Making a difference

Lisa Williams Schary is a retired teacher and North Bellmore resident who leads an extraordinary life. Over the course of her eclectic career she has been an artist, a teacher, a singer, a producer and, most recently, a community activist and environmentalist.

A dedicated conservationist, Schary has a passion and reputation for protecting nature, for which she has received a variety of awards and recognition. She was presented a Woman of Distinction Award by the Town of Oyster Bay on Tuesday.

A nature lover from an early age, Schary spent a lot of time mountain climbing, hiking and camping, inspired by her father, who instilled in her an appreciation for the environment. This interest only intensified as she grew into adulthood.

In 2000, Lisa and her husband, Richard, founded the Friends of the Massapequa Preserve, a nonprofit organization whose focus is protecting the Preserve’s 423 acres of woods and wetlands. Since then she has worked to raise awareness and educate residents about the natural treasure in their own community, and how they can help protect it. She produced and narrated a documentary, “Massapequa Preserve: A Natural Wonder in Your Own Back Yard,” about the Preserve that was screened at the Long Island International Film Festival in 2004.

Schary led a campaign to establish Trail View State Park and the Wantagh Nature Trail, helped write the new Nassau County Parks Management Protocol, and has testified before several federal, state, county, town and village boards on environmental and public-access issues.

But her greatest contribution, she said, is not only enhancing residents’ appreciation for the natural world, but showing others that a single voice can make a difference.

“You can voice your concerns and bring them to the forefront,” she said, “by taking pictures and showing local legislators and people in power that these are areas that are being neglected or abused.”

“The people that live here, play here, work here and pay taxes are watching over,” she added. “They become the stewards of the open spaces around them.”