By Rachel Kalina
So, in 2004, when the idyllic property was once again under threat of development, Becker decided he had had enough. "When we found out they were going to build on it again for the umpteenth time," he said, "we decided we were going to do something about it."
While he doesn't peg himself as an environmentalist, Becker said he can easily see the beauty of Parkway Drive. Along with other community members who had the same sentiment, he began going to legislative hearings two years ago to preserve his un-paved paradise. "The people bonded together and fought for what we thought was right, and the government agreed with us," Becker said, citing Legislator Joe Scannell's (D-Baldwin) supportive advocacy to conserve Parkway Drive. "It's a win-win situation."
Their efforts paid off. The two-year process came to the forefront on Monday, when the Nassau County Legislature voted to conserve seven parcels of land around the county in the hope of preserving open space. The measure comes after a 2004 county referendum in which Nassau voters agreed to direct $50 million to future park and storm water improvements, brownfield cleanups and open space acquisition.
Of the seven properties earmarked for preservation, only one is on the South Shore: Parkway Drive. "It's one of the last pieces of open space left on the bay in Nassau County," said Scannell.
Although 262 areas around Nassau were considered for conservation, Scannell recognized the urgency of the situation on Parkway Drive, given the imminent threat of development. He had visited the property and heard residents' tales of the wildlife, and Scannell said he felt that the property deserved to be part of the seven parcels that absolutely needed conservation. "I think the residents of Baldwin are very fortunate to have such a unique and pristine parcel of waterfront land in their community," he said.
Nassau passed the environmental bond act for the first time in 2004, Scannell said. The program was then put under the guidance of Tom Maher, Nassau County's director of Environmental Conservation, who said he realized the need for a speedy decision by the Legislature to conserve the open space.
"Really, the bulk of the effort has been to get the open-space acquisitions done," Scannell said of the program's priorities, "because we don't want to lose those properties," many of which are for sale and on the fringe of development.
The initiative gave people who live near Parkway Drive an example of their government working for environmental causes, residents said. "It's nice to see goverment work for the people," said Baldwin resident John Lowe, "and in this case that was it. ... It was a combination of a grassroots effort by a handful of concerned property owners and the support of Joe Scannell that got us included into the open spaces act."
Becker agreed, and said that he was impressed by the bipartisan efforts. "The good part about this whole thing is that it's a bipartisan deal," he said. "There's both Democrats and Republicans interested in preserving this land."
Along with community members like Lowe and Becker, Scannell went to legislative hearings to testify against development on Parkway Drive, and eventually a deal was struck with the property owner to sell the land to the county for conservation. "This has always been and always will be a purely environmental issue for us," Lowe said. "Anybody that would come down here would easily see that the property is a sanctuary for innumerable species."
Along with Becker, Lowe has high hopes that with the county's help, he will be able to enjoy the thriving wildlife well into the future. "The winner here is the environment," Lowe said. "That's the bottom line."
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
