Mission Statement
Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Hempstead Plains and to offering educational programs about this special and rapidly vanishing ecological and historical habitat.
Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College, Inc. is dedicated to the protection, preservation, restoration and management of approximately 19 acres of College-owned land known as the Hempstead Plains through sustained and planned stewardship for educational purposes. The site is part of a 65-acre remnant of the Hempstead Plains, which is all that remains of 40,000 acres of native grassland prairie that once comprised central Nassau. It is home to 250 species of plants, including some six state rare and/or endangered species. It is a storehouse of genetic resources, a cherished part of Nassau County’s heritage, and a globally significant natural asset. This spacious natural resource is subject to rapid deterioration as the result of surrounding development, introduction of non- native plants, litter and misuse of the Hempstead Plains.
ABOUT THE FRIENDS
Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College, Inc. was formed in 2001, dedicated to the perpetual preservation, restoration and management of the site through scientific research and education.
Our goals are:
• Protect the land ~ prevent further destruction of critical habitat and promote compatible development in the surrounding area.
• Restore the ecological habitat ~ restore the prairie grassland that once covered the area and rare species that depend on it.
• Promote and provide assistance for good stewardship of the land.
• Develop educational programs ~ offer environmental education for the community and coordinate educational opportunities for students of all ages.
• Promote research by college faculty and students.
• Encourage community involvement in restoration and management practices.
