OntheWilderSide

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=518542388340576247]

On  Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 7pm, the Babylon Green Party Gathering featured Patricia Burkhart of the Friends of Edgewood Preserve talking about the proposed NYS DOT Long Island Truck to Rail Intermodal (LI TRIM) project in the Brentwood Hamlet of the Town of Islip. http://www.BabylonGreens.org The Babylon Green Party gathering is held at Pisces Café, 14A Railroad Avenue, Babylon, NY (631-321-1231)  http://www.piscescafe.net  For directions to the Babylon Green Gathering, call 422-4702 or email ian.wilder@yahoo.com Children are welcome. All gatherings are Free of Charge, and Open to the Public.

Patricia Burkhart is a founding board member of Friends of the Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains Preserve, a not-for-profit, all volunteer organization dedicated to improving and maintaining this 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.http://edgewoodpreserve.wordpress.com/

Burkhart talked about the proposed TRIM facility and discuss why Friends decided to fight the project, how they did it, the opposition they faced at first and then the “snowball effect” of support they finally obtained in late summer.  She explained why this particular parcel of land is important and why it should not be developed .

Burkhart outlined the legal structure of the preserve, that it is part of the State Nature and Historic Preserve (lands protected by our state constititution) as well as talk about the Sole Source Aquifer Act of 1987, which limits development near groundwater protection areas (both the preserve and adjacent lands are part of these protected areas). Also, she discussed the two bills recently introduced in the Senate and the Assembly which would transfer the TRIM site parcel to the preserve and permanently protect the Edgewood preserve.  Burkhart provided copies of the bills as well as copies of a form letter that Friends is asking everyone to sign and send to Albany.

Related Post:

• Long Island Truck to Rail Intermodal (LI TRIM) 3/5/08
• New web-site: Edgewood Preserve – LI Pine Barrens
• TRIM Deadline extended AGAIN 10/24/07
•  Final TRIM hearing 9/20/07
• Intermodal Rally in Brentwood Mon 9/10/07
• Long Island Environmental Rally: Thur 8/16/07

Filed under: activism, Babylon Politics, Ecology, Environment, Green Party Websites, local, Long Island Politics, nature, New York State Politics, video Tagged: | Environment, nature