After my wife and I moved to Port Washington about 50 years ago, we frequently took advantage of the free access to what was, back then, the Nassau County park known as the Guggenheim Estate, but was subsequently renamed the Sands Point Preserve. We enjoyed strolling around the lawns, hiking through the woods to the edge of the cliffs, and, most importantly, walking along the beautiful beach. We welcomed the engagement of the Friends of the Sands Point Preserve and gladly paid for the newly required membership fee, because we realized that, although the cost might be a deterrent to some visitors, it was necessary in order to halt what had become the visible deterioration of the Hempstead House as well as to upgrade the care and maintenance of the grounds.
Sadly, the beach was eroded nearly four years ago by Hurricane Sandy, which also did much additional damage to the already crumbling sea wall. The more recent storm intensified the losses on both fronts, including the loss of the wooden staircases that enabled visitors to access the beach. Many times during the past several years, and more frequently since those storms, we have pointed out to Preserve staff members and volunteers that, unless the sea wall is repaired, future storms would lead not only to its eventual collapse but even, in time, also to the erosion of the cliffs as well as the land behind it. The responses we got varied, from, “Thanks for the input,” to “I’ll pass on the comment to the management,” to “It’s up to the Army Corps of Engineers,” and finally to “The beach has been so badly eroded that it may be closed to the public permanently.” And just last weekend, we encountered newly installed link fences just above what had been the northern and southern entrances to the beach with signs asserting that there was “No Beach Access.” Quite frankly, that eliminates one of the Preserve’s most compelling attractions.
We were consequently intrigued and grateful to read about the “new direction” to be taken by the renamed Conservancy, entailing expanded visitor services and cultural programs as well as continued maintenance and upgrading of the property. We were, though, disappointed by a glaring omission—no mention was made of possible repairs to the sea wall and beach.
We recently drove out to the Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge in Lloyd Harbor. We found that, where there had been erosion of the unspoiled beach and some damage to the access, the Park Service had built a solid set of stairs from the new platform at the top of the small cliff to the beach, with well-anchored support beams and fairly wide, waterproof, non-slip treads. It struck us that, if it can be done for Target Rock, which has far less traffic than the Sands Point Preserve, no annual membership fee and only an honor system for a small cash deposit from visitors, it ought to be possible for the new Conservancy to install a comparable stairway and at least to try to persuade the Army Corps of Engineers (if they are in fact responsible) to attend to the repair of the sea wall so that people can once again enjoy walking, swimming, fishing and just sunning themselves in one of North Hempstead’s most beautiful public parks.
—Robert I. Adler
