Friends of Hempstead Plains
See our Events Tab for the full view of our upcoming season's events.
JOIN US AS WE CLEAN UP THE FRANCIS T. PURCELL PRESERVE
It rained, so we are doing it again for anyone who likes Sunny in the 60's!
FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2018: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
In partnership with Nassau County and the Marriott Hotel, on Friday, April 6, 2018 from 9:00 am to 12:00 PM volunteers are welcome to visit and help restore this beautiful County preserve for all to enjoy. Once part of the historic Hempsead Plains, much of this preserve has been degraded and covered with non-native vegetation and litter. Our goal is to restore this unique open space prairie habitat for wildlife and provide passive recreation trails open to the public.
All volunteers are welcome
(Under 18? Please bring a parent, guardian, or waiver with their signature).
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Newsday Story About This Event! by Angelique D'Alessandro
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/preserve-cleanup-marriott-1.17830875
Newsday Story by William Murphy about Carole Neidich-Ryder: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/passion-for-prairie-grass-preservation-1.7576299
Dedication Story: http://liherald.com/stories/Purcells-parkPreserve-dedicated-to-former-county-executive-and-Malverne-mayor,12212?
Francis T. Purcell Obituary Anouncement: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/nyregion/francis-t-purcell-three-term-nassau-county-executive-dies-at-95.html
Our Press Release
The Francis Purcell Cleanup is part of an ongoing mission of the 501 (c) 3
organization, known as the Friends of Hempstead Plains, or FHP. FHP
brings together people who have an interest in examining the changing
ecosystem on which society relies by learning about it, sharing the
positive attributes that Nature provides, and preserving its valuable
elements to experience now, next season, and for future generations.
Government leadership has been key to the effort. The latest Environmental Citizen Stewards are County Executive Laura Curran and her staff in the Public Works and Parks Department. They’ve fixed the lighting outside the preserve, provided resources to the FHP Education and Research Center, and are providing significant support toward cleaning up this preserve for public enjoyment. Through exciting public-private partnerships, FHP is happy to play a role in the development of the Hub region, with an eye toward sharing the pristine beauty of this grassland prairie with more people.
For the young people who are growing up with new vitality and enthusiasm, FHP has designed the Education Center to integrate seven major themes in a real world setting: Society, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Science, or STREAMS.
Many today are rallying for a greater good, and FHP gives people an outlet in their own backyard. We’ve had a steady stream of boy and girl scouts, college volunteers, as well as alumni groups and families, donating their passion to this effort, and we greatly appreciate everyone who finds us and helps out. We are especially excited by our partners in the business community, Flushing Bank and the Marriott Hotel, as well as numerous other firms that donate products, services and their time to this mission.
FHP also offers educational services to schools, libraries, and just about any group that shows interest. These include field trips, in-class speakers, displays, special events, research projects and fundraisers. One group we particularly enjoy is the class that comes from The BOCES Center for Community Adjustment. Their spirit of discovery about nature and how it affects society invigorates our mission every week.
One of their favorite days is when we let them test-drive a drone. Let’s be candid – any day flying drones is a fun day. We gather data about the preserves in an efficient manner on a regular basis that helps us see the results of our efforts and which goes into our ESRI ARCGIS mapping system. It is the truth of today’s world: every square foot of the earth is managed by humans in one form or another, and we take that responsibility seriously. We hope to be offering additional opportunities during the summer for people to become part of our drone team to see for themselves how it’s done, and to play an active role in carrying out our management plan.
The cleanup of the Francis T. Purcell Preserve is another great day for FHP that brings the community out to enjoy nature and to show with their personal effort their commitment to a bright and healthy future for adults, children and grandchildren. THANK YOU!
For information: email info@friendsofhp.org.
Thirteenth Annual Prairie Benefit Fundraiser
Friday, April 27, 2018, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Hofstra University Club, Hofstra University.
Honorees include the new Nassau County Executive, Hon. Laura Curran, and the Cedar Swamp Historical Society.
Tickets are now available. Send in a check or call Betsy at 516-317-7267
Friends of Hempstead Plains wishes to thank all of you who participated in "Giving Tuesday" by making a donation to the Friends. Your help will enable us to increase our habitat protection and restoration of this special prairie habitat.
The Story Behind The Hempstead Plains Education and Research Center
Facebook and Instagram
Photo (and Video) Postings
Please use the hash tag: #HempsteadPlainsESD2018
Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College (FHP) has established and adopted an Equal Employment Opportunity Employment policy (“EEO”). The purpose of this EEO policy is to ensure that all employment and contract decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis, and without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state or local law.
UPCOMING EVENTS: SPRING 2018
FRIDAY AFTERNOON WALKS AT THE HEMPSTEAD PLAINS
3:30 PM
April 20,
May 4 and 18,
June 1, 15 and 29
Bring your camera, binoculars and sneakers.
WEEKEND VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY WORKDAYS
Saturdays from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
(Weather permitting)
April 21,
May 5 and 19,
June 2, 16 and 30.
Bring gloves, rakes and clippers.
TUESDAY SUNSET TALKS
5:00 PM
to be scheduled
Call to reserve a spot. 516-572-7575; x26531.
