The Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference, a non-profit organization that preserves and uses paths for hiking and biking, has at times requested wood chips to sprinkle along the routes they travel. Be careful what you wish for, they always say.
A virtual forest of discarded wood chips, as well as tree stumps, rubbish and old furniture has encroached on its meeting site, located in Woodbury just off of Jericho Turnpike, and has also become an inconvenience for an adjacent Pathmark shopping center and local residents who think it's unsightly. After some political intervention, the illegal dumping was somewhat curtailed, but clean-up, according to New York State, which owns the property, may not be until spring.
Judy Jacobs, Nassau County Legislator (16th L.D.) and a resident of Woodbury, who was partially responsible for trashing the illegal dumping, is urging the state to speed up the process before the unpleasant site attracts pests.
Jacobs was first alerted to the makeshift dump after a caller complained last summer about the wood and garbage mounting on the state land which originally was to be used as the now-cancelled Bethpage Parkway extension. Admitting that she at first thought the notion was absurd, Jacobs hopped in her car to investigate the site. "Sure enough, there [were] mounds of wood chips and large tree trunks," Jacobs said in an interview.
Months later, as Jacobs further investigated, the problem became exacerbated, as the junk began piling on Pathmark's property and also affected the Greenbelt members, who have had a quasi-arrangement with the State to use its land for their leisure.
"We've been using this spot and it's basically become trash," said Richard Schary, president of Greenbelt Conference.
The legislator estimated that as of today the size of the littered land is longer than a football field from north to south and more than 500 feet from east to west.
"What maybe started out as the Greenbelt Conference trying to get some chips for their walkways has ended up being a first class dumping ground," said Jacobs, who theorized that people saw the wood chips and assumed they could dump their own items as well.
The Second Precinct said that they never enforced the area because there were no signs forbidding dumping.
Jacobs informed the State Parks Department of the mounting mess. Working together, Jacobs, the Parks Department and the State Attorney's office sought to investigate who was dumping, how to stop it and who would clean it. The Nassau County Department of Public Works also became involved because eventually the county is going to take over the property to use it as an easement for sewer lines connected to nearby homes.
It was determined that the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was responsible for the property. Director of Public Affairs for New York State Parks on Long Island, George Gorma, said that the Parks Department would clean the area, but could not set a timetable on exactly when.
This is for several reasons. First, the state doesn't have personnel assigned to that site, and will have to organize staff recruitment from other parks. "It's in an area that obviously would not be frequented by state parks staff," said Gorman. There's truly no state park near there." Gordman said that Bethpage State Park and Jones Beach State Park staff would be the likely candidates getting involved.
Another reason the clean-up may not start immediately is because the state is seeking restitution for the cost of the project from the people who illegally dumped there.
However, the investigation only turned up one landscaping company that was illegally dumping after Channel 12, Long Island News Network turned over a tape of a broadcast covering another event which happened to catch an employee in the act. Gorman believes that when the network justifiably aired its news story on the dumping and displayed the video, it might have scared off other violators, thus hampering the investigation.
"Right now we're investigating it and we're going to...try to determine as many [offenders] as we can and then get restitution for the clean-up to occur. Regardless, the clean-up will occur," said Gorman.
Though Gorman said that some dumpers may have been intimidated, Jacobs and others worry that the illegal acts may continue.
The joint county-state force formed on this matter accomplished getting two NO DUMPING signs posted up. But most agree that the signs are too small for drivers to detect.
Jacobs remains in contact with the Parks Department urging immediate action. She said that raccoons, rats and insects will find ideal homes in the junk pile, and the warmer weather will makes things worse.
Schary noted, "What I understand is these [wood chips] produce internal heat. They could easily catch on fire." Schary said the Greenbelt Conference, along with Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists (CLIMB), which also uses the State property, would like the State site eventually paved. Schary said he understands why the clean-up may only happen in spring, but added that he hopes this isn't the case.
Schary said that a company might even want to adopt the site and care for it following the trash removal.
"I believe we're only going to be successful in this if we pursue this without relenting," said Jacobs, "because otherwise it becomes a very easy thing to let fester, and I believe it can lead to more garbage, and an awful lot of vermin there."
