By Scott Brinton
ATV riders roar up West Drive on the North Merrick-East Meadow border several times a week during the warmer months, say residents along the otherwise quiet block. The teenage riders appear suddenly from around the bend to the south, three, four and five at a time, driving fast and recklessly, apparently oblivious to the small children who regularly play on the street.
The riders' concern lies in getting to a gate, about 100 feet south of Jerusalem Avenue, as quickly as they can before police spot them.
The unlocked gate leads into a government-owned woodland surrounding Muellener Pond. Once inside, the riders fly freely through the forest, hidden by the trees and underbrush.
Mary Kaufman, a nurse who has lived on the block for 19 years with her husband, Tom, said, "They come down the street, and that's problematic. It's safety. They're wild about how they ride. They're like little cowboys."
John Catalfomo, who has called West Drive home for 21 years, said, "What parent in his right mind would give a kid an ATV? They're not toys."
Teenagers, though, are not the only ones riding all-terrain vehicles at Muellener Pond. Adults do as well. Suzanne Bristoll, who has lived on West Drive for 10 years and is the mother of a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, said, "We have flatbeds pulling in here dropping off ATVs."
Particularly during summer, she might have a line of sport-utility vehicles with ATV trailers parked across from her Cape Cod.
Tom Kaufman said having the gate on the block "draws people to your property."
Residents fear that a small child will eventually be hurt or killed by an ATVer racing through the area.
At the same time, they worry about maintaining the natural beauty of the Muellener Pond woodland, a forest that is, like so many other such properties along the parkways, dying from abuse and neglect (see Herald, May 2 edition, "ATVers blaze trails to disaster").
Residents say they have called police at times and have been told that authorities must see the ATVers to issue citations. By the time police arrive on the block, the riders are gone, deep in the woodland.
Frustrated, the residents called the Herald last week after reading our ongoing series about endangered woodlands along central Nassau parkways.
Numerous threats
In addition to ATVers and teenagers partying and setting fires on the Muellener Pond property, the woodland has become a dumping ground for stolen property, according to residents. This past holiday season, a vandal or vandals swiped Christmas ornaments from the lawns of numerous nearby homes and deposited them inside the forest. Stolen bicycles, stripped down for their parts, often show up there as well.
People regularly stop off for bathroom breaks at the pond, parking on West Drive and walking into the woodland, toilet paper in hand.
And many times, people abandon animals on the property. Someone recently unleashed three pit bulls and a collie, said Bristoll and the Kaufmans.
Residents note there are no signs on the property indicating what is and isn't permitted there -- or who owns it, for that matter. There certainly isn't a sign stating that riding ATVs on government land is illegal. Residents have found only one branch-covered sign, set back about 25 feet into the woods. It's a "No Dumping" sign. It does not state which government agency has issued the order.
Confusion over which arm of the government controls the property does much to muddy enforcement there, residents say. They aren't sure whom to call when they spot ATVers in the woodland -- county or state police.
"Somebody should take ownership for this," said Mary Kaufman. "I know this is considered Class A wetlands. They're not supposed to do anything here."
Historic woodland
Muellener Pond boasts a long, storied history. A man named Mollineux created it during the 1600s to power his paper mill. It remained relatively intact until the 1980s when silt buildup threatened to destroy it. In 1993, Nassau County dredged it at a cost of more than $1 million. The project, which required three years to receive state Department of Environmental Conservation approval, took a year to complete.
The county built the gate on West Drive at the time, so that dredging trucks could get in and out of the property. For almost a decade since, the government has done little to nothing to protect the woodland, residents say.
During a tour of the property last week, Nassau County Legis. Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said she believed the county owned it. North Bellmore environmentalist Richard Schary thought it might be part of the state's right-of-way for the Meadowbrook Parkway. Residents say they've heard both versions.
Mary Kaufman said she would like the ATVers stopped, in part, because she wants the forest to retain its wild character. The riders, she noted, "are disruptive to the critters in the woods."
She has sighted all sorts of wildlife on the property, including raccoon, opossum, squirrel, rabbit and chipmunk, as well as a variety of waterfowl.
"All these things," Kaufman said, "are entitled to a place to live."
