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SPRING INTO ROCKLAND: SILENT AUCTION TO BENEFIT ROCKLAND WATER COALITION KICKS OFF AT FILM FESTIVAL ON EARTH DAY, APRIL 22

SPRING INTO ROCKLAND: SILENT AUCTION TO BENEFIT ROCKLAND WATER COALITION KICKS OFF AT FILM FESTIVAL ON EARTH DAY, APRIL 22

Rocklanders are invited to bid on interesting and exciting objects and activities, many of them nature themed, through Spring Into Rockland, a silent auction sponsored by the Rockland Water Coalition. The auction will kick off on EARTH DAY, April 22nd at the Wild & Scenic film night in Suffern (details below) and will continue on line through May 6th on the Rockland Water Coalition’s web site:  http://www.sustainablerockland.org/.

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Auction items include: an airplane ride over Rockland; a massage; an outing on the Hudson River in the Riverkeeper boat (a perfect summer event); a Longaberger picnic basket (perfect for your Rockland outings); kayaking on a Rockland waterway; a two-hour nature/art workshop for up to six people at Strawtown Studio on historic South Mountain Road; a rare 45-rpm recording by Dave Van Ronk, whose memoir sparked the movie “Inside Llewyn Davis”; consultation on building a tree house; private meditation lessons and many more objects and activities that celebrate Rockland’s diverse and beautiful natural, scenic places.

Proceeds of the auction will support the Rockland Water Coalition’s work to prevent the proposed desalination plant that United Water New York is trying to build on the Hudson River. “Tens of thousands of Rocklanders and most public officials don’t think the plant is needed and don’t want to pay the estimated increase of another $485 a year for water,” said Peggy Kurtz, a co-founder of the Water Coalition. “Now, even before construction begins, United Water wants to charge its customers $56.8 million for costs it already has accrued, but a shovel has not even hit the ground. The Rockland Water Coalition, along with Rockland County and several town governments, are challenging United Water through three related cases that are before the Public Service Commission. The water experts who have helped us reach a point at which the PSC is seriously considering our objections have been generous about keeping their fees down─but we have a distance to go and we need financial support.”

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The Rockland Water Coalition comprises more than 30 civic and environmental organizations: neighborhood associations, county, regional, statewide and national environmental groups who have been working together for more than six years to not only stop the desalination proposal but also to advocate for smart and comprehensive water planning for Rockland. A new Rockland Water Task Force is the result of this work.

The Rockland Water Coalition also is a co-sponsor of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, which will feature award-winning short films and mini-documentaries that tell stories of people who are protecting their land and water. It will start at 7 pm on April 22, Earth Day, at the Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Avenue in Suffern. The Spring into Rockland Auction items will be on view for bidding at the theatre starting at 6:30 pm. The auction will continue via an on-line auction site for two weeks.

Winners of the Auction items will be posted on the Rockland Water Coalition’s web site starting at 8 pm May 7th; winners also will be notified by email.

The Film Festival is sponsored by ROSA and other Hudson Valley area organizations, including Rockland Farm Alliance, NY-NJ Tail Conference; and businesses such as Ramsey Outdoor, Mrs. Greens, Patagonia, Kleen Kanteen and Mother Jones, which promote conservation of the environment and encourage people to live in a healthy relationship with the earth through their actions. For more information, and to purchase tickets to the Film Festival, go to www.suffernfilmfest.com. For more information about Spring Into Action, the Silent Auction to support the work of the Rockland Water Coalition, go to http://www.sustainablerockland.org/.

Contact: Laurie at (845) 558-0877

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