On September 21, we gathered in Hurleyville for the Love Our Land Parade and Protest. Below is the speech I gave, which I would like to share with your readers.

Please allow me to take a moment to acknowledge how beautiful this crowd is. In this crowd, we see people of all walks of life. We see diverse voices and diverse points of view. Yet here we are standing together. 

I’m here because I want to show our community that we have agency—the agency to change the future. As I go around in this community talking about public safety, water and overdevelopment, I feel a plague of hopelessness. People think we need to move mountains, but we don’t. All we need is for our town to prioritize the well-being of residents and visitors, to make sure that developers pay their fair way and that we’re not subsidizing their projects. 

The environment, wetlands and public health must be accounted for, because they are part of the true cost of building. Developers are drawn to this beautiful land because it’s cheap, and our town has made it easy for them to build here. They’ve passed the buck and avoided accountability, leaving devastating consequences for us and for future residents. If we change this calculus, those seeking to take advantage will go elsewhere. 

This parade is a success due to the efforts of volunteers and community members who came forward to make it possible. It’s a sign we’re saying yes to our community, our residents, visitors and first responders. 

First responders deserve respect, and a town that plans for their arrival no matter what the traffic situation. We are saying yes to first responders being able to get to calls during the high season. If you live in Mountain Dale, you’re aware of the poor shape of the Sandburg Creek, and if you’ve followed the news, you know about toxic algae blooms in the Hudson River. This is happening because of leaking package plants and nutrient runoff. These are community resources and should not be handed over to developers. We’re saying yes to clean rivers, where package plants are designed with density in mind, so sewage isn’t leaking into trout streams and rivers. 

In many communities around us, there isn’t enough water in fire hydrants in the summer. It’s unsafe and raises the cost of homeowners' insurance. We need to make sure first responders have water at calls for their safety and ours. We’re saying yes to ensuring water in our fire hydrants. 

Developers’ site plans often misrepresent wetlands, leading to their destruction. Vernal ponds and wetlands clean our water and provide habitats for amphibians. They give us clean well water and healthy rivers. Town boards should hold site planners accountable when they misrepresent wetlands. This form of community theft must be stopped. We are saying yes to our wetlands. 

If you live in Fallsburg outside of town water, you probably live in Recreation One. In Fallsburg, it’s legal to build two trailers or mobile homes on one acre of land. These areas are not appropriate for that density. They are mostly off the aquifer, with limited water supply. Unchecked, this kind of development causes wells to run dry, leaving homeowners on the hook for costly replacements. Meanwhile, most of our water goes straight to New York City. They aren’t looking out for this community, so we must look out for ourselves. 

The town needs to do its job. Our elected officials need to change zoning to reflect density that makes sense. We’re saying yes to appropriate density in Recreation One. 

The environment and public health—that’s what we’re out here for. Some would like to make it about something else, but these are simple requests that any government body should say yes to. Say yes to our environment. Say yes to public health. Say yes to our future. 

Our government has a responsibility to stand up for what’s right. Even more than funding, if everyone shows up and votes, we will change the composition of Fallsburg’s boards and supervisors and the direction of our community. If officials are afraid to stand with us, they don’t deserve your vote. 

I love this community. We can change the future of Sullivan County, Fallsburg and the towns around us. We need to stand up, and we need to vote. 

Brett Budde lives in Mountain Dale, NY.