To The Reader’s Forum:

I am a trustee for the village of Lakewood, but I am writing this as a concerned citizen against the draconian grab of our beautiful lake.

I understand that the state owns the lake but they have done nothing to help us keep the lake healthy. The DEC has stifled any actions that would help us combat the invasive species. They are designating a large portion of the lower basin as a Class 1 wetland, and they are not talking about just Burtis Bay. This would lower all the property values and decrease the revenues that support the villages and schools in our area. We have been treated as the red-headed stepchild of New York state. This would signal the death-knell of our area. I beg the state and the DEC to reconsider their plan or at least postpone the implementation of this plan. Keep our lake a lake instead of a bog, swamp, slough or wetland.

Nancy W. Jones

Lakewood