State should open woodlands to the public

For nearly 10 years, the Herald has exposed the dire condition into which the woodlands surrounding the Meadowbrook Parkway have fallen. Vandals regularly spray graffiti on trees. Contractors dump their waste there. All-terrain vehicle riders plow paths through once-undisturbed land. Teenagers partying late into the night set fire to the woods, intentionally and otherwise. And kids cut down trees to erect forts for paint-ball wars.

Throughout our decade-long campaign to bring attention to the Meadowbrook woodlands, the state has largely sat on its hands, ignoring pleas from the Nassau County Unprotected Woodlands Taskforce to implement a management plan to protect these majestic forests over the long term.

That, it appears, may be changing.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation recently agreed to open Mullener Pond, which abuts the Meadowbrook in a small forest in North Merrick, to fishing. The woodlands task force argues that opening the forests to hikers, mountain-bikers, naturalists and fishing enthusiasts is critical to protecting them. Opening the forests to the public would give law-abiding people a chance to enjoy nature near their homes and act as a citizen patrol that could report vandalism to state and county authorities. The state could then monitor the forests better and clean them up when damage occurs.

All that remains to open Mullener Pond up is approval by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which appears likely to happen.

We applaud the state for at last taking at least a small step to protect the Meadowbrook woodlands, which developer Robert Moses envisioned as the “gateway” to Jones Beach State Park.

We should note, however, that the state has not yet agreed to open any additional tracts of the woodlands to the public, as recommended by the woodlands task force, which is headed by Nassau County Legislators David Denenberg, a Democrat from Merrick, and Norma Gonsalves, a Republican from East Meadow.

We recommend that the state open all of the forests to the public and set up the system of hiking and biking trails that the woodlands task force laid out in its 2004 management plan for the forests.

We also encourage anyone who is concerned about the South Shore’s dwindling woods and streams to attend an “Envirothon” organized by the task force. The event, which is intended to educate the public about damage done to the Meadowbrook’s forests over the years, is tentatively scheduled for April 30. It will start at the Brookside School on Meadowbrook Road in North Merrick at 9 a.m.

Participants will hear a half-hour presentation on fishing at Mullener Pond, as well as the results of a 2008 “BioBlitz” that cataloged the flora and fauna along the Meadowbrook. Nearly 500 species were discovered during that event. The Envirothon will also include a 45-minute hike in the forest. More information can be found at meadowbrookbioblitz.org.

The Meadowbrook Parkway woodlands are among the South Shore’s few remaining natural habitats. It is up to all of us to ensure that they remain for future generations.