Hempstead Lake to get helping hand

Degraded rubber tires, dirty plastic bottles, cigarette butts, deteriorating pieces of paper and the occasional deflated basketball litter the ground surrounding Hempstead Lake. They seem so out of place in the serene setting, where autumn colors illuminate the water, whose ripples, made by gliding geese, gleam in the sun.

It is a problem that has plagued Hempstead Lake State Park since the 1970s, when Nassau County built a sewer system that carried water — and other debris — from storm drains into the lake. Trash began to accumulate there, “and then, after the litter gets there, people start to, unfortunately, dump some things that shouldn’t be placed there,” said George Gorman, deputy regional director for Long Island State Parks. “We, through the years, are constantly doing cleanups, constantly maintaining it, but it is something that will happen because of the storm water runoff.”

The only way to address the problem, Gorman added, is to continually maintain it and to organize cleanups, which is what Alex Jacobson, owner of the Lakewood Stables horse riding academy, recently did. This coming weekend, Jacobson, his employers and other volunteers will spend an entire day cleaning up the park.

“It’s really, really bad,” Jacobson said of the litter. “Everyone uses this park and I just think that it’s time that someone takes a little more responsibility and cleans it up.”

Jacobson began using the trails at Hempstead Lake State Park when he first purchased the stables in 2006. Since they were demolished in April to make way for a new state-of-the-art facility, he and his horses have been using the park full time and staying at a temporary facility there. They will remain there for several more months until construction at the stables is complete.

“It’s for the benefit of the environment, if nothing else,” Jacobson said. “There are a lot of joggers and horseback riders and a lot of people use these trails, and I think that over the course of time it’s gotten worse and it just needs to be cleaned up.” Park managers agreed and when Jacobson reached out to them to express his concern, he received immediate support. Now, he’s just counting on the help of volunteers to actually get something done.

So far, the community has shown interest in the cleanup, according to Jacobson, who has heard from local Girl and Boy Scouts and others who want to lend a hand. But it will take a lot of help to clear the park of debris and trash, because the area in question (primarily north of the Southern State Parkway) is rather large, Jacobson said. He plans to focus the cleanup around three or four areas around the lake itself where the litter is concentrated.

“These specific areas aren’t utilized very often,” Jacobson said, noting that that may be why they are more neglected. “It’s a combination of things, and people not ever really making a good attempt to clean up these specific areas because they’re a little bit out of the way: they’re not where the parking areas are or where the barbecue or picnic areas are.”

Jacobson went on to say that everyone who utilizes the park or enjoys its presence has an “obligation” to clean it up. It’s unfair, he added, to expect perfection from the parks department, especially in tough economic times when funding and resources are limited. “It’s important that volunteers come out and help clean it up,” Jacobson said.

Deputy Gorman agreed. “This is a great thing,” he said. “We see an accumulation of litter every year and without the volunteers that will be assisting us, we could never get it clean.”

The cleanup will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to sunset. Parking will be available at Lakewood Stables, located at 633 Eagle Ave. in West Hempstead, or at Hempstead Lake Park — particularly the main meadows across from entrances to the Southern State Parkway on Eagle Avenue. Employees of both the stables and the park will provide garbage bags, plastic gloves, snacks, water and transportation to and from the littered areas. To participate in the effort, call (516) 486-9673.

“We’re trying to get as many organizations, as many groups out as possible,” Jacobson said. “I’m confident that we’ll have a nice turnout as long as the weather is good. I think people genuinely want to see the park cleaned up. It’s a beautiful, beautiful park. It just needs cleanup.”