Sad Day in Hemstead

The residents adjacent to the Oceanside Marine Study Area have convinced the Hemstead City Council that the trees in the preserve are blocking their vista and causing their property values to fall. I have never heard of anything so outrageous.

Here is one resident's response:

When is a Preserve No Longer Preserved?
by anonymous visitor

When is a preserve no longer preserved? This is a question we must ask ourselves. Since the early 70’s individuals and organizations have promoted the preservation of open space. They encouraged the protection of habitat and the establishment of laws that will ensure their future protection.

When an area set aside and protected from development becomes too “naturey” and begins to interfere with neighboring residents should it be controlled? Well some say yes. The neighbor takes precedence over a protected nature area. Some of these neighbors, who
don’t even visit or use the preserve that borders their own property,
who don’t even know which municipality owns and operates the preserve
due to there own ignorance and laziness. These are the individuals who
feel they have a right to manipulate nature to fit their desires. They
fail to realize that it’s not their nature… it’s our nature. The
good of the many out weigh the good of the few. The people that enjoy
the preserve, who appreciate it for the purpose it was designed for, to
be a last hold out and sanctuary from urban sprawl for the various
numbers of animals, which include migratory birds that nest in the
spring and summer months. In the winter, the brush and scrub act as
protective and safe roasting areas for all those beautiful birds that
come to our bird feeders.

Well my readers, this is not a general statement on activities that we
see in the news, out in the Pine Barrens or something in the Arctic
refuge or even in the mid west plains area. This is what’s happening
right here in Nassau County, Town Of Hempstead, in the village of
Oceanside, at this very Marine Nature Study Area.

The individuals are making changes base on opinions rather then science and law. The Northwest Fence-line Coalition has successfully won a major victory. The have succeed in
convincing their political representative that the brush and trees growing along the fence is blocking their expensive “vista” and as a result lowering the value of their homes. One even admitted, in front of the group, Councilman, and Commissioner to trespassing, and vandalizing the property by removing trees in the past. For those regular visitors, those would be the four 30-year-old Eastern Red Cedars, whose berries where the cornerstone for all the neotropical
migrants and other birds that fed on the berries. This same individual then threatened to do it again if action was not taken. Our response to this out rage…nothing.

The trees that will be removed in this current culling will include: Black Cherry, Autumn Olive, Eastern Red Cedar, Pin Oak, with an underbrush of Virginia Rose. This is the wrong precedent to begin. This is only telling those individuals who have a problem with the nature world around them that the Town of Hempstead is so concerned about what a few people think, that they will cave to any and all demands made by the ignorant masses. Is that the type of government and
people you what in charge of your township?

On the lawn of the greenest township on Long Island, there is now a brown spot, where the dog of ignorance peed.

If you would like to make your opinion know contact Kate Murray, the Hemstead County Supervisor at: http://www.townofhempstead.org/content/home/contact.html

The photo above is of a Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow that breeds at Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area.