With this week marking a global celebration of our Earth, the critical question we should be asking ourselves is...How can we sit back and watch the Town of Oyster Bay choose to sell off its most precious long-term natural resource? For those of you who don't know, the town has chosen to sell 65 acres of public land in Plainview to close its 1997 budget gap. The land in question, is one of the last pieces of open space in the town and part of the Special Ground Water Protection Plan. It is in jeopardy of going from the public domain to a private developer for a 538 unit housing complex. This intended use is totally contrary to the Long Island Regional Planning Board and the state designation for this site that is critical to our water quality, quantity and ground water recharge system.

This kind of short-term fiscal management is a frightening trend we are seeing eroding away all of Nassau County's public land. Think back to our first "Earth Day" celebration in the '70s and try to recall Long Island topography, with its scattered vegetable and horse farms, open space along the highways, no sound barriers, a manageable amount of strip malls and less congestion. Let's join forces and conserve our remaining vestiges of Long Island heritage by taking an active role, with our town officials, in future planning and development.

Join your friends and neighbors, the State Commission on Water Resource Needs, PTA, Fraternal Organizations, Huntington Town Board, Sweet Hollow, numerous conservation groups and state and county elected officials who have all made it overwhelmingly clear that this land has demonstrable environmental significance. It is worth far more in the long run in the public domain than on the bottom line! Stop this spiraling trend by saying "No" to this band-aid approach to solving budget shortfalls.

Attend the next Town Board meeting on April 27 at 7 p.m., Town Hall, 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay and speak to your elected officials during the public comment period or call your Town officials at 624-6350 or 624-6498 and let your voice be heard. Form letters are available at Mailboxes Etc., Morton Village Shopping Center, Plainview and through our Website at http://members.aol.com/concitize/politics/ or link at plainview.net.

Carol and Lance Meschkow

Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community