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Mostly Cloudy N. Bellmore volunteer a Hall of Famer
Richard Schary honored for environmentalism
When North Bellmorite Richard Schary retired from teaching in the New York City schools in the 1990s, he said he wanted to commit his time to bettering his community. On Sunday, Schary will be recognized by the Long Island Volunteer Center for his work in helping to protect Nassau County’s environment.
Schary, 66, is being inducted into the Long Island Volunteer Center Hall of Fame for having founded and maintained the nonprofit organization Friends of the Massapequa Preserve. Along with his wife, Lisa, Schary organized local concerned citizens to form the group in 2000.
“I’m very honored to be chosen for this award,” Schary said, noting that volunteers too often receive no recognition.
He is also president of the Nassau County Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association, sits on the Pine Barrens Law Enforcement Council and is active on the Open Space Advisory Committee and the Unprotected Woodlands Task Force. He and his wife hike together with the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference.
A decade ago, anyone visiting the Massapequa Preserve would have found the 423-acre preserve and its myriad hiking and biking trails in disarray. It was marred by graffiti, litter and erosion. Homeowners had illegally extended their properties into the preserve, and it had become a hot spot for teenagers partying late into the night.
Because of their love of nature, the Scharys set out to do what they could to save the preserve. While other South Shore residents had expressed concern about its rapidly deteriorating condition, the Scharys were the first to gather community volunteers to restore it. They began with a handful of
people.
The Scharys and the Friends of the Massapequa Preserve took the effort further, securing more than $500,000 in Environmental Bond Act grants to clean up the preserve. The group also obtained grant money for a documentary, “Massapequa Preserve: a Natural Wonder in Your Own Backyard.” Lisa Schary narrated the film. “It was really about bringing the community together,” she said. “The formula that we put together for protecting this preserve is one that can be used anywhere.”
