Photo: Jim Peppler
Midler receives parks award
Newsday.com
BY DENISE M. BONILLA
Staff Writer
April 16, 2004, 9:26 PM EDT
Usually when Bette Midler spends time in a park, you can find her elbow deep in garbage and debris. But there wasn’t a smudge of dirt to be found on the singer/actress during her Friday night visit to Bethpage State Park’s Carlyle on the Green, where she received The Foundation for Long Island State Parks’ Master Builder Award.
The often bawdy, self-proclaimed “Queen of Trash” was honored for her efforts to clean the trash out of hundreds of acres of New York parks.
“I’m thrilled to death,” said Midler, who arrived at the event greeted by an ice sculpture that spelled out her name.
The seventh annual award was presented to Midler by Bernadette Castro, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
“She is this great American icon,” said Castro, who said she viewed “Beaches,” Midler’s popular cinematic ode to female friendship, once again the night before. “At the same time she loves parks and that’s a rare combination.”
Midler’s passion for cleaning up New York’s parks was ignited when she returned to live in Manhattan in the early 1990s. Upon seeing once-thriving public spaces littered with abandoned cars, shredded tires and plastic bags entangled in tree limbs, she said she decided to take action. In 1995 she established the New York Restoration Project, a public/private partnership that aims to protect public resources and preserve open spaces.
“Every person deserves a place where they can catch their breath,” said Midler. “And you find that in nature and parks provide that.”
The award was originally named after Robert Moses, the controversial figure who was behind many of the area’s bridges and thoroughfares and is also blamed for displacing hundreds of thousands of residents in his quest to build. Castro said the foundation decided to remove Moses’ name from the award this year, after Midler brought to their attention that Moses has many detractors.
“Robert Moses did a lot of wonderful things, but he did make a few mistakes and we want to keep the award positive,” said Castro.
Midler offered her own views on Moses. “He did a lot of good,” she said, “but he killed one of my parks.” Midler was referring to the building of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which cuts through Highbridge in the Bronx.
