Over 35 dedicated volunteers pitched in and helped pick up litter and trash along Parkside Blvd. during Friends of Massapequa Preserve's annual Earth Day cleanup in the preserve. Volunteers also cleaned out several "party spots" hidden in the nearby woods, and one of the ponds.

The group was welcomed and thanked before they began by Nassau County Legislator Peter Schmitt and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. Friends of Massapequa Preserve was aided by a large contingent of students and parents from the Lockhart and McKenna Elementary Schools, organized by three environmentally conscious students in the Magnet enrichment program, Ashley Goldstein, Steven Grillo and Nicole Saraniero, under the guidance of teacher Elizabeth Natke.

The cleanup was extremely successful. By the end of the day, the happy but tired volunteers had filled several dozen large plastic garbage bags. Much of this litter had been blown by the wind, or tossed into the woods from passing cars, and had been lying in the preserve for years.

The following Saturday, a hearty group of about 25 hikers set forth from the preserve at Walker St., headed north across the Southern State Parkway. They journeyed through the woods along both sides of the Bethpage State Parkway, up toward Boundary Ave., exploring the beautiful public land that Friends of Massapequa Preserve is proposing to be incorporated into a new passive use state park, linking Massapequa Preserve with Bethpage State Park.

The hikers noted areas that are severely neglected and abused by vandalism, especially behind the Albany Ave. School, as a good reason for establishing such a park. The Nassau Hiking and Outdoor Club and the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale are strong supporters of this effort, and have initiated letter-writing campaigns to state officials to advance their cause.

The hikers also explored the thick woods and forgotten trail north along Massapequa Creek, east of the Viceroy housing development. Most of them were surprised by the hidden natural beauty of this section, but at the same time upset by the presence of "party spots" and dumping.

Friends of Massapequa Preserve and the Concerned Citizens of Farmingdale are advocating having this unnamed parkland along Massapequa Creek, now leased from New York State, declared part of an expanded Massapequa (County) Preserve.