Help Keep The 'Jewel of Bayside' Clean This Saturday, Parks Group Says

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — You can help ensure that the "jewel of Bayside" remains crystal clear this weekend.

In partnership with NYC Park and Cord Meyer Development, Friends of Crocheron and John Golden Park (FCJGP) is organizing a Saturday cleanup of Golden Pond, located in the group's namesake Crocheron Park.

After meeting at the park's dock at 10 a.m., the volunteer-run parks group will hand out trash grabbers, skimmers and rakes to help clear litter out of the pond.

"The pond is a critical part of the community. It is a stop off for many migratory birds and park goers enjoy the pond throughout the year. Unfortunately, some park goers leave trash behind and it pollutes the pond," organizers said.

Pond pollution has been a source of concern for Baysiders in the past, most recently when sediment from Hurricane Ida-induced erosion turned the "golden" pond to the color of "chocolate milk," park-goer and FCJGP leader Dana Gumb told Patch.

"You'll have a dead puddle eventually," Gumb said at the time, explaining that excess sediment could reduce the depth, oxygen levels, and life in the pond.

Saturday's two-hour pond cleanup is one of FCJGP's first events in partnership with Cord Meyer Development, the non-profit's first-ever "premier level" sponsor (a category of sponsorship created on behalf of the developer).

When the groups' partnership was first announced, FCJGP president and founder, Jessica Burke, said that the developer's financial backing would allow the non-profit to expand its events and "show our appreciation to our volunteers with T-shirts and other items" — a promise that will come to fruition this weekend.

The first volunteers to show up at the cleanup will receive a free T-shirt as a thank you, according to organizers.

Find out more about Friends of Crocheron and John Golden Park — and see the group's upcoming events — here.