By Barbara Morris
Within recent memory, too many of our parks were risky places for innocent outdoor lovers, especially children, to enter. Criminal elements had taken over. Drug people, gangs, and graffiti vandals comprised a large percentage of the element that declared war against our laws and committed expensive destruction there. It was not unusual for someone braving a few hours in a park to be attacked, murdered or to stumble on a dumped body. Without the masses of public participation, already stretched thin law enforcement had to respond to trouble with little ability to prevent what was happening. Their pursuit and capture of many of the miscreants as well as a good working relationship with community people encouraged renewed park activities. Civilian patrols, gardening groups participating in cleanups, sports clubs, concerts holders, and individuals began to succeed in taking back their parks. Encouraged, volunteers have been helping with park maintenance, and planting, working with groups of all ages (particularly youth), educating and interesting then in problems and solutions to park-related problems. The Asian longhorned beetles are so destructive to trees that they have forced much of Queens to be quarantined. Our volunteers have been trained by the Department of Parks and Recreation to be their pruners and, of course, how to monitor for these enemies of our borough's trees.The creatures are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long with a jet black body and mottled white spots on their backs. The long antennae are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times the body length with distinctive black and white bands on each segment. One of the most attractive features in some of our parks is water. Listening to a little brook or watching waterfowl glide peacefully across a pond can be mesmerizing and relaxing. Even water now poses problems above and beyond those known in years gone by such as drownings caused by illegal swimming or tragic accidents caused by winter ice collapse. These last several years West Nile Virus-carrying mosquitoes have invaded some of our waterways and have infected and killed friends and neighbors. Insect problems, like the criminal elements, are hard for “just plain folks” to control. Some things do require experts. We can, however, report 911 crimes in progress ad reported to 311 past trouble that needs correction. Dumping garbage is a problem for which there is no excuse in our city's parks. Baskets that encourage proper disposal of unwanted things are plentiful and should be used. Education and, yes, cleanups often become part and parcel of our volunteer agenda. If you are interested in finding out more about Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces, you are invited to attend its meetings which are open to the general public. All meetings are held at the Overlook, 80-39 Park Lane, Kew Gardens, from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. Dates will be posted at www.townsunited.com. Click on Queens Community, then Queens Parks.. Tentative dates are: Feb. 28: March 30; April 25, May 25. If you like people, plants, animals, and the parks that provide all that along with recreation and peace, why not come and see what Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces is all about? Light refreshments are served, and the intellects are fed when special guest speakers present interesting lectures or workshops. You'll hear about park issues, group successes, or problems we may be able to help solve. The Feb. 28 meeting will discuss a writing and art contest for students from grades K-12 who can explain why graffiti vandalism is bad for their communities.
