The responsibility for preserving the woodlands lies squarely with New York State and Nassau County, which own the properties. At the same time, the good people of the Merricks, Bellmores and East Meadow must become involved in this issue. Write to local elected officials. Tell them the woodlands' condition is deplorable and unacceptable. Volunteer to clean up the forests with a civic association or the newly-forming friends of the Merrick preserves group, which has yet to receive a name. (To volunteer, call civic activist Robert Young at (516) 223-1937.)
The forests, which were originally intended as parks and preserves, really belong to all of us. They should be passed on to our children. The state Department of Transportation, which is supposed to maintain them, likely wants them for parkway-widening projects. If we allow that, we shall forever lose an essential part of this community's character -- its natural side.
Here are our ideas for securing the woodlands long-term:
1. Ownership of the properties must be clearly established. Neither New York State nor Nassau County has taken responsibility for or even claimed ownership of the woodlands, making law enforcement impossible.
Signs must be posted explaining who owns what, as well as which activities are permitted and which are not. We found only two "No Trespassing NYS" signs for properties that measure hundreds of acres.
2. Clean up the trash and stop dumping. Both county and state must rid the woodlands of the years and years of trash that has collected in them. The state should also stop dumping in the woodlands. This week, the Herald found six additional piles of road waste likely left by the DOT in the woods in Freeport, even after the dumping was reported in this paper more than a month ago.
3. Both must fully enclose the properties with fences. Now, there are fences in some places, none in others. Where there is a fence, the line often isn't maintained. People -- adults and kids -- cut gaping holes wherever they wish to get into the woodlands.
4. Both must catalog and secure the abandoned pump houses scattered throughout the properties. The houses lead to a miles-long network of unused water tunnels that run beneath Sunrise Highway. A child could be seriously hurt or killed in one of the pump houses at any time.
5. Both must create a network of hiking and bicycling trails through the woodlands, allowing access with gates that measure no more than two feet wide. Thin gates would allow pedestrians in and keep dirt bikers out. A regular presence of concerned citizens in the woodlands would do much to curb illegal activities there. To report problems, people must see them. Many folks, however, say they're afraid to even approach the forests right now.
6. Both must figure out a way to accommodate the many teenagers who now destroy the woodlands to build elaborate stunt-biking courses. If they had somewhere to practice their sport, they likely would leave the forests alone.
7. Both must create a woodlands oversight board, similar to the Suffolk County Pine Barrens Law Enforcement Council. It needn't be as large; the Suffolk council encompasses 19 government agencies, from the Air Force to local police. The woodlands council could include such agencies as the state Parks Department, Department of Transportation, Troopers and Parks Police. The council would coordinate enforcement activities in the forests.
8. Both should enforce laws regarding government-owned properties. Dirt bikers now ride freely through the forests, fearless that they might get caught. It shouldn't be that way. Riding ATVs on government lands is illegal. The state and county should set up sting operations similar to those in Suffolk to halt the ATVers by confiscating their bikes.
9. Both should provide social services for the homeless people who live in the woods. Some homeless are mentally ill. Some are day workers who can't earn enough to rent. Some are war veterans fearful of reentering society. Vulnerable to the elements, gangs and hunger, they all need help.
Some may also be dangerous. In Wantagh, one homeless man living in the woods attempted to kidnap a child last year, according to a highly reliable county source and civic leaders.
10. Finally, both the county and state should support efforts by local citizens to form friends groups to protect the woodlands. Volunteers are key to protecting the properties over the years.
We call on our government representatives --State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., Assemblyman David McDonough, county Legis. David Denenberg and Legis. Norma Gonsalves -- to take the lead here. They can begin by calling a conference of local environmentalists and civic leaders to solicit their input.
Note that our solutions to preserving the woodlands do not require bagfuls of money. For the most part, they are low-cost, so neither the state nor county should complain they haven't the cash to protect these properties. They do, though, require willpower which, for more than two decades, has been hard to find.
