Best wishes for the new year

Lake Ohrbach in Pouch Boy Scout Camp adjacent to High Rock Park - photo: Dorothy Reilly

LaTourette golf course in the Greenbelt

Turn left for the sledding hill! 

Winter: Short days, long shadows

POUCH CAMP RALLY, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2009

Nearly 1,500 concerned citizens turned out on a cold winter night to voice their opposition to putting Pouch Camp up for sale. Politicians, scouts and people of all ages marched and chanted along Manor Road eventually making their way into Pouch Camp along darkened trails to a ceremonial tree lighting in front of Berlin Lodge. Opposition to the sale and/or development of this land is unanimous. The Greenbelt Conservancy joined forces with the crowd to vote "no." Pouch Camp, in the heart of the Greenbelt, should not be for sale. Preserve open space; it's an irreplaceable resource.

Lake Ohbach in Pouch Boy Scout Camp: SavePouch.com

Perhaps you camped here as a scout; perhaps you fished on Lake Ohrbach as an adult; perhaps you were a chaperone on your child's field trip to earn a scout badge; or perhaps you ran through Pouch Camp as a participant in one of the High Rock Challenge adventure races or the Pouch Scout Run this past October? Or maybe you just drive along Manor Road and admire the lack of buildings and ponder what Staten Island looked like before rampant development made its mark on our lives and habitat.

The Boy Scouts of America, which owns the historic 120-acre property that comprises Pouch Camp, has decided to put it up for sale. The Staten Island Advance is providing coverage of this story; a large and growing group has organized and are represented on facebook under "Save the William H. Pouch Boy Scout Camp."

A rally is planned for Saturday, December 12 at 5 pm beginning near Susan Wagner High School, located at Manor Road and Brielle Avenue, and proceeding to Pouch Camp just down the road. There is strength in numbers so please join the group, in person or on-line. Help keep Staten Island a beautiful, unique and healthy place to live. Visit the website: www.savepouch.com

Annual Turkey-Be-Gone Hike

Check out sigreenbelt.org to read about the annual "Turkey-Be-Gone" hike starting from the Greenbelt Nature Center at 10 on the day after Thanksgiving - Friday, November 26. Let us know if you're planning to come for this two-hour hike suitable for ages 8 and up. Greenbelt Nature Center: (718) 351-3450

Fall Flat 5-K pre-Thanksgiving Run in Willlowbrook Park on Saturday, November 21, 2009. One hundred and twenty-two runners took to the trails.

Go to www.greenbeltsgreatoutdoors.shutterfly.com for more race photos by Dorothy Reilly

Fall Flat 5-K pre-Thanksgiving Run

Tomorrow is the Greenbelt and New York Adventure Race Association's first annual Fall Flat 5-K run along Willowbrook Park trails. Stop by to cheer on the runners, some experienced and some weekend warriors. All are welcome. Photos will be posted on the blog and facebook (Greenbelt Conservancy) after the race.

Fine feathered friends in Willowbrook Park