By Scott Brinton
North Bellmore environmental activist Richard Schary held up a homemade Meadowbrook Nature Trail sign and announced, "This is an exciting moment. You're doing something historic. We've been waiting four years for this. As of today, we're declaring this a nature trail."
Schary was referring to the roughly 800-acre expanse of woodlands that runs along the Meadowbrook Parkway behind the Brookside School, from south Merrick to East Meadow. He and other activists hope the state will agree to designate a public nature trail through the forests. The Unprotected Woodlands Taskforce, headed by Nassau County Legislators David Denenberg and Norma Gonsalves, developed a plan for the trail. Now the intermunicipal agreement, which the county and Town of Hempstead have agreed to sign, awaits the state Department of Parks' approval.
Schary, his wife, Lisa, and Merrick environmental activist Bob Young have spearheaded a campaign to permanently preserve the woodlands and open them for public use. They had hoped -- and believed -- that the agreement would be signed by now. Parks Department officials say they must carefully review the document before signing it. But the Scharys and Young say the department is stalling. So, on May 20, the trio unofficially opened the nature trail by sponsoring a hike through a small section of woodlands in North Merrick.
Denenberg, Gonsalves and recently elected Assemblyman Tom McKevitt attended, along with members of the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference and Bellmore Boy Scout Troop 580.
Lisa Schary encouraged the hikers to write to the state Parks Department with their thoughts. "We're very thrilled to have every one of you here today," Schary said. "We want you to feel free to tell [the Parks Department] what you think."
Denenberg said, "These woods are neglected, and they are misused. We're working together. We need your support and your letters."
Gonsalves appeared hopeful that the Parks Department would sign the agreement. "This nature trail will be created," the legislator said. "It's so benign. There's no money involved. Fifty million dollars went to Suffolk County [state parks]. We don't want money. We just want [the Parks Department] to sign on to the agreement."
In a November 2004 report, the Unprotected Woodlands Taskforce wrote that public access would reduce vandalism in the forests, because concerned citizens would be allowed into them, and would spot illegal activities and report them to the proper authorities. Currently, no one is permitted in the woodlands, so those who go there are mostly vandals.
The Scharys led Saturday's hike through the woodlands. Participants passed the massive dirt moguls that teenagers have fashioned into bike jumps, which cause erosion around trees, exposing their roots and eventually killing them. The hikers checked out the fire pits around which teenagers party on weekends. And they stopped and stared, mouths agape, at the hundreds of plastic bottles that have dammed up at various points along the Meadow Brook.
As one young Boy Scout noted, "Look at all that trash!"
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
