Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy of NJ, Inc.
600 Harbor Blvd, Unit 1043
Weehawken, NJ 07086

Ms. Elizabeth McCabe
Acting Commissioner
NJ Department of Environmental Protection

February 4, 2018

Dear Acting Commissioner McCabe,

The Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy is writing to request that the DEP not destroy Caven Point in Liberty State Park by leasing it to the Liberty National Golf Club. Caven Point is an amazing piece of natural marshland and woodlands and an environmental jewel in an area of NJ and the USA where nature has all but disappeared. This piece of Liberty State Park provides open space for the public including children, adults and senior citizens to enjoy the woods, marsh lands and beach areas. If you have never been there, you should try to visit and actually see the magnificence of the wooded, marshy land with numerous birds and other wildlife. It is so full of migrating birds that the nature trails are closed to the public part of the year. This is not some abandoned, desolated property that needs to be developed or made “productive”. The wildlife and natural condition form a special backdrop to the Statue of Liberty. It is a vibrant and vital part of Liberty State Park and should not be given to a small group of elite and wealthy people, most who do not live in New Jersey, for their private use.

As head of the Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy, we and the NJDEP oversee the Walkway that borders the golf club and Caven Point. We walk the area frequently and can assure you that this is a highly utilized area of the riverfront that reinforces the wisdom and importance of the Public rust Doctrine We respectfully request that Caven Point be allowed to remain a natural joy for the NJ public and an important implementation of the Public Trust Doctrine in New Jersey.

Thank you for your consideration.

Don Stitzenberg, Esq
President
Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy