Warwick Conservancy sponsors essay contest

Warwick - With global warming no longer in question, the Warwick Conservancy is working to establish a yearly essay contest, open to all high school seniors, that deals with awareness of our environment and efforts to maintain it in a sustainable fashion. The Conservancy, by creating a contest and offering ta $500 award, hopes to increase awareness among young people about Warwick’s natural resources, environment and how these and the rural character can be protected and preserved even as the community grows and develops. “Now that global warming has been recognized by the president, we must make the community even more aware of the importance of local conservation issues,” said Andy McLaughlin, vice president of the Conservancy. “The $500 scholarship will be awarded each year at graduation to the high school senior who submits the best essay on a topic relating to environmental protection, community preservation, and the future of our town.” Essay requirements and guidelines will be announced as the information becomes available. Community discussion about the environmental situation began a few years ago with the effort to pass the Purchase of Development Rights bond to protect open space. Passed in 2000, the $9.5 million bond has been successful in attracting $7 million from federal, state and private foundation sources in additional funds for keeping farms safe from sprawl and creating a public beach in Greenwood Lake. Last year, this environmental awareness affected the passage of a ¾ percent transfer fee on property sales for a Community Preservation Fund to continue the work of the PDR Among other projects, the Warwick Conservancy raised the funds to purchase the land for the Village’s Hallowed Ground public park and sponsored an expert panel discussion of Warwick’s water resources and challenges. For more information about the Conservancy, write to WCI, PO Box 1277, Warwick NY 10990 or call 845-988-5299.