The Town of Oyster Bay is holding a meeting on May 3 regarding their SEA Fund Environmental Bond Act program. They, as did Nassau County, want input from the community on how they would like to see those funds allocated. Friends of the Bay is urging the town to work with Nassau County to acquire the Mill Pond Overlook property and protect it from development.

Last Sunday we stopped on Lake Avenue in the small shoulder along the Mill Pond. There were two fishermen fly-casting for trout in the Mill Pond. It was a "moment out of time" to see the men relaxing and taking part in the great sport of fly-fishing. We watched for a few moments as the men whipped their fishing lines in the air getting just the right amount of spin to them before they presented their bait to the waiting fish.

The water in the Mill Pond is amazingly clear. You can see the bottom lined with silt and leaves. The spot deserves preserving.

Please join Friends of the Bay and other organizations - as well as residents of Oyster Bay and Nassau County - (who make up the Coalition to Save the Mill Pond) in calling for a joint county/town acquisition of the Mill Pond Overlook property in Oyster Bay. The town is the lead agency reviewing a proposal by Carriage Hill Associates to build a 68-unit Golden Age Housing project on the corner of Underhill Avenue and Mill River Road.

It is a project worth your time and effort. The Mill Pond is a great resource and it needs preservation. Please take time out of your busy schedule to help preserve this special place.

The Town of Oyster Bay has scheduled two public meetings to inform the public about how to nominate properties or projects and how these nominations will be evaluated. You are invited to attend these public meetings, provide comments and learn how to nominate properties or projects for funding.

The first meeting is on May 3 and will begin at 7 p.m. in the Town Board Hearing Room in Town Hall, 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay. This meeting is especially important.

The town is holding a second meeting on May 5 in Farmingdale (call 624-6380 for the location).

The proposed Mill Pond Overlook development would involve the construction of a 68-unit housing complex on the edge of the Significant Coastal Fish & Wildlife habitat area and the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

On the FOB website there is a template citizen letter that can be sent to key officials, as well as a petition on which you can collect signatures and return it to FOB. There is also a link on FOB's webpage on the Mill Pond Overlook project:

http://friendsofthebay.org/issues/mpo/mpo_home.htm

- DFK