An Environmental Warrior Remembered
Photos taken by GSBAS' Bob Grover and the article was written by GSBAS' Larry Merryman.
September 15, 2011 The late John Fritz was
remembered on July 21st at a ceremony at Smith Point
County Park with the official opening of the John J.
Fritz Memorial Fishing Pier. Among other things John
was a fine family man, a former Soldier in the U.S.
Army, a retired New York City Firefighter, a Suffolk
County Park Trustee, a fisherman, an avid birder,
and a consummate environmentalist. As a Park Trustee
John fought for shared public access to the many
areas that Suffolk County owns with the idea that
these places should not only be preserved, but also
be available for the multiple recreational purposes
that the public enjoys. He was persistent in this
advocacy and the word "no" was not in his
vocabulary. Through his will and determination, as a
conservationist who championed the delicate balance
between public use and the environment, he had no
peer. In addition, New York State previously
recognized John’s memory when the hawk-watching
platform at Robert Moses State Park was also named
in his honor. Birding throughout the United States
with his wife Gerta, he was able to build an amazing
life list of 773 species. John's legacy as a birder
and conservationist with a love of nature will long
be remembered.
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