New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty has announced that the Town of North Hempstead is the recipient of the 2002 New York State Mined Land Reclamation Award. The award was given to North Hempstead for its accomplishment of turning the former Morewood property on Hempstead Harbor into the public golf courses known as Harbor Links.

"The efforts by the Town of North Hempstead exemplify the tremendous public benefit that can be gained when local and state government officials work cooperatively with private industry and environmental organizations to protect and restore our environment," Commissioner Crotty said. "The town did an outstanding job reclaiming more than 400 acres of an abandoned sand mine and turning these lands into its first public golf course. The Harbor Links golf course is considered one of the finest courses on Long Island and is a perfect example of how a strong commitment to the environment, coupled with sound planning, can transform an environmental liability into a public asset."

The town originally acquired the property with the intention of building an incinerator. Strong public opposition led to a change in administration. In the mid-1990s, the Newburger administration developed a master plan for the property that included development of the golf course and senior housing. The project was funded through town-issued capital bonds and was designed by Dr. Michael Hurzdan, one of the world's leading golf architects. "It has been an amazing experience to be part of an administration where you watch polluting landfills be capped and dismal sandmines turned into an eco-friendly, award-winning golf courses," said Matthew Miner, director of operations.

Tom DiNapoli (D-Thomaston) chairman of the New York State Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, said: "By bringing the public and private sectors together, Supervisor Newburger and the Town Board turned a dangerous and unhealthy eyesore into an environmentally friendly golf course, which provides much-needed recreation, open space and wildlife habitat for the region, while generating revenues to the town. The planning, design and redevelopment of the Morewood property, which incorporated a mix of land uses on its 400 acres, should be used by local governments as a model of how smart growth can and should be pursued on Long Island."

Before the onset of sand mining, the Morewood property was characterized by a plateau extending to Hempstead Harbor, where its cliffs dropped to the water. By the time sand mining operations were abandoned on the property in the late 1980s, after more than 100 years of operation, material had been removed to depths of more than 200 feet. The majority of the product from the site was used for construction in New York City. The topography of the site at the time of its abandonment was irregular with diverse and rugged features. Severely eroding bluffs were threatening nearby property and needed to be stabilized.

The erratic drainage patterns led to an accumulation of silt in low spots on the property and facilitated the formation of ponds and wetland areas. All wetlands on the property are subject to federal regulations and the New York State Freshwater Wetlands program regulates two of the wetlands. As part of the golf course development, the wetlands were improved and expanded to simultaneously provide drainage control and a variety of water features for golfing enthusiasts.

The 2002 Mined Land Reclamation Award is given each year to recognize a company or municipality for its dedication to environmental protection through innovative and efficient mining and reclamation practices. The award was presented to Town of North Hempstead officials at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

"Harbor Links and all those who shared in its creation have made me more proud than words could say. It is one of this town's greatest accomplishments and with each honor I am more reminded of how important it is to envision greatness and work as hard as you can to obtain it. We did that with Harbor Links and I couldn't be prouder," Supervisor Newburger said on receiving this award.