05/9/17
Dear Passaic County Freeholders;
Bergen County Audubon Society and our over 2,000 members would like to voice our opposition to the proposed Disc Golf development planned for Rifle Camp Rd. section of Garret Mountain Preserve.
The proposed removal of 100 small trees will cause an interruption of the natural progression of mature to juvenile tree replacement. There will be a point in time where the mature trees will be at their end of life and the number of juvenile trees to replace them will be limited. In addition, the removal of young trees and shrubs in combination with the trampling of paths between each disc golf station would make this area more prone to erosion and flooding. In addition, the fragmenting of the habitat (Tree removal) will threaten many breeding birds that are threatened or endangered like the Wood Thrush, whose numbers have been drastically reduced due to the loss of unbroken woodland habitat.
Garret Mountain Preserve is home to nesting Owls, warblers, hawks and migrating species of birds as well as home to smaller mammals who depend upon cover, seed and insects to survive and reproduce. The disturbance, noise and impact on trees, that an 18-hole disc golf development will create while building and in use will make the habitat inhabitable to many of the current species.
We respectfully ask you to reconsider this decision. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this.
Thank you;
Don Torino
President Bergen County Audubon Society
201-230-4983
greatauk4@gmail.com