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Dear Friends, Please use the sample letter at the bottom of this page to send a message to Gov. McGreevey about the River Vale Woods. In this time of drought, our watershed buffer lands are more essential than ever as they capture every possible drop of rainwater that falls. Feel free to copy-and-paste and edit it as you like or simply use it as a guide for a letter in your own words. Then print, sign and send it to the Governor, with copies to the list below. As always, thank you for your help, your care and concern for your watershed. Sincerely, Your friends at Hackensack Riverkeeper If you prefer to fax or e-mail your letter to the Governor, note the following: Fax Number: 609-292-3454 E-mail via the comments box at this link: www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html Please send copies of your letter to the following:
If you need the addresses of your elected officials, feel free to contact Hackensack Riverkeeper at 201-692-8440. Date: Governor James E. McGreevey State House PO Box 001 Trenton, NJ 08625 Re: A Call for Moratorium on Building on Endangered Watershed Buffer Lands Dear Governor McGreevey: As you are aware, watershed buffer forests help to protect the quality of New Jersey’s water supply. They conserve groundwater and aquifer recharge areas, thus assuring water supply quantity. Their wetlands and woodlands help control flooding and erosion. In some parts of our state they are the last refuges for wildlife and provide the only vistas of scenic beauty for the residents of many communities. I wholeheartedly approve of your administration’s plans to prioritize the protection of watershed buffer lands through New Jersey’s Green Acres Program. Because of the drought emergency, the importance of preserving these lands has been made all the more urgent. In Bergen County, where the reservoirs are now thoroughly depleted and the roads and other infrastructure are already severely overburdened, environmentalists, elected officials and other concerned citizens have been struggling for 15 years to prevent the last of the Upper Hackensack River watershed forests from being replaced by sprawl development. Currently, United Properties Group, the real estate division of United Water New Jersey, is advancing plans for development of over one hundred townhouse units and luxury homes on 26 acres of a 44-acre forested tract in River Vale, NJ. This development will displace mature forests and wetlands that represent the last of their kind. The River Vale Planning Board is meeting shortly and will be forced to consider and finalize this development plan. In light of these concerns, and at a time of an impending, severe summer drought, I implore you to impose an immediate moratorium on all proposed development on lands that: 1. directly recharge a reservoir, aquifer or well, or 2. drain to a water body that, in turn, serves as a source for ANY reservoir, aquifer or well. I hope that with your intercession, owners of significant watershed buffer forests such as the 44-acre site in River Vale, will participate fully in good-faith negotiations for the public purchase of these important lands. This will ensure that they can continue to provide all of their critical environmental functions, the most important being the recharging of our essential water supplies. Thank you for your timely attention to this request. Sincerely, |