Environmental and civic leaders and Oyster Bay Town officials announced their support for a $60 million environmental bond actwhich will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot throughout Oyster Bay as Proposition Two.

The bond proposal would be used to protect drinking water, preserve open space and critical habitat, and to prevent over-development, which causes an increase in taxes and traffic. It would also be used for new and improved parks. The cost of the preservation effort to the average household would be $2.65 a month. "This is a huge benefit for the residents and taxpayers of Oyster Bay," said Town Supervisor John Venditto. "Not only would we protect our underground drinking water supplies, as well as our bays and streams and sensitive open space, we'd be improving recreational opportunities townwide."

At the Oct. 16 town board meeting, Supervisor Venditto explained his commitment to open space and parks. He said, "I've lived here for 58 years. There were only four houses on Hawthorne Street when I grew up - it was woods. When I became supervisor, at age 45, there were 10 times as many houses on Hawthorne Street and 10 times more people."

He said that reality directed his goals for the township. "I recognized you couldn't throw people out, but had to create playing fields and recreational areas. Ten years ago I decided to make the Town of Oyster Bay the recreation capital of the world. A lot of people want to take it the other way. They would like to make it the sixth borough."

The supervisor said a few years ago NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group, selected 200 parks from Buffalo to Montauk Point and the number one and two parks in the state were John J. Burns Park in Massapequa and the Syosset-Woodbury Community Park. "They were number one and two out of 200 choices. I say that the quality of what we've done means that every child has a park to go to. You can't measure that in money." The town has been buying open space and creating parks and playing fields with funds from SEA Fund I and SEA Fund II.

Community groups will launch an education campaign for SEA Fund III, the third Oyster Bay Environmental bond act. SEA stands for Saving Environmental Assets. Previous $30 million bond acts have been approved by lopsided margins. "Oyster Bay residents have been wonderful to support past initiatives," said Lisa Ott, executive director of the North Shore Land Alliance. "Our campaign is simply designed to let voters know this referendum is on the ballot so they are sure to vote 'Yes.'"

"We're all backing the $60 million bond act because of the critical need to replenish the town's water protection and open space preservation funds, which will be exhausted by year's end," said Aaron Virgin, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, an environmental group based in the town. A coalition of environmental and civic groups said it would raise and spend $75,000 to inform residents about the bond act. The town, itself, will also mail information on the bond act to every Town of Oyster Bay household.

All of the money produced by the SEA Fund III would stay in Oyster Bay and could leverage additional preservation dollars from state and county land preservation programs. Preservation purchases would be overseen by an advisory committee comprised of Town of Oyster Bay residents to ensure that the program stays on track and is effectively administered.

"The bond act would help Oyster Bay environmentally and economically," said Richard Amper, executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society. "We'd be protecting Oyster Bay's open space while we control over-development - Long Island's number one problem. It's truly a win-win for every resident."