 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Meadowlands Breathes AnewBy Jill Schensul The sun rises over yet another Monday, and the workweek begins in earnest in the Meadowlands. A barn swallow mother emerges from her nest, yellow eyes focused on finding breakfast for a nest full of open-beaked, chirping chicks. Canada geese parents, downy offspring in a ragged line behind them, waddle down a path toward a swimming lesson. A cloud of bumblebees make a, well, beeline for a particularly aromatic bush full of pollen-filled flowers. The air in the Hackensack Meadowlands literally hums with industriousness. What, you thought people were the only ones who went to work every Monday morning? Coffee-gulping commuters snagged in traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike may do well to consider that off to their right or left is quite another scene of daily survival -- one no less important to those busily flapping, swooping, buzzing, and crawling through it. The scene in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst is especially remarkable because a decade ago, it would have been one of smoldering, stinking garbage. Through the efforts of environmentalists, the dump site has become a thriving wetlands habitat once again, luring back species of birds that long ago wrote the place off. With the New York City skyline as their backdrop, the wetlands and wildflowering hillsides at DeKorte Park have become a success story in the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission's attempts to reclaim landfill and manage land use in this critical ecosystem.
The commission is charged with the development and environmental protection of the Meadowlands district -- 32 square miles covering nearly 20,000 acres in 14 Bergen and Hudson County communities. About 17,000 of these acres were once wetlands; now only about a third of that remains. When the commission took over in 1969, landfills had buried 1,200 acres with garbage. Offices, warehouses, highways, railroads, and the sports complex in East Rutherford have covered most of the rest. With its prime location, the Meadowlands had developers drooling. At the time, few people realized the role wetlands and coastal estuaries play in filtering pollutants from the water, providing nutrients for fishing stocks deep in the ocean, flood control, and wildlife habitat. New Jersey has about 900,000 acres of wetlands, in areas including the Great Swamp and the Pine Barrens, two other highly protected environments. The state Legislature gave a nod toward the Meadowlands' conservation when it created the commission in 1968. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Meadowlands a ''key priority habitat range'' for migrating waterfowl traveling the Atlantic flyway. And it was cited as an aquatic resource of national importance by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The variety of bird life in the Meadowlands is spectacular -- particularly for an urban area. More than 250 species have been seen there, and 60 species nest there. Among the noteworthy denizens are great blue herons, peregrine falcons, American bitterns, yellow-crowned night herons, least terns, and northern harriers. While more than 2,000 acres have been given over to development, numerous wetlands areas have been preserved over the years. Among them are Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area in Kearny (1,000 acres); Saw Mill Creek area, not part of the wildlife preserve (440 acres); Losen Slote Park in Little Ferry, (28 acres); Lyndhurst Nature Reserve (4 acres); Kingsland Overlook in Lyndhurst (6 acres); and a site in North Arlington (77.6 acres), which Conrail recently purchased and will help to improve. While countless New Jerseyans pass through the Meadowlands on the turnpike, only a small percentage have spent any time enjoying them. In fact, from the roadway, you can often spot a red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree -- particularly when the trees are bare in winter -- patiently sweeping its eyes over the Meadowlands in search of its next meal.
But you can also see the Meadowlands up close. While access is limited, a new, 22-mile Meadow Path is being built through the district, with signs to help visitors learn while they walk. One of the easiest places to check out the Meadowlands by foot is at DeKorte Park, also the site of the commission's Environment Center. The park includes the Kingsland Overlook, a former landfill where plants have been established to lure back animals squeezed out by development. There's also a mile-long marsh trail. The wheelchair-accessible boardwalk is made of recycled-plastic boards -- as are the benches and trash cans that line the trail. On a loop through the 80-acre marsh, you may be walking through a canyon of towering reeds one moment, and looking over a vista of gadwalls (wild ducks) placidly floating on a background of New Jersey Turnpike and the New York City skyline. Birdhouses, placed in and around the marsh, are a hotbed of activity, especially in spring and summer. There are also bird blinds at strategic points, although, on a visit in late May, they were overrun with gnats. Before or after a walk, stop by the center, whose Trash Museum teaches kids about the effects of all those disposable goods, and the benefits of recycling. If you visit before you hit the trail, you may be more aware of the presence of trash still obvious in the park, from beer cans to plastic bags. The center also has a small exhibit on wetlands environments, and a great overlook of the marsh. A variety of temporary exhibits of wildlife art and photography are hung throughout the year. For more information on the Meadowlands, call the HMDC at (201) 460-8300. Copyright © 1996 Bergen
Record Corp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The commission considers the site's
transformation one of its greatest accomplishments. It
touts the place as a national model and a blueprint for
the future of the Meadowlands. 
Deer Hunting
Forsythe Wildlife Refuge
Natural
& Cultural Sites: