The Meadowlands Blog

Amazing Cormorant Rescue

Meadowlands Commission naturalists were on the Hackensack River at Saw Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area when one noticed an apparently gruesome sight -- a Double-crested Cormorant had slipped and gotten its head wedged in a gap between boards of an old tidegate.
   At first, the young bird appeared to be dead, but as the naturalists  approached in their boat, they could see that it was hanging on for life.

   Naturalists Gabrielle-Bennett-Meany, Brett Bragin and Mike Newhouse pried the boards further apart, and intern Eleanna Ballas of Secaucus lifted the cormorant until its head was free.
   She placed the cormorant in the water, and it dived under. It surfaced again about 20 yards away and swam off, hopefully no worse for wear. 

    NJMC naturalists also rescued a Snowy Egret on the Hackensack River last fall. Post is here. NJMC naturalists also rescued a Red-tailed Hawk near Harrier Meadow in North Arlington in late March. Post is here.

Nighthawks -- how you can help!

   Common Nighthawks have been seen in the Meadowlands of late.
   We saw this guy (above) flying around the former 1-E Landfill in North Arlington last week, and birder Ray Duffy reported seeing one near an Office Building on Chubb Avenue in Lyndhurst a few days earlier.
   Nighthawks and other members of the Nightjar family aren't seen that often in these parts -- to the point where the New Jersey Audubon Society does not include the Meadowlands in its annual Nightjar study, a project done in cooperation with NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife's Endangered and Non-game Species Program.
   That status could change if enough Nightjars are seen and reported here this year.
   If you see a Nightjar in the Meadowlands, or want more information about the Nightjar survey, please e-mail Kristin Mylecraine at this e-mail address.

   For more on the national Nightjar study, click here.

   For a list of the existing Nightjar survey points in New Jersey, click "Continue reading..." immediately below.

Happy Earth Day

    Today is a good day to take stock of the wonderful world around us, and to think of ways to make it a better place.
    The Meadowlands is living proof that with time, and persistent human help, nature can rebound.

    For a great link on Earth Day information, click here.

LEED Leader

     

     The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) Center for Environmental and Scientific Education today received LEED platinum certification from the U.S. Council on Green Building, becoming the first public building in New Jersey to receive the highest level of recognition under the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

    The 10,0000 square-foot science center, which opened in March 2008, features rooftop solar panels that generate nearly half its power and ceiling solar tubes that further reduce reliance on artificial light. Recycled building material was used in countertops, floor tiles and other parts of the center, and energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems were installed.

 Other energy-efficient features include a lighting system which dims energy output based on the availability of natural light, the use of  Forest Steward Council certified wood in construction, and the use of low-flow toilets and fixtures and waterless urinals to save water.

Approximately 2,000 children per month in grades K-12 from throughout North Jersey participate in educational programs at the science center. As one of the “greenest” classrooms in the State, the building is used by educators as a teaching tool for lessons on conservation, renewable energy resources and sustainability.

 

Back when wetlands were just swamps....

   This 32-year-old diorama, found in the Kearny Library attic, showed how part of the Kearny brackish marsh could be converted to office parks.

    In the photo at left, you can see where the eastern spur of the Turnpike crosses the Hackensack River.

The office park (and one to the west)  would have been placed on filled wetlands next to a railroad siding near the river.
      
    This was in the waning days of an era where planners thought wetlands were swamps, to be filled and developed.

     These days, almost everyone understands that marshes are vital parts of the eco-system, providing everything from wildlife habitat and the filtering of impurities in water to flood control.

     More on the value of the Meadowlands' marshes here.

    (Thanks to the Kearny Public Library for passing along the diorama.)

STEMMING THE LITTER TIDE

   The Meadowlands Commission has been installing tide gates along Berry's Creek in Rutherford and East Rutherford to reducing flooding in the surrounding area, including Route 17.
  The tide gates are paying another dividend -- they are catching hundreds of cans and plastic bottles before they flow into the creek, and then into the Hackensack River.
   Where does all this litter come from? Thoughtless people throwing bottles and cans out their car windows or tossing them in storm drains.
   The next step in the tide-gate anti-litter effort: Setting up a program to recycle these materials.