Hooray for the beautifiers

To the editor:

Kudos to the largely unsung hero(ines) of the Narrowsburg Beautification Group who held their first gardening day of the 2009 season on a windy morning Saturday at the library. As more and more people notice and comment on Narrowsburg’s beautiful display of summer flowers, public garden spots and the addition to the Main Street deck of the bird watching telescope, new signage and beautiful benches, perhaps we need to remember that these are all the handiwork of this ambitious and hardworking group.

Saturday, March 14 found Heidi Schneider, Madeleine Wootan and Wanda Gangel, three of the beautification group’s most prominent members, beginning the season’s work with initial plans for the spring clean-up, soil preparation and planting. Multi-year recipients of Sullivan Renaissance Awards for their major contributions, members of the group also write the grants that provide the funding for the projects—and the rest of the town benefits from all the energy and time they expend.

But the core working group can’t continue to manage all this by themselves and are in great need of gardening volunteers. If any of us can lend a hand this spring and summer to help with these ongoing projects from which we gain so much beauty, it will be greatly appreciated. Check at the library for dates and times for the upcoming gardening days and step up to the plate.

Trout Unlimited applauds NY lawmakers on budget

To the editor:

This year’s state budget required lawmakers to make difficult decisions in a year when the state faced a historic deficit. Thankfully, the legislature reaffirmed New York’s environmental advocate’s commitment to protect our land, air and water, and support programs that benefit local governments and the economy by allocating $222 million to the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). This move benefits programs like the farmland protection programs, community character building across the state and resource protection.

In addition to funding the EPF, the budget maintains its stable and proven funding source and does not allow resources to be swept into the state’s general fund. The agreement on the fund was a result of the senate, assembly and governor working together to reach a compromise to support essential environmental programs.

Finally, the compromise to expand the Bottle Bill to include water bottles will increase recycling rates, reduce pollution and provide as much as $115 million in much needed revenue for the state.

We thank lawmakers for their work to protect the environment in this year’s budget.

Ron Urban, chairman

Remember the Golden Rule

To the editor:

We all have free will. Not just regarding our eternal destination but also regarding what is right and wrong, moral and ethical. Moment by moment, day by day, each individual person chooses what they do and each choice leads that person down a path. However, laws are set up to prevent anarchy and crimes against other people because some people will choose to do harm to others and consider it right in their own eyes.

The National Day of Silence, which is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is a day in our public schools that is organized by homosexual people to encourage classmates to address people who do not agree with their behavior. I feel a need to remind everyone that Christians are persecuted as well, yes, even here in upstate New York, but even worse in other countries. Please check out Voice of the Martyrs or Gospel for Asia. You will see that many people of faith who have families and loved ones are beaten up, imprisoned, robbed and even killed because they are Christians. We must all learn to obey the Golden Rule, which was said by Jesus Christ, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”