Trashing the trash at Hempstead Lake

Alex Jacobson, owner of Lakewood Stables, brought together more than 100 people last Saturday to clean up Hempstead Lake State Park of the trash and debris that litter it — a result of stormwater runoff. Together, the volunteers, who spent up to eight hours at the park, cleared about 1,000 feet of the lake front and pulled out at least 70 yards worth of garbage.

“Amazing, amazing effort by the volunteers, the community,” Jacobson said. He also thanked sponsors who donated materials and equipment, including Olsen Landscaping, of Bellmore, and ASF Contracting, of West Hempstead, which donated containers. Lake Park Deli and Gino’s Pizza, also in West Hempstead, along with a number of other businesses, donated food, and Boy and Girl Scouts gave their time to help as well.

“It was a real great turnout,” Jacobson said. "I wish we got it all done, but we made a huge impact.” He plans to hold a similar cleanup event in the spring because, he said, “there’s still a lot of work to do. We hope shining a light on this kind of gets ... groups out [again] because there was an overwhelming response.”

Read about the history of litter at Hempstead Lake State Park