Greetings!
Welcome to the Natural Resources Protective Association’s
“
40 YEARS OF BLUE
” celebration. We are proud to say
that for forty years, we have fought to protect shorelines,
fisheries and open, green spaces.
In order to understand what NRPA is all about, we have to go back to the vi-
sion of our founder, the late Lou Figurelli. Lou lived on a houseboat on Staten
Island’s Lemon Creek. He loved the water and the birds, fish and animals
that called it home. When he saw something that imperiled marine habitat, he
didn’t simply seethe in silence, he got involved and did something about it.
Lou photographed the dirty deeds of poachers and polluters and made sure
that they were held responsible by the proper authorities. He educated himself
about shoreline issues and marine projects and did not hesitate to call atten-
tion to any flaws.
Perhaps Lou’s finest hour was when he battled the United States Army Corps’
of Engineers plans to dump toxic waste into the nearshore areas called bor-
row pits. The Corps claimed that these deep areas were dead zones, devoid
of marine life. But Lou and his friends knew that the opposite was true: These
were the best fishing spots around. So they kept detailed records, hired a
lawyer and took the Army Corps to court. Lou and the newly founded NRPA
won the case and till this day, we still monitor and protect these areas.
In the ensuing years, other dedicated people, including our late Board Mem-
bers Jack Latanzia, Jr. and Pete Glissman, stepped up to continue the fight
to preserve and protect our marine habitat. Of course, we cannot forget the
inimitable Kerry Sullivan, our late Executive Director. Kerry worked with many
organizations over the years and always let people know that “These are
OUR waterways”.
Today, NRPA is a consortium of conservation groups, civic associations, yacht clubs and concerned
citizens who share the common goal of protecting the marine environment. We keep on top of plans
that impact wetlands and waterways and review countless documents every year. We stand up and
speak up. And we have removed literally hundreds of tons of trash from area shorelines with our
beach clean ups.
Tonight we are pleased to honor two people who have made a difference for our marine environ-
ment. Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, has advocated for the preservation of wetland
areas as Blue Belts. These areas not only absorb storm water to provide flood protection, but they
also provide highly productive habitat. Debbie Mans, the Executive Director of NY/NJ Baykeeper, is
an attorney who uses her legal expertise to crack down on polluters and clean up contaminated wa-
terways. Both of these wonderful people have really made a difference for our waterways.
Most importantly, we want to thank all of you who have generously supported the efforts of NRPA.
Ida Sanoff, Executive Director, NRPA
N
atural
R
esources
P
rotec ve
A
ssocia on
Coali on Against Water Disposal of Contaminated Sediments
Post Office Box 050328
Staten Island, NY 10305
Executive Director
Ida Sanoff
CAWD
Director
Assistant Secretary
Tony Rose
Staten Island Sport Divers
Director
Treasurer
Membership
Newsletter
Richard Chan
NRPA
President
Jim Scarcella
NRPA
Friends of Clearwater
Vice President
Charles Perry
Protectors of Pine Oak
Woods
Secretary
Daniel Ingellis
NRPA
Assistant Treasurer
John Malizia
S. I. Yacht Club,
S. I. Tuna Club, FCA
TRUSTEES
Dr. Martin Schreibman
Brooklyn College AREAC
Dr. John T. Tancredi
Molloy College
Cindy Zipf
Clean Ocean Action
