Заказник Ист-Медоу Берд Санкчури & in Ист-Медоу

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  Carol Rulle

  :: 24 April 2018 22:49:02

  Most people do not know about the East Meadow Bird Sanctuary because it is not open to the public. The sanctuary is next to Speno Park. The sanctuary has a 20 acre lake. The water in the lake is mostly from groundwater, and some rainwater. The sanctuary is the home of many different birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. The sanctuary is very important because the amphibians, reptiles, and fish are basically trapped there. They have no place to go because the sanctuary is surrounded by houses, and the pond is not connected to any rivers or streams. The sanctuary is also a very important place for birds because they can live there without being bothered by people. It is a place where birds can rest when flying south or north depending upon the weather. East Meadow looks very different today than it did 100 years ago. East Meadow was once part of the Hempstead Plains. The Hempstead Plains was once 40,000 acres of open land. East Meadow used to have a stream which ran through it. The stream was called Meadow Brook. The Hempstead Plains and the Meadow Brook were the home to many different types of wildlife. However, the Hempstead Plains became smaller and smaller as Long Island became developed. Also, the Meadow Brook was eventually filled in when construction of the Meadow Brook Parkway began in the 1930’s. The East Meadow Bird Sanctuary started off as a sand mine. The sand mine began operations in 1927. During its first year they dug down to the water table and a large lake was created. This lake included the land which is now Speno Park, as well as the land which is now the bird sanctuary. In the beginning people did not mind the sand mine because it was surrounded by farms and open space. In fact, people used to swim in the sand mine in the summer, and ice skate on it in the winter. During the 1940’s East Meadow’s population was only 2,000 people. However, East Meadow became a suburb after World War II. In 1951 the population was 25,000. East Meadow’s population grew to 60,000 in the 1960’s. As the population grew people no longer liked the sand mine. People were afraid children would drown, they did not like the dust it caused, or the noise from the trucks and machinery. The roads nearby also flooded, and the government wanted the land for a park and a sump. The sand mine was eventually condemned. In 1967, the Town of Hempstead bought 18 acres of the land for around $290,000. The Town of Hempstead filled in the portion of the lake it bought and the construction of Speno Park began in the 1970s. Nassau County bought the remaining land for around $215,000 and it was made into a storm water discharge basin. The 20 acre land and surrounding land was designated a bird sanctuary in 1999 due to the advocacy of the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations (“CEMCO”). CEMCO, with the help of the East Meadow Kiwanis, and other community organizations and leaders, maintains the property with the cooperation and guidance of Nassau County.