NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
subsequent rainfall washed away the
topsoil, embedded rocks began to
protrude, causing the surface to be-
come washboard-like and covered
with loose debris similar to the mo-
raine left behind after the retreat of
the glaciers.
The cyclist became concerned over
time as the path became increasing-
ly unstable. He wasn’t sure whether
responsibility for maintaining this
area lay with the city or the state.
Poison Ivy and thorn bushes dangle
from the retaining walls and weeds
often obscure the roadway, occa-
sionally cleared by some phantom
agency. He had little faith in a mu-
nicipal response, so it appeared a
little self-help was in order.
He loaded his car with shovels, a
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Page 4
Summer 2016
broom, a heavy cast iron breaker bar
and on the Saturday before Easter
drove off to roll away the stones.
The initial approach to the 25-foot
intrusion seemed simple enough,
beginning with a light dusting which
increased to an inch or so of dirt
within the first foot or two. Heavily
trod by pedestrian traffic, the earth
was compacted to a consistency
similar to Portland cement.
The
breaker bar bounced off rounded
river rock embedded in the soil and
tree roots knit the ground together.
The cyclist began to sing prison work
songs as he sweated and ques-
tioned his commitment to this display
of unrequested citizenship.
The further he went, the deeper the
dirt became. The sidewalk dipped
down under the solid mass of earth.
Eight inches.
Ten inches deep.
Higher and higher the face of the
excavation grew as the digging
moved forward. Fingers of tree roots
crocheted themselves into subterra-
nean baskets needing to be chopped
away in order to break up and re-
move the dirt. To stretch his aching
muscles, the digger grabbed a trash
bag and undertook a one-man clean-
up. After two hours, it seemed clear
this was not going to be a one and
done.
The cyclist packed up and returned
home for Advil and a hot shower,
vowing to lick his wounds and return
the next day to defeat the beast.
Easter dawned bright and clear.
Approaching from the opposite di-
rection, patience and persistence
prevailed. As effective as a trip to
the gym, aching muscles lifted the
dirt and moved forward as the ex-
posed sidewalk signaled encourage-
ment.
At its highest, the depth of the layer
of rock and dirt removed approached
twelve to fourteen inches. “Had I
known before I started…” reflected
the cyclist. But the dirt bridge con-
tinued to diminish. After two hours
of sweaty labor shovels gave way to
brooms.
A sense of accomplishment rose
and he looked forward to his next
trip to work, the trail unimpeded.
SHARROTT AVENUE FISHING
PIER CLEANUP
By Jim Scarcella
One of Staten Island’s great shore-
line parks is Lemon Creek (Lou Fig-
urelli) Park in Princes Bay, near Se-
guine Avenue. This area of Staten
Island called the South Shore is fa-
mous for the resource-rich waters of
Raritan Bay. Shellfish, quahog, oys-
ters, ribbed mussels, are some of the
fantastic food harvested from the
bay, along with blue claw crabs, lob-
ster and summer flounder, blackfish
and striped bass.
There were a series of hotels and
yacht clubs located in the wide wa-
ters and upland at Seguine Ave,
along with the famous SS White
Dental Products factory. One of the
surviving clubs is Princes Bay Boat-
men Association, a group that pro-
vided NRPA founder Lou Figurelli
with a place to dock his houseboat.
Lou defended the waterways with his
heart and soul.
Lemon Creek Park also encom-
passes the Sharrot Ave fishing pier,
which was originally going to be
named for community activist Doro-
thy Fitzgerald. The pier was also
supposed to extend out a bit further.
In early spring, NRPA organized an
Its My Park Clean Up at the pier, ap-
parently there are careless people
that dump their trash and discard
plastic packages here. Partnership
for Parks and TD bank provided
gloves, bags and some nice T-shirts.
Over nineteen volunteers cleaned a
