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Community Corner

The Ravine's Revitalization

Preservation committee president's sixteenth in a series on the formation of northeast Queens.

My last three columns recounted how Aurora Pond, which is the centerpiece of the Udalls Cove Park, was created in the 1930s, nearly silted in by the 1980s, destroyed in a failed restoration attempt in the 1990s and restored in a successful restoration that was completed in 2006. 

The next few columns will focus on restoration work carried out in other parts of Udalls Cove Park during the past two decades, starting with the Udalls Cove Ravine. 

As I’ve explained before, the ravine is a steep, narrow valley that lies between Douglaston and Little Neck. It starts at Northern Boulevard, opposite St. Anastasia’s Church, between the Mobil gas station and the 7-11 convenience store. From there, it extends north to the Long Island Rail Road tracks. 

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Gabler’s Creek flows through the ravine. But for about the distance of one full block north of Northern Boulevard, it flows through a pipe deep underground. This six-acre portion of the ravine was filled with concrete rubble decades ago, when the plan was to fill in the entire valley for commercial and residential development. 

A veneer of soil - mostly poor quality - covered the concrete rubble. Further away from Northern Boulevard, the soil layer was thick and rich enough to support a fairly dense growth of “volunteer” trees. These were primarily non-native Ailanthus and Norway maples. Closer to Northern, the soil was so thin and poor that few trees took root on their own – here, little but weeds grew. 

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In the early 1990s, two members of the board of directors of the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee decided to play Johnny Appleseed, but without the apples. 

With an assist from the city’s Parks Department, Bruce Stuart and Pat St. John began planting tiny seedlings of appropriate, native species of trees in this barren area. Pines, various types of oaks, tulip trees, and even an optimistic chestnut or two were lovingly installed. The seedlings were surrounded with a mulch of wood chips and much-needed fertilizer was added. 

Today, the oldest members of the forest they planted stand nearly 30 feet tall and are thriving. The preservation committee continues to plant additional seedlings there to ensure a good diversity and succession of trees. 

The beautiful results are easily visible from Northern Boulevard, but what is better is to enter the park through the fine new entryway that was built last year. Walk a few yards through a meadow, enter the forest and the noise of the boulevard magically fades. And with only a little imagination, you might think you were nowhere near one of the busiest thoroughfares in the nation.

With their reforestation efforts well underway in the early years of the new millennium, Bruce and Pat turned their attention to another blighted area of the ravine. A parcel east and north of the Douglaston Firehouse had multiple problems crying out for restoration. But in this area, more would be needed than a couple of guys planting little seedlings. 

Phase two of the ravine restoration would require more muscle and, as we discovered, more money. Beginning in October 2003, it would usher in an entirely new component of the preservation committee’s mission. The story continues next time.

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