Hello Everyone,

Importantly, thank you so much for signing this petition.  I appreciate the validation and your confidence in my efforts!  It means a great deal to me.

I am also writing to ask you to encourage others in your home (adult children?  a spouse?  a parent?) to also sign this petition.  We are so close to having 100 signatures!  So close!  We're a mere two (2) signatures away!  S/he or they may need to use another device to sign.  And please remember the petition is only open to residents from Oakdale, Sayville and West Sayville.

Lastly, I wanted to share an article that mysteriously popped in my feed recently (I attribute it to AI and the tech surveillance to which we're all, regrettably, subject to these days).  Nevertheless, I see it as a portent, something meaningful that fuels my efforts regarding this petition. 

Here's a link to the article, which is titled Lights Out? Fireflies Face Multiple Serious Extinction Threats.  I'll lead with the most important sentence:  "According to survey respondents, habitat loss is the most critical threat to firefly survival in most geographic regions, followed by light pollution and pesticide use."  Makes sense, doesn't it.  The information is from a survey administered a few years back conducted by a Tufts University-led team of biologists (MA) associated with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.  Here's the article: https://scitechdaily.com/lights-out-fireflies-face-multiple-serious-extinction-threats/#:~:text=Habitat%20loss%2C%20pesticide%20use%2C%20and%2C%20surprisingly%2C%20artificial%20light,the%20International%20Union%20for%20the%20Conservation%20of%20Nature

By way of a reminder, here's my timeline for this petition:  

·       September 30, 2024……….. Petition Due Date

·       October 4, 2024……………… Survey Mailed to Town of Islip

·       October 22, 2024……………. Survey Presented at Town of Islip Board Meeting

Thank you again for your support!  With just a few more of your family members signing, we'll hit our first goal of 100 signatures!  My ultimate goal is to obtain 300 signatures.  

Sincerely,

James