Despite below freezing temperatures more than a dozen Greenville Baker Boys & Girls Club members ages 6 to 11 volunteered to participate in the 15th Annual Dune Stabilization Project at Tobay Beach on Jan.18. The program was sponsored by the Department of Community & Youth services of the Town of Oyster Bay. It was an unqualified success, according to Town Supervisor John Venditto.

"This year's Dune Stabilization Project was one of the best," stated Venditto, who participated in the project along with council members Joe Muscarella, Anthony D. Macagnone, Bonnie A. Eisler and Mary McCaffrey and Receiver of Taxes James J. Stefanich. "While it was downright cold, 250 dedicated volunteers traveled from all parts of the town to Tobay Beach where they worked alongside town crews to plant 1,200 recycled Christmas trees and 50,000 stalks of dune grass.

"Begun in 1989, the Dune Stabilization Program has been an immensely popular volunteer project for residents of all ages," Venditto stated. "It's not every project where you can actually see the results of your efforts as you can at Tobay Beach, where the dune grass and recycled Christmas trees that were planted in January are directly responsible for preserving the dunes and beach that you enjoy during the summer. The trees, which are used to help block access to the dunes, and the grass both help stabilize and enlarge the dunes by catching blowing and drifting sand."

The supervisor said part of the success of the program was, as in past years, generous contributions of food and equipment by local business and community groups. "This year," he said, "volunteers each received a commemorative T-shirt and were fortified with hot clam chowder, coffee, hot chocolate and donuts provided by the Village of Massapequa Park, the Hicksville Fire Department, the Fox Hollow Inn, Frank M. Flower & Sons, House of Donuts in Hicksville and South Shore Outdoor. Kraemer Rent-A-John was also a donor.

"The success of the Dune Stabilization Project is one of the best examples of what can be accomplished when government and the community come together for a common goal," Venditto commented. "The efforts of dedicated volunteers and town employees, supported by local businesses and community organizations, are helping ensure that Tobay Beach will flourish for generations to come."