By Kathianne Boniello
May means more to Douglaston and Little Neck environmentalists than the appearance of spring flowers. It is also a time for their annual cleanup of Udall's Cove, a wetlands preserve the activists have cared for since 1969.
Ralph Kamhi, president of the Udall's Cove Preservation Committee, said the group's 31st annual meet and cleanup of the wetlands preserve, which was scheduled for May 6, would also feature a mid-afternoon memorial service to longtime Cove defender Aurora Gareiss.
Gareiss, a Douglaston resident who fought diligently to preserve and protect Udall's Cove from development, died in February near her son's home in upstate Warwick at the age of 91. Several years ago the Parks Department named Aurora's Pond in Udall's Cove after the activist in recognition of her work.
Udall's Cove is a wetlands preserve that sits on the border between Douglaston, Little Neck, and Great Neck, L.I. The cove is an important breeding and feeding stop for migratory birds.
The preservation committee, a group started by Kamhi and Gareiss, will be joined by several politicians as they say goodbye to one of their own. Those scheduled to attend include state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), City Councilman Mike Abel (R-Bayside), and city Parks Department Commissioner Henry Stern. City Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) may also attend, Kamhi said.
“When we organized, we provided the hull of which she was the engine,” Kamhi said of Gareiss. “It was just plugging away, writing letters. She was a force.”
Kamhi said the annual meeting, which is open to the public, would be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sandhill Road, a small back road near the Little Neck train station that connects Little Neck and Douglaston.
The yearly cleanup is necessary because the currents of Little Neck Bay bring debris into the cove, Kamhi said. The meeting is also a chance for the Udall's Cove Preservation Committee to update its members on ongoing projects or efforts undertaken by the group, he said.
“It's becoming a community occasion,” said Kamhi, who said several school and church groups as well as Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were scheduled to take part.
At the first cleanup of the cove in 1970, what is now Aurora's Pond was “full of tires, refrigerators and cars” that people had dumped into it, Kamhi said. Now the wetlands preserve is protected under the city's 1973 Tidal Wetlands Law.
Kamhi said the memorial service for Gareiss would be a chance for those who worked with her to protect Udall's Cove to pay their respects and talk about their experiences, including her son and grandchildren. The memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at Gareiss' former home at 31-07 Douglas Rd., he said.
“She was a wonderful artist,” Kamhi said. “And an amazingly generous and talented person.”
To perpetuate Gareiss' memory and goals, Kamhi has established an annual Aurora Gareiss prize of $100 each for fifth graders at PS 98 in Douglaston and PS 94 and St. Anastasia's school in Little Neck.
“To continue the kind of inspiration she was,” he said, “we need to spread the gospel. The way to do that was to engage young people in nature.”
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300 ext. 146.
