
Besides keeping this blog and his other duties, the NJMC's Jim Wright writes a twice-monthly column for The South Bergenite. This week's column is about photographer Ron Shields.
One of the
joys of writing the new coffee-table book

“The Nature of the Meadowlands” was
working with photographers the likes of Ron Shields of Kearny.
Ron took many of
the book’s most memorable images – including an amazing sunrise and a couple of
picture-perfect bald eagle shots.
“The
attraction of the Meadowlands for me has always been the sense of urban
wilderness and isolation one can find here,” says Ron, who is also the
principal of Harrison High School.
“It’s
fascinating to experience the many wonders this area offers while understanding
it was once known as the ‘dumps.’ And
all of this happens in the shadow of the greatest city in the world. “.
Ron’s two favorite places to photograph
nature in the district are both open to the public -- the Kearny Marsh and a
back road called Disposal Road, connecting Lyndhurst and North Arlington.
In the warmer months, Ron paddles his kayak
into the Kearny Marsh to photograph wildlife without disturbing it.
The rest of the column follows.