The Friends of Brookhaven State Park Alliance
C/o Quality Parks - P.O. Box 143 - Port Jefferson, NY 11777-0143
631-473-6760 - brookhavensp@gmail.com - www.qualityparks.org
September 9, 2011
The Friends of Brookhaven State Park Alliance is a committee under Quality parks, a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on conservation and education. Friends include local civic associations, CLIMB, East End Livestock - - a Horseman's Association, Empire State Lyme disease Association, Long Island Greenbelt Conference, Long Island Greenways and Healthy Trails, and more as we continue to grow.
Please accept this letter of support for our organization's application for the 2011 Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant Program For Communities Exposed to Multiple Environmental Harms and Risks in New York State.
The undersigned agree that ticks on Long Island, in Brookhaven State Park in particular, have become a serious threat to users of open space. They are not limited to open space however, and have invaded backyards as well. Some residents find that they cannot use their backyards without regular spraying of insecticides for ticks. Deer ticks have spread Lyme disease to epidemic proportions. Estimated costs for society have been staggering, not to mention the cost of human health. CDC recently announced Lyme cases have doubled since 1991, with 20,000 new cases reported each year. Additionally, the Lone Star Tick, the Blacklegged Tick, and the American Dog Tick pose additional threats to humans and pets. Hundreds of lone star tick larvae that at hatch out aggressively seek warm blood, crawl up legs, through socks, and attach with ease. They are a barely visible threat that in a few days cause intensive scratching which can lead to infection and permanent scarring.
The Suffolk County Tick Management Task force created a document in 2008 for the Assessment and Management of the vector population. Funds from this grant would be used to take this plan to the next step and begin the control of ticks in our area. Besides Brookhaven State Park, the Alliance will also target minority and/or low-income communities with high incidences of tick borne disease.
Sincerely,
Friends of Brookhaven State Park Alliance
Including the following signatories:
- Arthur Pendzick, Law Enforcement Council Chair
- Chris Sosik, Ridge Civic Association
- Laura Weber Henagan, Ridge Civic Association & Islip Horseman's Association
- Fred Edel, Ex-Fire Chief/Incident Safety Officer/Fire Safety Educator - 1998-2008 (Jamesport)
- Lawrence Paul, The Nature Conservancy
- Lee McAllister, Ridge, NY
- Mindy Block, Quality Parks
- Nancy Duffrin, Long Island Greenbelt
- Nancy Manfredonia, Central Islip Civic Council
- Steve Englebright, NY State Assemblyman
- Vincent Taldone, Flanders Riverside and Northampton Civic Association (FRNCA)
(* Note: We moved this post to Quality Parks main page for better viewing, and added the comments from the prior site below.)
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