Friday we woke up to a beautiful fresh snowfall. It was the fifth day of the children's winter recesses, and they were thrilled to see some snow. I had to go to work that morning but I was able to negotiate a late start. I checked the Bethpage State Parks website, and they said they were open at 7 a.m. I dressed myself and my 8-year-old son, grabbed the neighbor's kids and we were off to have some fun sleigh riding on that spectacular snowy morning. I got to the park only to be disappointed and turned away by workers and a sign that read winter sports prohibited. I started making a fuss and the worker threatened to radio the state park police and have me arrested. They said they had not made a decision whether to open the park today. He said call at 9 a.m. and they will let me know if they are opening. I called at nine and they said call at 10 a.m. We called at ten and they said call after noon and we will make a decision. We called at noon and they said you could come at 1 p.m. At 12:30 p.m. the snow turned to rain. Saturday morning I went to the front entrance of the park and there were all kinds of signs saying no. No sleigh riding, no cross-country skiing, no winter sports. I asked a worker in a park vehicle if I could take a walk in the park. He laughed and said no.

This is not the first time I have been turned away from the Bethpage State Park. It is typically closed to winter sports more than it is open, even when there is ample snow. Maybe it has something to do with the golf course and the PGA. I do not know.

It is not like we get a whole lot of snow days on Long Island. In Nassau we mostly live in a maze of concrete streets and small homes, but we do have some beautiful parks and beaches. These properties have often been donated by philanthropists for the public use. Unfortunately our taxes have gone to build fences, hire workers and give political patronage jobs to restrict access to the last pieces of nature on our island.

I would like to see our kids get off the computers and the video games, and have some fresh air and exercise. They need to learn how to enjoy the serenity and sanctity of the wilderness without having to drive three hours upstate. How are we going to reduce the rate of childhood obesity if we do not let these kids play in their own parks? It was great the U.S. Open came to Bethpage but since then it seems like our park is no longer ours.

When we were kids we had full access to the park for winter sports. If one hill got too crowded we went off and found the perfect secret spot. As teenagers we even went at night. Now at Bethpage since the open we are relegated to one small area of the park's 1,475 acres and only when they see fit to opening it. You can only use a certain type of sleigh and you can only go down the hill when a park supervisor says it's OK.

Why should this generation not be able to enjoy a spontaneous moonlit sleigh ride in the park at night or in the morning or whenever. How about a starry night on the beach? Just try to step on the sand at Jones Beach without a paid permit after dark or anywhere in Nassau County and see what happens! Please write or email your local and state parks commissioners and ask them to be more flexible with access to our parks.

Dr. Walter Priestley

The South Farmingdale community recently lost a veteran and great fire commissioner with the passing of Jim Crispino.

I first got to know him in the mid-1970s when he was chief of the South Farmingdale Fire Department. As a kid back then he would let me inside the firehouse while other firefighters would usually chase you out.

Once I wrote requesting blank log sheets since I kept track of their calls. He came down to my house in his chief's car and personally delivered them.

In 1993 I joined the South Farmingdale F.D. One of the greatest pleasures was to serve with Jim who I considered to be one of my favorite chiefs even after I left the S.F.F.D. in 1997. I continued to stay in touch with him. When he was playing golf in the local park we would sit down and talk, reminiscing about the 1970s when he was chief and how good those times were.

The last conversation we had was in November 2006, when he stopped down at my house, showing him my article binder of over 200 pages about the S.F.F.D. - articles featuring him as chief.

Jim, you will be missed. Thanks for the memories.

Michael Dempsey