Governor David Paterson's proposed 2010-11 State Budget will close state parks and historic sites including the John Boyd Thacher State Park which makes up the beautiful viewscape and back drop to all of Guilderland. 

Protecting this park and keeping it open is very important not only to Guilderland's beauty, but also to the Town of Guilderland's and the Village of Altamont's economy.  Many people travel through our area to visit the park and that's just one more way Thacher Park contributes to our Town of Guilderland.

Saving this park from closure is very important to everyone in the Town of Guilderland, and the the Guilderland Democratic Committee fully supports the efforts to keep John Boyd Thacher State Park open.  That includes:

• Encouraging the Guilderland Town Board to adopt a Resolution calling upon Governor Paterson and the State Legislature to continue to fund staff and operations at John Boyd Thacher State Park.  See the Town Board Meeting agenda for March 2nd.
• The Friends of Thacher Park Movement and Parks and Trails New York who will be having a Day of Advocacy to Save the Parks on March 3rd in Albany.

You can learn more from the sites listed above and on these Facebook pages:

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Thatcher-Park/303605405957
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-John-Boyd-Thacher-State-Park/301652704530  
• http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/2000-to-save-thatcher-park/321651806488?ref=ts

Lastly, you can also help by:

• Attending the Guilderland Town Board Meeting on March 2nd.
• Attend the Day of Advocacy to Save the Parks on March 3rd.
• Contact your Legislators. You will find contact information here. What works best is a personal letter, or a form letter with a hand-written personal note at the bottom. Keep it positive, mention how Parks have influenced your life and why they are important to you. You can find a sample letter here.  And of course, you can also E-mail or phone.
• Join the above listed Facebook pages.
• Share this information with your friends, families and neighbors.

Thank you, and we hope to see you in Thacher Park soon!

David Bosworth