By Barbara Morris
So do yourself a favor. Mark your calender and get ready for four hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. of interesting education by tried and true experts on subjects like “Street Trees,” “Alternate Energy Sources,” “Composting,” “Queens Waterfronts,” and much more.And, folks, it's free! That in itself is special because the event is scheduled to be held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park's Hall of Science at 47-01 111th St. Another special for that day's event will be free parking and/or free shuttle bus service (courtesy of the Parks Department) from the No. 7 train's 111th Street stop. We are certainly pleased and grateful to Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, who is the featured speaker; Assistant Queens Parks Commissioner Estelle Cooper; and our loyal, hardworking, creative friends from Partnership for Parks: Helen Ho, Norman Chan, and Hasan King; and to the Queens Civic Congress, represented by President Corey Bearak, for helping to make these very helpful arrangements possible.The Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces sprouted from its parent organization, The Cornucopia Society, in 2000. It was the inspiration of the Cornucopia director, Frederick J. Kress. Now some 400-plus member groups strong, it is a bona fide 501c3 non-profit organization on its own. Yes, the Queens Coalition for Parks and Green Spaces is a big family now and still growing strong. We have done land and water cleanups in parks; have probably planted millions of daffodil bulbs, (most of which are a gift from the Netherlands honoring victims of the 9/11 attack); have planted trees; pruned street trees as graduates of the Trees New York Stewardship courses; planted bushes, many different kinds of bulbs and other and other flowers; enjoyed the fresh air; worked off some excess you-know-what; and enjoyed the comradeship of volunteers trying to beautify our part of the world and make things nicer for everyone else, too. We like to have everyone join in on win-win situations.We have relished seeing youngsters join in the excitement of exploring nature right here in our own communities, learning how little worms eat our waste vegetation and miraculously save us money by returning our thrown away vegetable peels as beautiful compost to supply nutrition to our growing, new food supply chain.We have learned about good insects and bad insects, plant diseases, and how to avoid injuries. We learn about the importance of planting to help provide food for our feathered and furry friends which, in turn, help us protect good plants by destroying some of the bad insects. When youngsters have joined us in cleanups, they have seen how dangerous others make playgrounds and other parts of parks by leaving broken glass, cans and other such litter around. It is the need to show respect, not only for the area, but for others as well as for oneself.Planting, and watching something grow is exciting. I remember, as a student in first grade at PS 156 Queens, moistening a piece of cotton, putting a bean seed on it, then waiting to see it send out a little shoot. Once planted, that little, silent, mysterious, lonesome legume gradually crept upward until it pushed its green-tipped nose through the brown soil and then kept going. Soon leaves appeared and then a little flower and then a long, slim string bean which brought along a lot of other beans. I was absolutely thrilled at that miracle and still am to this day when I see some barren, brown spot of earth suddenly “Going Green in Queens”.Please don't forget the March 8 date with is and the miracles of nature and the great outdoors, at the Hall of Science.
