Saturday, June 14, 2025
The famous words, “spring cleaning,” seem to reverberate throughout discussions this time of year. For many, it is a tradition that allows you to tidy up while parting from belongings that aren’t desirable, but for the South Shore Conservation Society, it is a time to give back to the community.
The Brookside Preserve spring cleanup near North Brookside Avenue and Sunrise Highway is one of many events organized by the South Shore Conservation Society and the Green Army. Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, as well as Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé joined them on May 3.
The cleanup, in honor of Earth day, was postponed from April 26 due to bad weather.
The preserve is a 22-acre freshwater preserve purchased from New York City by the county in 1989, and is managed by the South Shore Audubon Society.
The 20 “cleaners,” mostly residents of Freeport village, picked up a wide assortment of wrongfully discarded items, including beer bottles, chip bags, cigarette butts, and even a tent with a full fixing of bed dressings that had long been forgotten. The group managed to fill 10 bags of garbage, which they discarded in a truck-sized dumpster provided by the county.
For village residents such as Maricela Rmaida, it isn’t just picking up trash; it is giving back to her community.
“I’m doing something for myself and my community,” Rmaida said, “from the heart.”
New signage posted by the county at the entrance to the preserve reminds visitors to pick up after themselves and respect their surroundings. Moreover, they’ve added trash receptacles, as well as sought the aid of the county police department to close the gate to help safeguard against mischief and vandalism in the preserve after dark.
Griffin, whose district includes Freeport, highlighted the importance of maintaining preserves such as Brookside.
“It’s so important,” she said. “This preserve should be a place the whole community comes. Get this to be a preserve the community can really enjoy.”
For the conservation society and the Green Army, members said they are a family with a shared passion for helping to fulfill the needs of the community.
“We’re all aligned with the same values,” Erica De Vargas, the conservation society’s president said, noting that the group began, “wanting to make beautiful spaces like the Brookside preserve a place for families to come and just enjoy nature and because we are aligned with those values, I want to be a part of it.”
Erica de Vargas, Jasmine Pena and Jose Cuevas, all core conservation society members, noted in a text a “deep commitment” to their tradition of cleaning the Brookside Reserve, and it’s something they take “a lot of pride in.”
When asked about the tradition of maintaining Brookside Reserve, their shared text was, “It’s an opportunity for people across generations to come together with a shared purpose. You see familiar faces during each clean up, as well as new ones joining in.”
