It is with great reluctance that I submit my resignation on the Village of Garden City's Environmental Advisory Board (EAB). I have been granted the opportunity to serve as representative from the Western Property Owners Association since the EAB's creation almost 10 years ago. I have participated in innumerable meetings and conducted research on a wide variety of environmental topics to help provide accurate and timely information to community residents.

One aspect, which was mandated in the bylaws at the EAB's creation, was monitoring open and green space with the village. The village agreed to update its GIS mapping system so that the continual decline in remaining green space could be mapped and utilized for planning purposes. It appears that the entire effort has either been misplaced, unobtainable or simply thrown away by the village and I apologize that I cannot re-create my previous efforts.

There are still a great number of environmental issues that face residents of Garden City. I challenge these residents to find and read the first issue of the Village Habitat, EAB's newsletter that was completed and supposedly issued last May after a long and concerted effort by EAB representatives. Thanks to Alan Mathers, Hal Hecken, Dick Benack, Barbara Miller and Mayor Bob Lewis, all of whom I enjoyed working with on the board. I remind the trustees that the EAB is willing to undertake studies as directed by the village board. There have been times when your silence is deafening. I urge residents to become active in efforts to halt the continual and incessant development efforts that threaten to further urbanize the village and to be wary of the motives of some individuals and elected "officials."

One outgrowth of my responsibilities with the EAB resulted in the creation of the Garden City Bird Sanctuary, a nine-acre community nature preserve. I ask the village to reconsider its original negative recommendation and to negotiate an equitable direct permit with Nassau County for the continued utilization of this site as a nature preserve. Certainly, after eight years, 3,000 volunteers and innumerable school, Scout and church group programs, the results to date easily verify that this is a successful community service program that merits active village support. The Village of Floral Park, following my guidance, has created a similar community park at their Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary.

In either event, I ask the village to formally waive charges for the metered water service at the sanctuary. This water service was installed through private donations of more than $5,000 and watering costs to maintain the new plantings of native trees and shrubs cost the sanctuary roughly $3,000 a year. I maintain that this is for community benefit. The Nassau Haven playground soccer field, also on county property, has an underground sprinkler system to maintain the field and the village is expending over half a million dollars to irrigate the fields at St. Paul's. I ask that the water charges for the bird sanctuary be eliminated.

I am also pleased to report that the bird sanctuary received notification of the award of a $15,000 grant from the NYS Parks Department for the installation of additional fencing around the basins and along Tanners Pond Road where the new estate style gate was installed last spring.

Robert Alvey