Deep in the Pines of Little Neck

It wasn't that long ago when Little Neck Pines was known simply as "Little Neck."

Then in the 1980s, the Little Neck Pines Civic Association was formed, making this section of the neighborhood synonymous with the area's distinctive needle-lined trees.

"When I was young there was no Expressway and the Hills section just south of Northern Boulevard — where 'the woods' were — was where we'd go blackberry picking," said Mary Meeuws, longtime Little Neck Pines resident. "My father said he wanted to live in 'The Greens' ... that was why he moved to Little Neck and it was a great place to grow up."

Today Little Neck Pines is still noted for being one of the few areas to have pine trees along the streets, something Little Neck Pines Civic Association president Bob Nobile attributes to his group's efforts to preserve what is one of the last remnants of rural Queens.

"We have one of the largest, most active civic associations in the city, and good working relationship with Community Board 11, as well as most of our local elected officials,” Nobile said.

One of the most notable success stories Nobile points to was the installation of a bike lane along Little Neck Parkway, which he said his group worked very closely on with Borough President Helen Marshall.

"The city knows we take our area very serious and include us in on discussions about a host of community affairs, which is nice,” Nobile said.

For many residents, the best part of living in the Little Neck Pines area is the proximity to nature, including the natures trails cutting through Udalls Cove Park.

Clearly these happy memories are almost as cherished as the pines in the area.

"It was an incredible experience raising a family along the preserve," said Irene Mulhall, a longtime Little Neck Pines resident. "They spent a lot of time exploring those woods, and we have many fond memories of the 'Cove.”

However, the landscape of Little Neck has seen some big changes through the years.

“... Little Neck really started building up very quickly,” Meeuws said. “But I remember fishing in the lake behind Alley Creek, and playing in the big sand pits that would later become the site for the [Douglaston Plaza] Movie World and Macy’s ... My how things have changed.”

But with community activists as engaged as the Little Neck Pines Civic Association, local residents can rest assured the old trees they call neighbors aren’t going anytime soon.