To the editor: I was born and raised in West Milford and moved to Vermont 30 years ago. Shocking perhaps, but I still deeply care about certain aspects of West Milford as a community, and in particular, the open spaces that I enjoyed as a boy around the headwaters of Greenwood Lake. When my grandfather moved his family to West Milford in the 1930s things were quite different and there were just a handful of players in community affairsincluding the Wallisch family. Three generations of my family, beginning with my grandparents and ending with me, were close friends with that family. Lou and John helped my grandfather establish the Frank M. Sell American Legion Post; my dad, Joe, and the Wallischs were not only political allies, but hard and fast golf buddies as well as collaborative partners in sponsoring events for disabled American Vets; and Lou in particular was a mentor to me during my years on the school board. Had I taken his advice, gone to law school in NJ and become part of his firm, things would be quite different today. It is a shame to see the constant bickering over the Wallisch estate. Few people in West Milford today were as close to the brothers as my family was, and I am moved to speak now for these men who can no longer speak for themselves. It is time for all the self-appointed interpreters to stop! We don’t need any more lawyers trying to put their costly spin on the brothers’ wills. It is clearly stated that in the event of the town’s civic bodies not finding a suitable use for the property, it goes to the Audubon Society. Lou and John were great bird watchers and Lou enjoyed photographing nature. It strikes me that enough time has passed, the estate is rapidly descending into wrack and ruin along the same path as the Tichenor house. It is time for all involved to abide by the Wallisch wishes. There should not be wetland mitigation. Greenwood Lake has enough water quality problems and the marshy Wallisch land needs to be preserved intact. The Vets are not interested in a building on that property, as some would like us to believejust ask them. They struggle enough trying to get members to attend meetings at the Elks without having a building to maintain. Furthermore, if the library board made a mistake in purchasing some of the land, that is in no way the fault of the town it’s theirs! They can sell their land to whomever they wish, or turn it back, or perhaps strike a deal with Audubon. There is no obligation for the town (taxpayers) to bail them out. They have a perfectly wonderful modern building which just needs to be rearranged to this era. For a moment, please consider the good things that could happen with a beautiful, geologically and architecturally intact “old farm.” Not only would it help maintain good water quality in Greenwood Lake, but it would give families and touristssomething the area needs-a fine place to bring their families, relax and enjoy nature in an area with handicapped accessibility. If you have never gone bird watching, you might enjoy a location where a boardwalk goes along a stream to a creek. Think of the possibilities for oldsters and disabled Vets to enjoy a fine summer daythat’s what my Dad and the Wallischs organized in the past. It would be a great place for some hiking trails and cross country ski trails, too. This is one of the last pristine tracts left in the Jersey Highlands. The people of West Milford, by so directing their representatives, have the power in their hands to make possible a place that can be enjoyed by future generationsa place just as wonderful as Central Park is to city dwellers. Bradley J. Bender Past President West Milford Township Board of Education