“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
——- Original Message ——–
Subject: engineer who may be able to help
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 17:17:21 -0500
From: Peggy Snyder <deleted @verizon.net>
To: Scott Olson <deleted @northbyram.org>Hi,
I have been reading about your fierce battle on the Highlands listserve.
I am a civil engineer who makes a living reviewing stormwater plans for consistency with the state regs. I sometimes take on development battles in my free time if I think they are worthwhile. This one certainly seems to fit that bill.
Peggy Snyder
Pennington, NJ
That’s how it began. An eight year friendship that started with a simple, unsolicited offer to help fight a development battle as big as any I’d ever seen.
I was looking forward to seeing Peggy again soon, to celebrate the recent victory in that fierce battle to Save Rural Andover Borough.
But last Thursday morning, I received an email from Jeff Tittel that crushed me. “Last night Peggy Snyder died…terrible news.”
Terribly sad news.
I spent some time that day going through years of old listserv emails, marveling at how Peggy, along with that “small group” she volunteered to help in Andover, overcame huge odds, a deep-pocketed developer, and high-powered attorneys to save those 260 acres from the bulldozer. Finding that first email from Peggy again summed it all up for me. And there are probably dozens of groups who’ve fought bad projects that can tell you the same thing. With Peggy, it was always about changing the world.
Peggy was an environmentalist’s engineer. She knew the rules, line by line, and did everything in her power to make sure applicants – and perhaps more importantly, local planning boards or the DEP – stuck to them.
“We have to protect our resources here…we have to come together and demand that all these environmental rollbacks be stopped. I’m not an ED of an enviro group and I really have no clout whatsoever…I am just on the ground watching the environment suffer day after day.” Peggy Snyder, November 3, 2011
Hopewell Valley
Gazing out over Hopewell Valley from the St. Michael’s Farm Preserve, with the town of Hopewell, NJ in the distance.
Oil painting by Joe (Kaz) Kazimierczyk
Peggy got her start in environmental activism as a founding member of the Coalition to Save Hopewell Valley, fighting Merrill Lynch’s plan to build an office park and extend sewer service into the township. In December of 1998, The New York Times ran an article titled “Suburban Sprawl Becomes a ‘Mom’s Issue,’ Altering Township Politics” that highlighted the success that group had in changing the face of Hopewell Township government. Peggy went on to serve on the Hopewell Township Planning Board, as well as the Township’s Wastewater Advisory Committee. Recently, Peggy started Emerald Environmental Solutions, her own engineering company, providing “thorough and professional technical reviews of development applications throughout New Jersey.”
As word of Peggy’s death spread through our close-knit environmental community, a commonality began to appear among the responses: thoughtful, calm, confident, persuasive, passionate, professional. And friend.
“I’m devastated. Peggy was a close personal friend, and her work for the environmental community on stormwater helped us stop many terrible developments.” – Jeff Tittel, New Jersey Sierra Club
“I too am very saddened. There are few people with such incredible expertise, passion and commitment. Plus very kind to boot.” – Michele Byers, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
“Peggy was one of the best friends enviros had, and she was REALLY good at her job.” – Julia Somers, New Jersey Highlands Coalition
“Peggy helped change the politics of Hopewell from pro-development and arrogant to friendly, diverse, growth-managed with open space protection and environmentally conscious. She was instrumental in changing planning policies, ultimately leading to one of NJ’s most innovative land use planning schemes based on water resource protection and capacity. I was pleased to have worked with her on multiple projects in her capacity as professional engineer and consultant. She was a friend…Tremendous loss, beyond words.” – Bill Wolfe, New Jersey PEER
“Peggy was a fantastic professional advocate for the environment and a wonderful person. It will be a huge loss for New Jersey’s environmental movement.” – Wilma Frey, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Peggy Snyder was a driving force with many “small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens” who have changed our small part of the world. Those of us who knew her, and were fortunate enough to work with her and call her our friend, are much better for it.
She will be missed.