Pledge of support for bodies of water

Representatives of 14 municipalities within the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor watershed are to sign an agreement Wednesday morning to work together for the protection of the two bodies of water.

The signing ceremony at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay hamlet, and the formalizing of memberships on the Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee, comes after two years of organizing, committee coordinator Rob Crafa said Monday. It also represents the start of several initiatives, he said.

“We really want to get going with public education and outreach, and for the villages’ part, with stormwater and their MS4 requirements,” Crafa said, referring to state and federal guidelines for municipal storm sewer systems.

The 14 members are among 18 invitees who committed annual dues ranging from $1,250 for villages to $9,750 for counties and assigned administration representatives to the committee’s cause, which includes securing grants for the improvement of the harbors.

“It’s absolutely fantastic realizing the importance and seeing the value of our water and getting together to solve problems mutually,” Crafa said.

Nassau County, Oyster Bay and Huntington towns, the city of Glen Cove and the villages of Bayville, Centre Island, Cove Neck, Lattingtown, Laurel Hollow, Lloyd Harbor, Mill Neck, Muttontown, Oyster Bay Cove and Upper Brookville are the members.

Suffolk County and Old Brookville Village are among the four that declined to join formally, though Crafa said they have pledged their support.

“They may sign on in the future and we’ve made it easy for them to do so,” he said.

Picture: Members of the Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay. (Jan. 23, 2012)