By Sophia Chang
Organized by the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee every year since 1970, the cleanup grooms the area's ponds and wetlands as volunteers pick up debris and “floatables” that drift in from Little Neck Bay.”What you save here for future generations cannot be put into words,” said City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) during the committee's meeting before the cleanup. Avella has helped allocate more than $2 million in the past two years for the cove's preservation in conjunction with the city Parks Department and state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose).”I truly appreciate your efforts at Udalls Cove,” said Dorothy Lewandowski, borough parks commissioner. “You have a precious natural resource here.”Udalls Cove is an inlet of Little Neck Bay bordered by Douglaston, Little Neck and Nassau County. Considered one of New York's environmental gems, the cove's wetlands and woods are home to much wildlife and the city has been buying pieces of the land surrounding the cove in hopes of saving the delicate ecology from future development and for a possible public park. At a civic meeting in Little Neck last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the state would stop issuing permits for further development in the area as the city acquires the remaining 4.5 acres.Committee President Walter Mugdan gave a brief update at the meeting before the cleanup on the Parks Department's $623,000 restoration of Aurora Pond, a body of water that once spanned an entire acre near Sandhill Road before retaining barriers were broken and water began draining out in the 1990s, turning the pond into little more than a puddle. The city is rebuilding the pond to its former pristine state, with construction launched in August and expected to be completed this summer.”The major portion of the work is done,” Mugdan said. “Our motto is going to be 'see you next year at Aurora Pond.'”The preservation of Udalls Cove is near and dear to the many area residents, who turned out in support of the cleanup and area schoolchildren have competed in various essay and art contests about the cove.”It starts with the grassroots,” said state Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli (D-Great Neck), nodding at several children who were participating in the cleanup. “Seeing so many young people so early in their lives here is really inspiring.”And with the weekend's sunshine, the cleanup was less of a chore and more of a fun activity. “For 36 years we have not been actually rained out,” Mugdan said, attributing the fine weather to the legacy of local preservationist and committee founder Aurora Gareiss, for whom Aurora Pond is named. “That's pretty amazing.”The Parks Department is holding a hearing at 1 p.m. on May 10 at Alley Pond Environmental Center at 228-06 Northern Blvd. to hear public commentary on plans to acquire four more parcels of Udalls Cove.Reach reporter Sophia Chang by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
