Governor Patterson's efforts to balance the budget will be directly impacting the Pine Barrens if this proposed budget is put in place. According to the plan, the Albany Pine Bush will receive 1.4 million dollars and the Long Island will receive 700,000 dollars.  The Albany Pine Bush is 6000 acres and the Long Island Pine Barrens is 100,000 acres. For the Long Island Pine Barrens, it is an unexpected 36% reduction from last year's budget of 1.1 million dollars. Contact your State Legislators for more information.

Reference - page 143 - http://publications.budget.state.ny.us/eBudget0910/capitalPlan/CapPlan.pdf

I wrote "Ten Tips for Volunteers & Volunteer Park Programs" for Assoicated Content (12/31/08) based on my experience volunteering and supervising volunteer programs. Pictured on the right are the Edgewood Flyers who volunteered to restore Edgewood with native plantings as part of a NYSDEC initiative that later became the Adopt-A-Natural Resource Stewardship program.

Are you inclined to build recreational trails, plant wildflowers, draw maps, grow shellfish, survey birds, pick up trash, comment on park management plans, teach others about the outdoors, or work on other actions to help good parks become quality parks? Consider yourself a volunteer natural resource specialist, as much of a professional as paid staff. Learn how to do better.

On Sunday, November 4, 20 volunteers came together at High Park for the "Buckthorn Buster" event.  High Park is the largest park in Toronto spanning 161 hectares of land, north of Humber Valley.  Its a mixed recreational park with educational facilities, playgrounds, and even a zoo.  Animals such as llamas, bison, and moose were kept in wired fences.  "