To our
Members and Readers:
Spring is the season of renewal and activity. The longer days invigorate us, and for
many of us, create a great sense of well being. One way to sustain that sense of well being is to become
active on community projects.
During F.O.R. and L.I.F.E.'s merger process, we realize that many joint
projects will be coming to fruition over the next year. These projects provide opportunities
for students and adults with experience in public relations and publicity,
construction (any trade), advocacy and research, membership database design and
maintenance, light office work, and crafts. Adults interested in leading nature walks can come to our
monthly naturalist Continuing Education sessions to learn about the
conservation areas at which we provide programs.
For information on the construction
project call 834-3448, all others call 834-1443.
We thank Wallace Irwin, Jr. for envisioning and writing the East
Creek essay inside. It tells the
story of how effective people and organizations can be when working together to
create radical, positive change.
Please join us as we move our organizations into the future. "Think globally, act locally"
Alice Model,
Editor
Suzanne C.
Frank, L.I.F.E. Executive Director
April
Showers Bring May Flowers
Remember the song that began "Though April showers may come
your way, They bring the flowers that bloom in May"? Those showers, even thunder storms,
sure came our way this April, dropping a heavy amount of rain in our area. In the old days, before a valve was
installed at the Reservoir dam, houses downstream frequently
flooded after a heavy rain, with water
sometimes reaching up to the first floor.
Since the valve was installed, Friends of the Reservoir, working
with the Town of Mamaroneck, has been able to avert many potential floods. When a heavy rainfall is forecast, the
valve is opened and water is released from
the Reservoir, leaving room for
Sheldrake Lake to fill up during the storm and contain the storm water runoff.
FOR Board member C. Alan Mason was responsible for installing an
automated valve control system a few years ago. Unfortunately, it was hit by lightning last year and was
knocked out of commission. New
automated valve controls were being tested in April, and should be in operation
by time those May flowers bloom.
Our thanks go to resident caretaker Paul Degenhardt, and Town of
Mamaroneck Building Department's Ben Pacewicz, for operating the controls
manually and keeping the downstream homes dry during the April showers.
Two New Ways
to Donate to Friends of the Reservoir and LIFE
Have you ever wished you could make a donation to us using your
credit card? While we are unable
to offer that service ourselves, we have recently learned of two internet sites
which can help you: Helping.org and Greatergood.com.
We found out about Helping.org, "an easy-to-use, one-stop
online resource designed to help people find volunteer and giving opportunities
in their own communities and beyond", when we received a donation from a
donor through them. Run by
AOL Time Warner Foundation and using the Guidestar database of over 700,000
non-profit organizations, the web-site is non-profit and takes no commission
from online donations. Both of our
organizations are registered under our legal names: Friends of the Reservoir
and Larchmont-Mamaroneck LIFE Center.
Type in either of our names in the Search Word box and click on
search. Then click on the link
that comes up on the screen. To
make a donation, click on "Click here to donate now" link. You can also access information about
our organizations, such as our most recently filed 990 tax form, by clicking on
the links.
Greatergood.com is a "shopping portal"
through which Internet users can access over 100 online merchants, such as
Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, Nordstrom, 1-800-flowers, etc. Up to 15% of each purchase made through
the portal automatically comes to L.I.F.E. at no additional cost to the shopper. The first time you go to the web-site
go to the "Find A Cause" page and type in the following, "Local
Involvement For the Environment", in the box entitled Name and then click
on the link that comes up. You
should then see "Up to 15% of each purchase automatically goes to Local
Involvement For the Environment - LIFE" on the upper right-hand corner of
the screen. Then go shopping!
We appreciate
your donations!!!
Thanks to …
… Bill Irwin for the great pictures of
Jimmy Johnson at his 85th birthday party celebration at the Fall
Festival
… naturalist Cindy Polera for refurbishing our Bridge
feltboard! This feltboard had been
looking somewhat tattered after years of use in the Kindergarten through 2nd
grades. It will be ready soon for
another decade of
use....
…Paul and Linda Degenhardt for all the stuffed animals we used in
the Creatures of the Night vacation club.
The children loved them!
…Allen Falber at the Chatsworth School for choosing L.I.F.E. as the
beneficiary of the volunteer efforts of their Student Council. They encouraged K - 2 families to
volunteer on Beautification Day (they cleaned up Manor
Beach and Park), and created and
distributed Spring Fling posters and flyers.
… to all of our volunteers at the
Spring Fling. A great time was had
by all!
…to member Cornelia Zell for donating the proceeds from her
Pampered Chef party. A very
creative way to
raise money!
…to all the volunteers who spent time cleaning up our community as
a part of Beautification Day. On
Sunday, April 29th, Pack 4 of the Cub Scouts focused their efforts
on Larchmont Reservoir. Enough
wind-driven trash
to fill about a dozen bags was hauled
out of the southern coves.
…Our
Volunteers - We Can't Do It Without You
Spring Lecture Series - Final Lecture on May 17th, 7:30 pm
Bruce
Kershner, "In Search of the Giants: The Last Ancient Forests of the
Northeast
Mr. Kershner will give an inspiring and very visual tour, sharing
haunting primeval scenes of 500-year-old forests with trees as tall as the
Statue of Liberty. He is a
naturalist and author of six books, including Secret Places: A Guide to 25
Little Known Scenic Treasures of NY's Niagara-Allegheny Region and Secret
Places of Staten Island. His
newest book is The Sierra club Guide to Secret Forests of the Northeast. He was named "Statewide
Environmentalist of the Year - 1996", and is founder and co-chair of
Friends of Allegheny &
Friends of Zoar Valley.
There will be a social prior to the presentation, which begins
promptly at 8pm at the Mamaroneck Environmental Resource Center at 685 Weaver
Street in Larchmont. Admission is
free, donations are welcome.
Please call 834-1443 for reservations, directions or additional
information.
Summer
Programs Information
Scholarship
Program
Through funding from the James A. Macdonald Foundation, L.I.F.E.
offers financial awards and scholarships to children attending nature and
ecology programs. Call 834-1443
for an application. Scholarships
are awarded before June 30th.
L.I.F.E.'s
Summer Afternoon Ecology Program
Come join L.I.F.E. for its third annual Summer Ecology
Program at the Larchmont Reservoir Conservancy! Since 1970, L.I.F.E. has been leading children on
environmental adventures. This
year the adventure begins on July 2nd and runs through August 10th. Tina Marie Chmelecki, the popular and
effervescent Head Counselor
from last year's program, will return
as Director & Head Counselor.
The setting for this afternoon program is the Larchmont Reservoir
Conservancy. The Young Ecologists
program for children ages 3 - 5 (including those entering Kindergarten), and
the Junior Ecologists program for children 5 1/2 - 8, includes specially
designed sessions that will bring the magic of nature to children in a unique
hands-on way. Children will take
part in trail walks, scavenger hunts, eco-dramas, role-playing, and
experiments. "Last year, the children were absolutely fascinated by the
activities," says Suzanne C. Frank, Executive Director of L.I.F.E. "They watched butterflies emerge
from their cocoons, searched the pond for
tadpoles and frogs, and found little
critters in the mud of the reservoir."
Exploration of the Larchmont Reservoir will take place every
weekday beginning at 1:30. The Young
Ecologists program will run for the entire six weeks and will end at
3:30. Parents have a choice
between two ($290) or three days ($410) per week. For Monroe Day Camp campers who are dismissed at 1pm and
wish to stay for the afternoon program, special arrangements will be made. The Junior program is
designed as three
2-week sessions (beginning July 2nd
($270), July 16th ($300), and July 30th ($300) and
will end each day at 4pm.
"We are putting together an enthusiastic
staff who have a genuine love and knowledge of the outdoors and have
experience
working with young children," says Frank. Staff to child ratio is planned to be 1:4.
If your child loves nature and enjoys getting dirty, this program
is for him or her. Members of
L.I.F.E. at the family level or higher will receive a 10% discount for their
first child enrolled, and 5% for each child thereafter. For prices or more information, please
call 914-834-1443. Registration
materials can be picked up at the Village Centers of Larchmont and Mamaroneck,
Mamaroneck Town Hall, and the L.I.F.E. Center offices at 685 Weaver Street in
Larchmont. Registration continues
through May 31st. Wait lists were
created last year for the Young Ecologists program, so register early.
L.I.F.E Center
685 Weaver Street
Larchmont, NY 10538
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Make A Difference - Join the L.I.F.E. Board
Our nominating committee is looking for talented people interested
in serving on our board. If you,
or anyone you know, loves nature and wants to be a part of a vital, growing
community organization, please contact the L.I.F.E. office at 834-1443 this
month. Our board meets once per
month (currently the second Wednesday) and the time commitment ranges from 4 -
8 hours per month for board and committee work.
Two other
ways to make a difference…
Compost bin sale on Saturday June 9th, 9am -
3pm at Larchmont's Metro North Myrtle Boulevard parking lot. This program is sponsored by L.I.F.E.,
the League of Women Voters of Westchester and Westchester County Department of
Environmental Facilities/Recycling Office. Buy a Bin and Help Protect Westchester's Water. There will be 10-minute "How-To"
sessions throughout the day on Composting, Grasscycling, Mulching
Mowers, and Letting Your Landscape Grow
Wild.
Keep Cool Air Conditioner Bounty program runs
from May 1 - Sept. 20, 2001.
Receive $75 when you turn in your old, inefficient room air conditioner and
purchase a new, ENERGY STAR® room air conditioner. For more information, see www.getenergysmart.org. This program is sponsored by the NY
Power Authority and LI Power Authority.
Drop off sites in Westchester County include: Gregg TV in New Rochelle
(632-9665), Tripoldi's Electronics in Port Chester (Kohl's Shopping Center -
939-5700), Appliance Sales Depot (966-1891) and National Radio (789-1900) in Yonkers.