Fall 2009 Trail Talk
Our fall cleanup of the Preserve was almost a total bust! Friday September 11th was a record breaking day for rainfall totals and the 12th, our cleanup date, alternated rain with drizzle!
With the joint Open House Event with NSHA fast approaching on the next weekend, a few things HAD to be taken care of.
Fortunately, Holly and Rusty went out between the raindrops that afternoon, and made short work of three downed trees. Karolina Zemekis from NSHA was the only volunteer to show up the next day. Because of the weather, and limited volunteers, we did not serve lunch. Thank You to Carol Machulski for sponsoring lunch. We will use your donation for the cleanup at the end of this month. Lisa Scorcia at Nassau Hall put in several work orders to the Parks Department making sure the County mowed the fields in time. As a result, the Preserve looked good for all the attendees on the 20th.
MHA will hold our last formal pre –winter cleanup on Saturday October 24th before the Old Fashioned Point to Point with Smithtown Hunt. It will begin at 9:30 am in the big parking lot off Route 106. Refreshments at 12:30 pm and an afternoon group will begin at 1:00 pm. Dress to protect against thorns & poison ivy, and bring water, gloves, and bug spray. There will be tools on hand. I’m looking forward to having our own utility vehicle at this cleanup!
In June, I was invited to serve on the Muttontown Preserve Master Plan Steering Committee. This group would serve to help Saratoga Associates; the firm which is charged with creating a long term care plan for the Preserve as they submitted the winning RFP to the County. The committee met with Saratoga personnel at the Chelsea Center for the first time on July 15th. They explained to those attending that they were looking at all aspects of the Preserve: they would gather information such as how does this park serve the public? Who are the user groups? What special attributes does it have? How could it function better? What new purposes could it serve without violating its mission? What further amenities could it use to meet these needs? They sought additional input on maintenance problems and security issues. The Saratoga firm has been reaching out to many groups and doing a tremendous amount of historical and scientific research, in their quest to create a viable long term plan for the Preserve. The members of the steering committee are from diverse backgrounds and very qualified in their areas of interest. Our second meeting will take place at the end of October. The County plans to hold public meetings to solicit feedback on Saratoga’s Plan and to keep the planning process transparent. MHA will alert our members to those meeting dates, so that the equestrian community can voice their concerns and opinions.
On August 12th, MHA arranged with John Russo of NEC@OMF to take out three of the members of the Saratoga Group for a horseback tour of the farm, BOCES & Brookville Park, both sides of the Preserve, the Hall Estate and connecting trails! We felt that they would benefit from this unique vantage point and see areas of the preserve and the surrounding properties that they ordinarily wouldn’t have been exposed to. They also appreciated the “big picture” of interconnected trail systems, as well as MHA maintenance issues. The three person team expressed their enjoyment of the experience and said it was very helpful to their information gathering. Many thanks to John Russo for supplying the quiet mounts (he was an outrider as well), and thanks also to outriders Shanna Franklin, Sandy Spitz, Tony Cellini, and Cathy Carrano. Phyllis Waxenberg was our unofficial photographer for the event.
2009 was a very busy and productive year for MHA and the newsletter & website improvements, along with the exciting events that took place, could not have been possible with out the hard work and contributions of the MHA board and committee members. Please consider trying to do your small part to keep the local horse community visible and alive. In 2010, clean a trail, donate a lunch or a tool, or volunteer your time at an event. The equine community needs all of us to work together to keep horses in Nassau County!
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Summer 2009 Trail talk
MHA Spring Cleaning: The cleanup date on Saturday April 18th was a beautiful day; so the very small turnout was a surprise. The skeleton crew consisted of Tony Cellini, Holly Kleinman, Kathleen Kleinman, Jim Morris, plus teenage volunteers Ellea Harvey, Karla Covell and Tyler Cranz (thank you to mom Susan Harvey, for chauffeuring the teens and quads). The morning began with clearing the trail along the tree lined western edge of the 106 field. After that the crew turned their attention and chainsaws north, to the loop that runs from the “forbidden zone” up to 25A. They not only cleared some obstacles, but also were able to creatively re-route some of the more washed out trails. There was a bit of excitement when the crew used the powerful Quad’s winch mechanism to drag out a poison ivy covered downed tree.
After lunch Tony retired, and everyone else were hopeful that reinforcements would arrive for the delicious food and an afternoon of work. But alas, no other volunteers showed up. So back out into the woods they sallied. The crew crossed Muttontown Road to clear a blockage near the gazebo at the head of one of the pine tree trails; then they continued on to clear downed trees and raise the overheads on the jumping trails. We finished out the afternoon working on an area I’d wanted to attack for awhile; closing off the terribly washed out, treacherous stretch of trail along the North Side western fence line against the Hall Estate. The clean up crew created a go-around and filled in the now defunct trail with brush. Lastly, we followed and cleared the remnants of an old closed trail which lead inland to another trail adjoining the ruins, creating a “new “ route for riders.
It looked like the rain would hold off for our second cleanup date May 16th, but just as we were unloading the tools from the cars, the skies opened! The group waited out the short burst and decided to proceed with the cleanup plan. The small team of Tony Cellini, Phyllis Waxenberg, Cathy Carrano, new member Elisa Brody, longtime supporter Pam Pollack (who lives along West Hills Park and rarely rides in the Preserve!), Jerry and Debbie Napp, Jim Morris, Holly Kleinman and I tackled some new downed trees and widened several narrow spots on the north side, then bee-lined for the Hall Estate which had some really big areas that needed attention. Riders will notice a new jump or two as well as the old jumps that we fortified.
After a well deserved lunch break, Jim and I cleaned along Route 107 at the crossing; then proceeded to clear along the entire Private driveway and up the hill to include a spot where a couple of large trees blocked the trail to SUNY Old Westbury. Meanwhile Holly, armed with the hedge pruner, was working to widen the pine tree trail and fork at the bottom of the big hill near Nancy Pirtle’s paddock. No one else showed up to help, so we came to finish it up. MHA is very grateful to Jim, who is a speed demon with a chainsaw, making short work of some very sizeable trees.
There are no formal cleanups scheduled for the near future. Any riders using the trails should report blockages to the hotline and ride with clippers to snip back encroaching shrubbery during the summer months. ALL riders using the preserve can do something to assist in the stewardship of this beautiful park. I have repeatedly written about jobs other than trail cleaning that we need help with (dispatcher, lunch provider/ lunch setup/ fence mending/donation of fence materials / cleanup publicity etc.) There are so many nearby boarders and so few volunteers. So much was done for all by so few once again. PLEASE consider taking on some task during our Fall Cleanups. FYI---lunch for the volunteers runs MHA about $50 -$60.
A Long Bumpy Road: In line with the adage about the squeaky wheel, (and with assistance from Lisa Scorcia at Nassau Hall), I got Nassau County DPW to relocate the opening in the Preserve fence to line up directly across from Victorian Lane, creating a safer crossing over Brookville Road. MHA also lobbied the Village of Brookville to post horse-crossing signs again (thank you Tim Dougherty!). Old Mill riders Phyllis Waxenburg and Cathy Carrano helped to clear the thorny underbrush and garbage from the new opening. Riders still have to exercise extreme caution at that road crossing, since so many drivers travel well above the speed limit.
On the issue of a traffic light being installed at the Route107, McLeans Lane, and Firelane 3 crossing: despite a couple of well attended community meetings held by the DOT where local residents expressed the need for a traffic signal, and where MHA submitted a petition for a light (with numerous signatures) to the DOT, there seems to be no approval to install the signal. MHA member and local resident, Penny Schimmel will keep the board updated on any future DOT meetings or plans. Perhaps letters directed to the Brookville Police and the Brookville Village Board of Trustees to put pressure on the DOT may help.
The 4H-Camp Horse Program: MHA joined forces with NSHA to protest the closing of the Horse Program out at the Dorothy P. Flint 4H Camp in Riverhead. Program Head Denise Ottavia was terminated, and homes were sought for the 16 school horses and all the various farm animals that were a part of the camp program. The protests did not change the closure which officials blamed on budget shortfalls and the "need to pare programming down to essentials" (?).
The horse community, unfortunately, has lost an affordable year round lesson program.
Spring 2009 Trail Talk
It feels like this has been more of a long cold winter than I can remember for awhile. I haven’t ridden in nearly three months! That is quite unusual as I’ve always found at least a few nice days here or there to hit the trails, but the footing was so yucky that I passed. I did manage some really nice hand walks and found many trees had fallen. Thankfully, MHA chain saw mavens Diane Gormly and Tony Cellini put in several hours recently and got most of the Preserve’s South Side cleared up. Of course that still leaves plenty of work to be done on our spring cleanup days. If any member has a personal contact with someone or some group that needs community service time, please have them get in touch with me via our
Hotline # 516-922-TAIL ASAP..
I will also need input from riders who have traveled the Hall Estate trails, Hunter’s Moon easement, narrow North Side Loop, BOCES trails, LUHI trail, and Lillian Berkman Estate Trail (to SUNY Old Westbury) as to what has narrowed or fallen down.
Our Spring dates are:
April18th work 9:30am -12:30pm (1PM Lunch ) work1-4pm Raindate April 19th work a.m. only
May16th work 9:30am- 12:30pm (1PM Lunch ) work1-4pm
Raindate May 17th work a.m. only
Riders need to pitch in on stewardship of the trail system we love so much. Please help make these cleanups a success. I need trail cleaners, lunch sponsors, parking lot sitters/ dispatchers, etc. Please let me know how you can assist as all help is very much appreciated! If you can only volunteer on weekdays, that works too! Let me know when and I’ll suggest the where.
Nassau County Woes: At this juncture, members have certainly seen Nassau County’s financial woes played out in the media. Many of you have received “call to action” emails alerting you to the plight of different county agencies and recreation sites and I hope you followed the directives to do so. Right now, public outrage in response to county official’s threats to close all museums and parks has really provoked more dialogue amongst officials, delayed the budget vote in the legislature, and allowed more negotiation time with union officials, thereby creating a better outcome for the future of these county facilities.
One exception is The Horse Program at the Nassau County owned 4 H Dorothy P. Flint Camp in Riverhead, run by Denise Ottavia, which has fallen victim to budget cuts. The various farm animals and all the horses had to find new homes; a tough feat in these economic times, and Denise is now without a job. All protests fell on deaf ears. How does it make sense to hope to attract more campers this summer with fewer amenities?? Are they working out a rational to close the camp and sell off the property? Read the attached letter from former NSHA president Frank Bradford to learn more.
In the case of the Muttontown Preserve, it is hard to imagine the county doing much less caretaking of this acreage than it currently does. The fields have not been mowed on schedule (no one to mow and the
new tractor sits in the field exposed to the elements!) and nesting season is around the corner. If left un-mowed for too long, the fields will succumb to the process of succession. The Ranger Station Barn and paddocks haven’t have horses in them for some time and are really showing an urgent need for repairs. The equestrian rings need work with the larger ring needing everything new . The small ring had its posts and some rails replaced thanks to an Eagle Scout project and MHA financial backing. A generous individual has offered to donate 100 fence rails towards that job, and MHA is seeking another scout troop that is looking for a project. MHA has our work cut out for us and getting other user groups to assist us is very tough. If any reader has a scout or youth group connection, please contact me.
The purchase Old Mill Farm by Nassau County has been completed and a qualified operator has moved in. We wish much success to NEC (Nassau Equestrian Center). The County also announced it is purchasing a small tract of Hall Estate acreage (with conservation bond money) adjacent to the Preserve’s west fence line and Muttontown Road. The down turn in the economy has made conservation a more attractive option to some families, in the face of sagging land values and sluggish development.
Member Sonny Garguilo has been steadily making improvements at the historic barn belonging to Nassau County’s Sands Point Preserve. A therapeutic riding program he is working on is set to begin on that site in the spring. There will be an April kick off party fundraiser and he will do a 140 mile trail ride from one end of LI to another, “America & Sonny Ride for Autism”. To learn more, become a sponsor, or to volunteer, visit his website www.sonnygarguilo.com. Good luck Sonny!
In view of the harsh economy, the diminishing number of horse barns in Nassau, the escalating costs of “horsekeeping”, and now the many industry questions posed by the County acquisition of Old Mill Farm, it was high time to create an independent equestrian advisory board. With that imperative, I began making calls and asking some qualified individuals from different disciplines within the industry if they would serve in an advisory capacity. They would deal with various horse issues, as well as serving as a resource to County Officials. Jackie Peiffer, Wayne Dougal, Sarah Darish, DVM, Jim Marinello-SPCA, Denise Ottavia, Pam Pollack, and Marge Wrigley stepped up to the plate. (Thank you all again!!) Thank you as well to the members who took the time to send their ideas and recommendations on how to keep horse boarding more affordable.
In January the committee met at a well attended open MHA board meeting, to discuss how to boost Nassau’s horse industry. In February, they arranged a visit from Arnold Vigliotti, president of L.I. Compost Company, to brainstorm about collective bargaining for manure disposal, dumpster pricing, composting, new technology and the potential to create shavings from cut logs. Attendees shared names and contact information for hay and shavings and discussed ways to lower those costs too. On February 9th Jackie Peiffer and Barbara Palm paid a site visit to NEC, to hear about best practices and grant info from Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District rep Brian Zimmerman. Everyone came away with some good ideas and the Soil and Water Office wants to help in the improvements slated to take place at NEC. The Advisory Committee is off to a good start! If you would like to get involved with the committee’s work or have an issue you would like to present to them, contact Jackie Peiffer via email, jpeiffer@mindspring.com.
The horse community in all its disciplines, must join together to promote horses on varied economic levels if the sport is to flourish into the future. “Horse people” are a political and economic force BUT only effective when we join together and speak up! Please help MHA. Consider attending our open monthly board meetings and work on one of our exciting activities for 2009.
Dear Friends and Supporters of the NSHA 4-H Horse Camp Scholarship Fund.
You may already be aware that the Nassau County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors that controls the 4-H Camp property in Riverhead voted last week to terminate the Horse program effective March 1, 2009. The Nassau CCE also requires that all equines be removed from the property by March 1st as well. Even more disturbing the board wanted to sell the donated and leased horses to a dealer and we all know where camp horses end up in the middle of winter. Fortunately Denise has been able to place all of the horses and they will be gone from the camp this weekend.
Effective immediately the NSHA will no longer support a horse scholarship program in cooperation with the the Nassau CCE 4-H Camp. This is a direct result a direct result of the actions and decision of the Nassau County Cornell Cooperative Extensions to terminate the Horse program that both NSHA and numerous other generous donors have been supporting with scholarship donations.
Further The NSHA is rescinding it's 2009 Horse scholarship donation of $1,040 approved by by the NSHA Board of directors and will return all scholarship funds collected for the 2009 camp season to the donors that so generously contributed to this wonderful program.
The Nassau CCE & 4-H Camp I am told will be running some sort of horse program with seasonal rental horses and unknown operators. It is our opinion at this time that as an organization we are not comfortable supporting an unknown and unproven program and the safety and liability issues that involves.
The NSHA in partnership with fellow horse organizations and friends will continue to search for opportunities to support other equestrian youth programs of merit in Nassau and Suffolk County's.
Sincerely,
Frank D Bradford II
President Emeritus
Nassau-Suffolk Horsemens Association, Inc.
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