Eagle Scout Co-Organizers Dominick DeRubbio, Brandon Linker, Alex Zablocki Members Clove Lake Civic Assoc.

Community Resources Gardening Group First District Federated Garden Clubs of NYS Freemasons-Perfect Square Lodge No. 204 Friends of Blue Heron Park Friends of Pouch Grant City Civic Association Grasmere Civic Association Greenbelt Conservancy Iron Hills Civic Association Jewish War Veterans Post 80 Lighthouse Hill Civic Association Natural Resources Defense Council Natural Resources Protective Association New Dorp Central Civic Association New Yorkers for Parks Northern Great Kills Civic Association NYC Audubon Society Sierra Club-NYC Group Princes Bay, Pleasant Plains, Richmond Valley Civic Association Protectors of Pine Oak Woods Richmondtown & Clarke Avenue Civic Association Richmond County Ancient Order of the Hibernians SI Herb Society SI Taxpayers Association Staten Island Museum Tottenville Improvement Society United Staten Island Veterans Organizations Westerleigh Improvement Society Where-to-Turn, Inc.

COMMITTEE TO SAVE POUCH CAMP

(in formation)

Post Office Box 60565 Staten Island, NY 10306-0565

FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE STATEMENT August 11, 2011

The following is a statement on behalf of the members of the Committee to Save Pouch Camp on the efforts to preserve the William H. Pouch Scout Camp on Staten Island: The Committee to Save Pouch Camp congratulates the Greater New York Councils/Boy Scout of America and the Trust for Public Land for reaching the long sought for, written, agreement to preserve Pouch Camp. The camp is slated to be preserved in two phases: Phase I will be a Conservation Easement over the core of the camp; Phase II will be a transfer for public open space uses. We applaud this development in the process of preservation. The Trust for Public Land is a well recognized, respected organization, with a national, positive track record of identifying sources of funds for land preservation. The Committee as a whole, and its individual member organizations, will assist in every way possible to ensure this agreement is fulfilled and this wonderful piece of property is preserved for future generations. We will continue to keep the topic of preservation in the public consciousness. Additionally, the Committee will be launching fundraising efforts, in order to help raise the monies necessary to help this agreement become a reality. These labors will compliment the Trust for Public Lands expertise. With the successful completion of this agreement, scouting will be preserved, open space will be preserved and our Greenbelt will remain intact. Future generations of New Yorkers will know that their forebears saw the vision of a centrally located, easily accessible, intact environment for all of creation. They will come to our lakes, ponds, streams and forests to enjoy what has been set aside for them, their children and their posterity. We thank all of our neighbors who have been actively engaged in this issue over the past few years and look forward to continuing that relationship, along with the media and elected officials, while we work toward completing this task. The effort continues,

Kathleen Vorwick For the Committee

www.savepouch.com

info@savepouch.com