UDALLS COVE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
ANNUAL SHORELINE, WETLANDS AND WOODLANDS CLEANUP
Every spring since 1970, the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee has sponsored a cleanup of the wetlands, woods and shoreline.
Our 56th Annual Cleanup will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 starting at 10 AM. We will provide a free picnic lunch for all our volunteers, starting at Noon. Meet next at Aurora Pond on Sandhill Road, known locally as "the Back Road." (For directions, enter 37-35 Sandhill Road, Douglaston, NY into your GPS.)
During the first year’s cleanup, over a dozen car wrecks were hauled out, along with literally tons of other refuse. Fortunately, those days are past. In recent years the cleanup crews have been occupied primarily with collecting the large quantities of (mostly plastic) refuse that floats in on the tides.
On April 13, 2019 UCPC held its 50th annual cleanup. Over 100 people participated, and we filled a 30-cubic yard dumpster. This photo was taken after the post-cleanup picnic luncheon at Douglas Manor's Memorial Field.
On this map, X marks the spot where we meet for the
annual cleanup.
These days, most of the trash we collect is plastic -- vast amounts of it . . . bottles, bags, cups, straws, food containers, toys, and much more. But it wasn't always so. During the first cleanup in 1970 our volunteers were confronted by over a dozen wrecked cars, tires, appliances, mattresses and broken furniture. We were aided by the NYC Sanitation Department with its heavy equipment.
But some things haven't changed -- participation by the younger generation.
This photo is from our 1973 cleanup:
