By Scott Brinton
The massive effort was an encore performance to the highly-successful, state-sponsored cleanup of the Merrick reservoir woodland this past July, for which an estimated 170 volunteers came out.
Numerous groups were represented at the most-recent cleanup, including the Friends of the Meadowbrook Preserve, Merrick Kiwanis Club, Merrick Chamber of Commerce, Old Lindenmere Civic Association, Central Merrick Homeowners Association, North Merrick Community Association and Girl and Boy Scout troops, among others.
Volunteers hauled out hundreds of bottles and cans, car tires, appliances, beds, you name it. They also uncovered serious dumping in the woods in Freeport, including rusted-out washing machines, cars, even a farm tractor.
Robert Young, of Merrick, the America the Beautiful co-chairman who served as a primary organizer of the cleanup, said government at all levels assisted volunteers with the cleanup.
State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. and Assemblyman David McDonough, both Republicans of the Merricks who are up for re-election, sponsored the cleanup at what is now being called the Meadowbrook preserve. It's the swath of woodland covering Merrick off Babylon Turnpike and Freeport off Lakeview Avenue, which includes twin ponds, one on the Merrick side and the other on Freeport.
With a payloader, state Department of Transportation workers created a path through the woods leading to a drainage culvert that was stopped up with garbage on the Freeport side. Volunteers, who were mostly from Merrick and Bellmore, removed the debris and opened the drain.
In addition to state support, Young said America the Beautiful received help from Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead and Village of Freeport. "There wasn't one thing that I needed that I couldn't get," said Young. "We had more help and assistance than we asked for, more dumpsters, more dump trucks."
During the cleanup, Nassau County Legis. David Denenberg, a Democrat of Merrick, was almost run over by a dirt-biker at the county's Roosevelt Preserve, said Young. Police were called in, and the dirt-biker was cited for driving a bike on government land, which is illegal.
Young estimated that volunteers removed at least three 30-yard dumpsters full of trash. Now, he and other volunteers plan to continue cleaning up the woodlands through the winter, targeting confined areas with small groups. And they hope the woodlands eventually become government nature preserves for hiking and bicycling.
