As reported by Dan Miller in the Gazette's April 25 edition, City Council Environmental Protection Committee Chairman James Gennaro celebrated Earth Day recently by recognizing the achievements of four environmental leaders in Queens and presenting them with the first "Our Green Queens" awards.

The awards went to Dorothy Lewandowski, Queens Borough Parks commissioner; Susan Lacerte, executive director of the Queens Botanical Garden; Amy Fiscetti, Queens County Farm Museum director, and Alan Ludman, professor at the School of Earth and Environment at Queens College.

The awards were part of Gennaro's "Our Green Queens Initiative", which he began on Earth Day 2005 and includes the continuing "Plant a Tree for Free" program.

Addressing the award winners, Gennaro said, "Thanks to these devoted and talented individuals, our community is greener, cleaner and healthier." Ackerman Votes For Teacher Scholarships

Hoping to assure that the United States in the future is "equipped with an abundance of qualified, well-equipped math and science teachers" in grades kindergarten through 12, Congressmember Gary Ackerman voted to approve the "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act.

Ackerman (D- Bayside), a former Queens schoolteacher, said the bill enacts the foremost recommendation of the National Academies' report on improving K-12 math and science education.

The report "told us that the No. 1 thing we can do as a country for our future economic health is invest in our math and science teachers" Ackerman said. "That's what this bill does and I am proud to support it." Crowley Hails Israel's Independence

On the 59th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and its independence recently, Congressmember Joseph Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) hailed the Middle East nation, declaring: "The success of a democratic Israel in the Middle East is a testament to the will and strength of its people, and its sustained effort to defend the freedoms and rights it has secured for its citizens since birth."

Noting the United States' recognition and support of "the only true democracy in the Middle East as our strongest ally in the region and possibly in the world", Crowley added, "As we cast our thoughts to the past in celebrating the years of Israel's creation as an independent state, we also must focus on the bright future of Israel and rededicate ourselves to working to protect its people and help to foster the right conditions needed to bring peace with its neighbors." Vallone Applauds Arrest Of Rowdy Met Fan

City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., chairman of the council Public Safety Committee, last week applauded the arrest of Frank Martinez, who was charged with interfering with a public sporting event, namely a New York Mets game, by allegedly shining a flashlight into the eyes of an Atlanta Braves player.

Vallone (D- Astoria), who authored the law under which Martinez was charged, stated: "In a game where a hard projectile flies around the field at 100 mph, distracting a player can be more dangerous than throwing a beer bottle. He put the players' safety in jeopardy the same as if he ran on the diamond itself.

"If you're not good enough to be on the team, sorry, you can't participate in any way that interferes with it. Otherwise, you're going to jail." Sabini Named To Racetrack Panel

Noting that the upgrades of the state's horse racing facilities in Queens are "expected to create thousands of jobs and pump tens of millions of dollars into the Queens economy, state Senator John Sabini said he was honored to be appointed to the panel that will choose who will run Queens racetracks for the next 20 years.

The eight-member panel, of which Sabini will be the only New York City resident, is presently considering four applicants, one of whom will become the New York Thoroughbred Racing Association, which operates racing at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga racetracks.