisan support and included 15 Republicans.

The next step is for the Assembly version of the bill (A11443-b) to be voted on by the Assembly when they return from their summer break after September 15th.

Many had considered the bill "dead on arrival", but legislators were positively affected by the unrelenting efforts of Catskill Mountainkeeper and a broad coalition of our environmental and grass roots partners. According to Wes Gillingham who managed Mountainkeeper's field efforts to generate public support for the bill, and was on the Senate Floor this morning pushing up to the last minute "this important step is a
tremendous display of what can happen when citizens stand up and take action."

It is very important to note that the passage of this bill by the State Senate does not make this a done deal. We now must make sure the bill is passed by the Assembly and be signed by the Governor as quickly as possible.
Here's how you can help!

Email and call Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and your own Assembly Members (contact your member here) now to tell them to bring the bill (A11443-B in that house) to a vote as soon as possible.

Call Governor Paterson and tell him to heed the call of New Yorkers across the state who are calling for the state to slow new gas drilling down and to make sure it can be done safely before our communities, our drinking water, our air quality and our landscapes are sacrificed.

This has been a long, hard and expensive fight. We weren't given a chance to win two years ago when we picked up the gauntlet on behalf of the citizens of the Catskill region and New York State. Today an important victory is within sight if we can continue to build public pressure. Please help us continue this positive momentum by donating to Catskill Mountainkeeper today.

Support Mountainkeeper

We act as your advocate in protecting the Catskills. Our only funding comes from individual contributions and foundation grants. Help us continue to work for you by making a donation of any size.

About Catskill Mountainkeeper

Catskill Mountainkeeper is a community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health. We address issues of water integrity for the Delaware and Susquehanna River Systems, the defense of the vast woodlands that encompass the Catskill Forest Preserve and the New York City Watershed as well as farmland protection. We promote "smart" development that balances the economic needs and concerns of the Catskill regions' citizens and the protection of our abundant but exceedingly vulnerable natural resources. Catskill Mountainkeeper is fiscally sponsored by the Open Space Institute, Inc. as part of its Citizen Action Program.