Dear Mr. Weigert,

As a resident of the Town of Kent, a member of the Kent Conservation Advisory Council and the Putnam County Environmental Advisory Committee, I feel DEC has been less than open in the way it has handled development of the Mount Nimham Model Forest Project. From the very outset local governments, especially Kent's CAC and adjoining property owners, should have been involved in the decision-making process or, at the very least, informed and given ample opportunity to offer advice, suggestions and objections if any had arisen.

I am also a professional botanist and strongly believe that genuine forests in the Hudson Highlands are rare and what few are left are endangered by encroaching development and that the best use of these lands is for recreational and therapeutic uses, view-shed protection and environmental enhancement and that logging these forests is not compatible with that vision. It is well known that old-growth forests harbor the greatest biodiversity and offer refuge to a large number of rare species. I urge you to reconsider your decision to log these forests.

Thank you for helping to protect and preserve the Hudson Highlands.

Sincerely,

WB, Carmel