Jeff Wiegert, Supervising Forester
NYSDEC
Division of Lands and Forests
21 South Putt Corners Road
New Paltz, NY 12561

Re: Amendment to the Hudson Highlands Unit Management Plan

Dear Mr. Wiegert,

Hands Across the Border is an environment protection organization dedicated to protecting the Croton Watershed with regional pollution solutions at their source. Our membership from North Salem, Southeast, Somers, Carmel, Yorktown and Kent are adamantly opposed to your plan to deforest the trees in your proposed Nimham Mountain DEC Project.

We are appalled that your “conservation” agency would put profit over conservation. There is no possible way that this “experiment” could not hurt water quality of the West Branch Reservoir, an essential reservoir in the system of NYC drinking water. It is negligent that this project has been declared a negative impact in the SEQRA process. At the least, a full SEQRA process must be implemented were you to erroneously move forward with this project.

One of the best and well-documented methods to protect water quality is to let trees grow and to their full maturity. The Nimham forest is half way there. The older the tree, the greater the water purification qualities. Leave this forest alone, do not disturb it. Let it continue to provide filtration to the runoff waters.

Additionally, the disturbance to ground cover with the egregious herbicide Round Up will fatally impact biodiversity that also provides health to water. It is ironic that the DEC would even imagine such processes as deforestation AND with herbicides. You should be championing the BAN in 2004 of all herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers in the Catskill/Delaware and the Croton Watersheds.

The caring public awaits your decision to rescind this monstrous plan and in so doing restore your credibility. We must insist that you live up to your mandate of indeed conserving our environment and drinking water quality rather than destroying them.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment.

Respectfully submitted,

Suzannah Glidden

Hands Across the Border is an environment protection and advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the Croton Watershed across county lines by remedying pollution problems at their source. HAB is one of fifty-five member groups of Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition (CWCWC).