When the first round of renovations to Herricks Pond Park was finished in 2010, the Herricks school district students who visited for science lessons could only walk around half of it.
Some $100,000 in funding from the 2006 Nassau County Environmental Bond Act only covered part of the project, which was spearheaded by Susan D’Andrelli, a fifth-grade teacher at Williston Park’s Center Street School.
That money started the process of replacing invasive plants with native species. It also built a wooden pier, a seating area and bus-loading lane for the Herricks classes that use it, as well as the half-walkway.
But soon, a state grant will finish the project and students will be able explore the pond’s entire shoreline, which D’Andrelli said will help them learn even more about local ecosystems.
“The idea is to connect kids to environmental science, and children are more connected to the earth as they are young — they’re closest to the earth and they’re curious about the earth,” she said.
In addition to finishing the walkway, the $100,000 grant — procured with help from state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) — will put about 16 native plants and three to four species of native warm-water fish in the pond at the four-acre park on Herricks Road and Searingtown Road.
County officials expect work on the new improvements to begin in the spring and be finished by the end of the summer, about six years after the first round was finished.
D’Andrilli said she has taken elementary science classes to the park since 2005 to teach them about biodiversity and to show them how to identify different plant and animal species. Herricks High School students in Advanced Placement environmental science classes and seventh-graders at the district’s Shelter Rock Academy also use the pond for lessons and projects.
With the next phase of renovations allowing full access to the pond’s shoreline and bringing in more native plants, D’Andrilli said students will be able to identify even more plants and get different perspectives of the pond.
D’Andrilli also incorporates engineering into lessons by having students design a filter to take debris out of water samples from the pond. That component is in line with the district’s effort in the past several years to introduce science, technology, math and engineering lessons into lower-grade classrooms.
“I feel the more I can bring the students to the wonder of nature and develop their curiosity, I know I’m planting the seeds of students growing and carrying that curiosity and carrying that love of nature into adulthood,” she said.
It took so long to continue the project because the Environmental Bond Act only allocated $100,000, and no other funding was available until a state grant could pay for the rest, said Brian Schneider, who manages the project for the county’s public works department.
D’Andrilli said she got the grant when then state Sen. Craig Johnson represented the area, but it was withdrawn when Martins beat him in the 2010 election.
She said she approached Martins earlier this year to get the grant back, and he encouraged her to send a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
D’Andrilli then sent the governor a binder containing her full proposal, and with Martins’ help, the grant was awarded again.
In a statement, Martins said the project will benefit everyone who lives in the area, as well as the schools.
“(W)e’re not just beautifying a park; we’re improving a living ecosystem that is an invaluable learning tool for local students,” he said.
