The Manhasset Bay Protection Committee celebrated their 20th anniversary on Monday, June 11 with special guest State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli aboard the Angler in Port Washington.
Past and present Committee members and representatives, as well as many of the Village Mayors that surround Manhasset Bay, attended the event and several people, including the Comptroller, were recognized for their service to the Committee. The Committee also received proclamations from Congressman Tom Suozzi, Senator Elaine Phillips, Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso, Nassau County Legislators Ellen Birnbaum and Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, and the Town of North Hempstead.
“My sincerest congratulations to the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary,” said Suozzi. “I commend the committee on their ongoing efforts to protect and preserve one of our most precious resources — our coastal bays.”
In the mid-1990s, Comptroller DiNapoli, then a local assemblyman, pitched the idea of the Committee to Dr. David Burghardt, then Kensington mayor. Dr. Burghardt served as the Committee’s first chairman and spoke jovially of the early days of the Committee at Monday night’s festivities. Both the Comptroller and Dr. Burghardt were recognized at the event.
“Thanks to the vision and hard work of the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee the efforts underway are a model for inter-municipal initiatives to protect waters around Long Island and around the country,” said DiNapoli. “I was honored to be with them in the beginning and to now celebrate 20 years of success.”
“I congratulate Manhasset Bay Protection Committee on twenty years of extraordinary service as stewards for Manhasset Bay addressing water quality and coastal issues and providing public education,” said Phillips.
“Being an environmentalist and a member of the Environmental Conservation Committee in the NYS Assembly, I am very much committed to preserving and maintaining a clean environment,” said D’Urso. “I would like to congratulate the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee for all their 20 years of dedicated work to preserve and protect our bay; their work has safeguarded the ecosystem making it available for commercial and residential users.”
“Comptroller DiNapoli’s leadership and collaboration with Dr. Burghardt served as a key catalyst for creating the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, which 20 years later remains a strong, unified voice on behalf of this precious natural resource,” said Legislator Ellen W. Birnbaum. “I deeply admire and respect Comptroller DiNapoli’s environmental advocacy and thank him for the good work he continues to perform on behalf of residents in Nassau County and across New York State.”
Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, who represents Port, also praised their work.
“As a Legislator for this beautiful area, I would like to thank Manhasset Bay Protection Committee for all of their hard work in protecting our waters and raising awareness to our residents,” she said. “Our waterways are so precious, and we are lucky to have such a competent and dedicated board protecting Manhasset Bay.”
“I appreciate the commitment of the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee and congratulate them on their 20th anniversary. North Hempstead thanks them for all of the work that they do to improve water quality for future generations,” said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.
“The Committee is thankful to all the people over the years who made this work possible and who continue to support the Committee today,” said current Director Sarah Deonarine.
The Manhasset Bay Protection Committee is an inter-municipal organization formed in 1998, focused on addressing water quality and coastal issues in Manhasset Bay with a coordinated, watershed-level approach. The 15 member municipalities are: Nassau County, the Town of North Hempstead, and the villages of Baxter Estates, Flower Hill, Great Neck, Kensington, Kings Point, Manorhaven, Munsey Park, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Port Washington North, Sands Point, and Thomaston. The Committee organizes an annual boat tour of Manhasset Bay for elected officials in order to educate and engage the officials who surround the Bay. More information on the Committee can be found on their Facebook page and at www.manhassetbayprotectioncommittee.org. If you want to get involved with the Committee, their annual beach clean-up is scheduled for September 29th at Manorhaven Beach; e-mail the director (mailto:mbpcExec@gmail.com) for more details and to register.
