It is hard sometimes to remember when you live in suburbia, that there are mysterious and haunting nooks and crannies. Hempstead Plains is one such place. It seems impossible, for those of us who were there before the mega stores and shopping centers, that everyone appears to have forgotten the old Long Island. Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic is commemorated by a sign, right in front of Macy's in Roosevelt Field Mall. That sums up our history from the developer's side. Today, we must make a stand to preserve what remains of the only true prairie east of the Appalachians.

The remaining pieces of this prairie are located in pockets of Nassau County. A 19-acre site on the grounds of Nassau Community College is used for an outdoor classroom and research facility. The public can arrange for tours, and there is a learning center there. For more information try the Friends of the Hempstead Plains website.To reach Hempstead Plains take the Meadowbrook Parkway to Exit M4 to Charles Lindbergh Blvd. Follow Charles Lindbergh Blvd. to the first right turn into NCC East Campus. Turn Right into East Campus, see Hempstead Plains at the intersection and turn right into Hempstead Plains parking area. Another piece of the plains is located in two sections of the Francis T Purcell Preserve. One section is located in a 26-acre valley along the Meadowbrook Parkway, between the parkway and the Coliseum, the other is within the grounds of Mitchel Air Base and is 39.7 acres. There is one more prairie segment located at the back of the Red Golf Course in Eisenhower Park.

1898 - Soldiers Prepare For The Spanish American War

So, what exactly is a prairie? Vocabulary.com defines it this way, "Prairie means grassland, and comes from the French word for 'meadow.' While we might describe a single meadow, we usually use prairie to describe a type of countryside." They are treeless, tend to have a thick root encrusted mat, and each supports an entirely different ecological paradigm. Our prairie was used in both aviation and the military because of the treelessness. Lucky Lindy and others needed a massive clear space for takeoff long before there were runways. In fact, after Kitty Hawke, Long Island hosted the second true flight.

Bank

A prairie is a reservoir of sky A big dome over grassy orb Star like composites below, Constellations above. The plain at Hempstead A nineteen acre safe deposit box Is wedged among concrete and noise A swath of cottony Bonset Gently sways in a shallow swale That heads off toward the Meadowbrook Volunteers work the aliens A never-ending job To try to bring her back To look like a century ago They strip seeds off Indian grass Put them in envelopes To cast next spring To compound what little is left BY TOM STOCK Poet, Essayist, Photographer, Naturalist