Nassau County Legislator and Minority Leader Peter J. Schmitt (R-Massapequa) today announced his appointment of two individuals to serve on the County Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee (OSPAC). Morton L. Certilman of Hewlett and Donald V. Pupke, Jr. of Malverne will serve three and two year terms, respectively.

Mr. Certilman is currently Chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Board and the Northrop/Grumman Master Planning Council. He is a former Director of the Long Island Association and a Director of the New Long Island Partnership, the Long Island Sports Commission and the Long Island Museum of Science and Technology. Mr. Certilman, a former Assistant Attorney General of the State of New York, is a practicing attorney and senior partner with the law firm of Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, located in Mitchel Field.

Since 1999 Mr. Pupke has served as the Deputy Mayor/Trustee of the Incorporated Village of Malverne. An attorney, he is currently in private practice in Westbury. Mr. Pupke serves as President of The Society to Preserve Underhill, a not-for-profit corporation organized to preserve an ecologically sensitive undeveloped 81 acre tract of land that sits atop Nassau County's sole state-designated groundwater protection aea, located in Jericho. He is a member and former Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Council of Boy Scouts of America and is himself an Eagle Scout.

"By virtue of their experience, community involvement and demonstrated commitment to environmental protection and carefully considered land use planning, I am certain that Mr. Pupke and Mr. Certilman will prove valuable assets to the very important mission of OSPAC," said Legislator Schmitt. "It is a pleasure for me to be able to make these appointments."

The Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee was created by the Legislature in June of 2001 for the purpose of making recommendations to the Nassau County Planning Commission on the acquisition, preservation, protection, restoration or enhancement of open space, parks and areas of recreational, cultural, archeological or historical significance.