Baxter’s Pond Foundation held a “One Hour Power Litter Clean-Up ” event at Baxter’s Pond Park on a drizzly Saturday morning, Oct. 23. Youth and adult volunteers from the community came together to remove litter that impacts the beautiful waterfront park and to call attention to the need for Nassau County officials to improve its maintenance at Baxter’s Pond Park in the Barbara A. Johnson Park and Preserve.
Volunteers filled bags with paper, styrofoam containers, pieces of glass and other trash from around the park gardens, from common areas surrounding the park and from behind park structures. They even discovered a child’s lost scooter in good working condition and are holding it for pick-up by the owner. Village of Baxter Estates Mayor Nora Haagenson participated with other volunteers in the clean-up and pointed out the significance of the park as an important watershed area for the Town of Port Washington.
Baxter’s Pond Foundation President Nancy Comer stressed the importance of dredging the park’s sedimentation basin on a regular basis, “This park is a jewel in Nassau County’s park system. Not only is it beautiful, it serves the vital function of filtering out debris before it flows into Manhasset Bay.”
Several members of Baxter’s Pond Foundation Board of Directors, including Kim and John Keiserman and Barbara Cohen, organized the event and participated in the clean-up. The board is looking forward to its annual spring clean-up and planting event and invites the entire community to keep abreast of news related to the park by joining the mailing list and following Baxter’s Pond Foundation on Facebook and Instagram. Residents of Port Washington who are interested in learning more about volunteering for the organization are asked to email friends@baxterspond.org for more information.
—Submitted by the Baxter’s Pond Foundation
