Pathway reconstruction project at Clove Lakes Park must be halted to save trees (opinion/commentary)

I’m writing to express my grave worries on the planned to rebuild the pathway in Love Lakes Park.

Over the past 25 years, I have run tens of thousands of miles in Clove Lakes, and I cannot watch while the park is devastated.

The major running trail in front of Clove Lakes Park’s Stone House restaurant is now being built. (Image provided by Mike Cassidy.)Cassidy, Mike

This project’s second phase, which encompasses the bottom portion of the park around the lakes, just got underway.

Because construction operations like these seriously jeopardize tree root systems, the NYC Parks Department enforces stringent regulations for any work done near any municipal tree.

At Clove Lakes Park, where the Parks Department is building new asphalt paths, construction gates have been put up. (Image provided by Mike Cassidy.)Cassidy, Michael

Unfortunately, just like in the previous stage of the project, many of these regulations are being flagrantly and predictably broken. It is easy to see extensive root damage, and there doesn’t seem to be any appropriate oversight.

Parks’ disobedience of their own regulations is documented in the photos I took. The bulk of trees, including those directly outside Parks Borough headquarters, lack appropriate wooden tree guards, as the first few demonstrate. Examples of root destruction are shown in the remaining images. Keep in mind that the root devastation I depicted was done just to erect temporary fencing. In parts of the park where the walkway excavation has really started, the degree of root damage is far worse.

Parks’ poor management has contributed to the startling loss of forest canopy in Clove Lakes in recent years. We must immediately buck this tendency.

At Clove Lakes Park, phase 2 of a three-part redevelopment is now in progress, and construction walls are visible. (Image provided by Mike Cassidy.)Cassidy, Mike

The project should be put on hold right now until sufficient supervision can be provided.

Just last week, the neighborhood rejoiced over the removal of a fence that blocked Martling Avenue’s views of the lakes and was generally unpopular.

These views are of the trees that frame the lakes (at Clove Lakes). Preserving an asphalt landscape will be the triumph if we permit contractor malfeasance to persist.

Castleton Corners native Mike Cassidy was a standout student at the University of Pennsylvania and McKee/Staten Island Tech. The ardent road racer achieved the record for the quickest time by a Staten Islander in the New York City Marathon in 2013 (2:23.46).

The image displays the roots of trees that were felled at Clove Lakes Park as part of a path construction project. (Image provided by Mike Cassidy.)Cassidy, Mike

Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!