The Friends of Liberty State Park
P.O. Box 3407
Jersey City, NJ 07302
pesinliberty@earthlink.net
201-792-1993   

                                                                                                   Spring, 2008

Dear friends of Liberty State Park,

 We hope that you had a healthy winter and that you are ready for an active and enjoyable Springtime. Liberty State Park’s beauty, open spaces, and peacefulness await you. The Friends are celebrating our 20th anniversary! We were incorporated on 4/8/88 and had our first meetings, started our first battle for LSP, and planted our first trees that Spring. We hope that you will continue to become involved in LSP issues and activities which support our efforts as a grassroots volunteer group of park users. We’ve engaged in fights against commercialization, and in varied issues and projects in carrying out our mission of preserving, protecting, conserving and promoting LSP. Garden volunteers are welcomed every Sat. from 8 to 11 am. We hope you’ll use our “business outreach letters” (www.folsp.org/business_outreach_letters.htm )  to help us raise funds, gain volunteers, and urge companies to get involved with Earth Share of NJ. 

 Please Save these Dates

 Saturday, April 12. From 9 am to Noon. Annual Salt Marsh Shoreline Clean up.

Enter at the fence gate at the end of flag-lined Pesin Drive at LSP’s south end.

 Saturday, April 19.  Friends’ 4th Annual Walk on day of Hudson County’s 10 am to

4 pm Earth Day Fair. Pre-registering is urged but all are welcome. This fundraising Walk (and HCIA’s Run) starts at 10 am behind CRRNJ Terminal. Sign-in table opens at 7:30. Enclosed flyer is also available, with pledge forms, at  www.folsp.org/walk_2008.htm

 Sunday, May 4. Friends’ 3rd annual Recognition Luncheon. Noon to 4 pm at Liberty House Restaurant. Please come to celebrate the Friends’ 20th anniversary. $58 per person (in honor of 50th anniversary of Morris Pesin's 1958 canoe trip to Lady Liberty that launched the 18 year campaign to create LSP).   www.folsp.org/luncheon.htm

Saturday, May 10. Friends’ Spring Meeting. Terminal’s 2nd Fl.  10 am to Noon.

 We need your continuing support to stop the NYC view-blocking 9/11 Memorial.

We initiated our lawsuit, with the excellent lawyer, Cynthia Hadjiyannis, after the Governor ignored the strong public outcry.  The Terminal Public Plaza was replaced two years ago with the fenced-in 10 ft high hill, with the planned 200 ft long by 30 ft high walls. The State tried to find a contractor with a public bid last June but was not successful. The estimate for the walls was $9 million but the bids came in at $22-$25 million. However, the Governor and other officials stated that they plan to move forward with a less costly design without changing its size. (We suspect NJ’s deficit has led them to seek corporate funds). We hope you’ll read the Ahearn column stating that LSP’s 11 acre “Grove of Remembrance” should be designated as NJs official 9/11 Memorial. We’d appreciate donations to our legal fund with checks made payable to The Friends of LSP and sent to above address.  Memorial info: www.folsp.org/memorial_design.htm

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