New York State Assemblyman William Magee is sponsoring a bill that would allow the adoption of cemeteries, much the same way that people can now adopt stretches of highway. see: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=07044 Bill in part reads: JUSTIFICATION: There are currently over 1,800 regulated not-for-profit cemeteries in New York State of which at least 35 have become insolvent since 1990 leaving municipal taxpayers with the bill for the upkeep of these historic and familial institutions. Worse yet, at a cost of at least $2,500 per acre for simple, basic maintenance less than 10 percent of this state`s not-for-profit cemeteries have the required assets to even maintain at least ten acres of their burial grounds. Clearly, a community`s heritage, history, customs and traditions are contained within their cemeteries and this is even more true as genealogy and the tracing of ones roots plays a greater and greater role in the lives of this generation and future generations. Given that cemetery associations and municipalities, alike, are struggling to preserve, maintain and retain these ties to our past and links to our future under very tight budget constraints it would only make sense to implement an "Adopt-A-Cemetery" program to allow businesses, fraternal organizations, service groups and individuals to assist in and receive recognition for helping in the preservation of one of our most sacred places - our cemeteries. Similar initiatives have been widely successful in Texas and Georgia and the establishment of such a program in New York State - modeled after the highly successful "Adopt-A-Highway" program - would preserve our cemeteries for generations to come and lower the burden that is placed on these associations as well as the residents and taxpayers of this great state. ........... Come on all you New York Staters - contact your assembly people and tell them to vote this in. Then get groups to do it.  Also contact people on other NYS County L lists. And for those of us who now live elsewhere, we should bring this to the attention of our state legislators. --