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Date: Thursday, June 3, 2010

Time: 9 a.m.

Place: Pleasantview Terrace, Ridgefield, NJ

For additional information please contact the Meadowlands Conservation Trust: 201 460-2802 MCTInfo@NJMeadowlands.gov

As a resident of Moonachie for more than 40 years and education chairman of the Bergen County Audubon Society, it did my heart good to read about the Meadowlands restoration project going on right in our back yard.

We have come a very long way over the years, from a place that once was the butt of jokes and looked at as a dumping ground to a pristine wildlife refuge that has nature lovers visiting from all over. In our lifetime, very few natural places have gotten better. The Meadowlands is one of them, a natural gem right in our own neighborhood.

With DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus and now the restoration project in Carlstadt, we should be proud and grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make the Meadowlands the amazing place that it is.

And it’s just getting better. Everyone should visit one of these great places to witness the comeback of great birds such as the osprey and peregrine falcon.

Don Torino
Moonachie, May 25

Meadowlands Conservation Trust Breaks Ground on Major Wetlands Enhancement Project

235 Acre Project Benefits Mass Transit and Environment 

LYNDHURST, N.J – The Meadowlands Conservation Trust and EarthMark Mitigation Services broke ground today on a major initiative to restore and enhance 235 acres of environmentally sensitive wetlands in Carlstadt and South Hackensack.  

From left: Department of Community Affairs Deputy Director Betty Lou De Croce; Executive Director Tina Schvejda; Trustee Greg Remaud; Co-Chairman Mark Becker; Robert Ceberio, Executive Director, NJ Meadowlands Commission; Richard P. Kane, First Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Chairman Captain Bill Sheehan; Congressman Steve Rothman

The project is designed to reestablish the marsh’s wildlife and plant habitats and its natural ability to absorb floodwaters and help reduce pollution. It also greatly benefits regional mass transit efforts, since the project will function as a “mitigation bank” allowing public transit agencies to purchase credits to offset construction work they do elsewhere in the Meadowlands. The wetlands are located in the eastern portion of the 587-acre Richard P. Kane Natural Area, the largest contiguous parcel of open space in the Meadowlands region.

Congressman Steve Rothman, a federal champion of the preservation of the Hackensack Meadowlands and a longtime fighter for a cleaner environment and better public transportation, gave the keynote address at the groundbreaking in South Hackensack.  

“This investment in the Meadowlands District will improve the environment, help promote important mass transit projects and is another step in the right direction,” said Congressman Rothman. “From the wetlands of the Meadowlands, to our roads and railways, this enhancement will benefit New Jerseyans for generations to come.” 

The mitigation work will be performed by Florida-based EarthMark Mitigation Services and is expected to last through the fall. EarthMark is paying $6 million to lease the property from the MCT; once work is done, EarthMark can sell mitigation credits to public transportation agencies including NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. By purchasing these credits, agencies are allowed to proceed with development projects that can disturb wetlands, since they are essentially “offsetting” this impact by funding environmental enhancements elsewhere.   

The Kane tract project includes reconnecting the Mudabak Creek and other tributaries to the Hackensack River to allow for better tidal flow, and replacing the invasive common reed phragmites with native vegetation. EarthMark has spent the past several months removing tons of debris from the site and mowing the phragmites – which had choked out most native flora – in preparation for the planting of millions of plugs of spartina, spike grass, switchgrass, salt marsh bulrush and other indigenous plant species.  

The goal is to restore the wetlands, which now offer limited habitat, as a breeding ground for fish, birds and other wildlife. By reintroducing native plants and opening the wetlands to tidal flow from the Hackensack River, the project also allows for the Kane Tract to once again act as a sponge, soaking up floodwaters and filtering sediments and pollution. The project also boosts the local economy by providing employment to dozens of people.  

“This mitigation project is of critical importance to the ecosystem, and we should see the diversity of wildlife increase greatly as a result,” said Tina Schvejda, executive director of the MCT. “Once the project is finished, it will also include trails and the public will be welcome to come down and enjoy the area on foot, or by canoe or kayak. The Kane Tract is one of the jewels in the Meadowlands, and we want people to understand why it is so special.”  

Richard Mogensen, EarthMark’s director of product development, underscored the project’s multiple benefits. “EarthMark’s work will help improve the environment while spurring economic growth by allowing valuable transportation infrastructure projects to move forward,” Mogensen said. “EarthMark is honored to be a part of this important project which shows how public-private partnerships can benefit the public good.”

The Meadowlands Conservation Trust is the only public land trust in the Northeast region of New Jersey, covering 54 municipalities within the Hackensack River Watershed in Bergen and Hudson counties. Founded in 1999, the MCT has acquired and protected more than 800 acres of open space. The MCT acquired and preserved the Richard P. Kane Natural Area, which includes portions of Carlstadt and South Hackensack, in 2005. The tract’s namesake is the former director of conservation for the New Jersey Audubon Society and was the first chairman of the board of trustees of the MCT.

“I believe nothing is more important than protecting land.” Dr. George Reskakis, 2010

George Reskakis is a Meadowlands Conservation Trust volunteer, Chairman of the Parks, Playground and Recreational Advisory Board in Teaneck and Trustee of the Teaneck Creek Conservancy which raised over a million dollars in public and private funds to convert 46 acres of Teaneck land into a park, and he serves on the Hackensack River Greenway Advisory Board for Teaneck. He is also the Vice President of the Friends of Hackensack River Greenway Advisory Board, a lifetime member of the NY/NJ Trail Conference and a volunteer for Hackensack River Keeper, Inc.

Dr. Reskakis is originally from Brooklyn, NY but moved to Teaneck in the 1980’s to start a family with his wife, a Teaneck native. By profession, Dr. Reskakis is a dentist and owns a practice in New York City. It was not until 1999, that he caught the environmental activist bug and environmentalism soon became one of his deepest passions.

It all started on a family vacation he took with his wife and kids in August of 1999 where he traveled from Fair Banks to Denali to Anchorage and then took a ship to Juneau and then finally flew back home to the States from Vancouver. He admits that before his trip to Alaska, he was a “write-a-check environmentalist.” Dr. Reskakis fervently described what he saw during his two weeks in Alaska as the “verdant grandeur of the state” where he became “inspired by the vistas of diversity in plants and animals.” He could not believe how much fertile green his eyes beheld then and the beauty of Alaska’s wildlife is forever pressed in his heart. When speaking of the incredible nature he experienced in Alaska, he stated, “temperate rainforests brought tears to my eyes.”

Dr. Reskakis began working with the Meadowlands Conservation Trust in 2006 when he heard of an old Indian burial ground that was in danger of being bulldozed in his hometown of Teaneck, NJ. As a volunteer for Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc., he became aware of the Trust as a land conservation entity via the Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc.’s Executive Director, Captain Bill Sheehan, who also happens to be the chairman of the Meadowlands Conservation Trust. He has also helped the Trust identify other possible land preservation projects in Teaneck.

Dr. Reskakis has a special interest in land acquisition and preservation, building and maintaining trails and the protection of wildlife. He was drawn the Meadowlands Conservation Trust projects because he believes that if land can be saved in perpetuity then he has done his part to protect the planet. He believes in thinking globally and acting locally and that if a person does not tend to his own backyard then he is part of the problem.

He stated, “There is nothing more important that protecting land;” however, he communicated that he not totally against development. He is against developing natural lands but he is not against “redevelopment” or the development of land that has already been developed. The concept of redevelopment is one that lends itself to creating jobs, beautifying existing structures, making use of land that has already far removed from its natural state and preservation of natural lands. Besides protecting land for human beings, Dr. Reskakis believes that animals deserve a place to live too.

Finally, Dr. Reskakis expressed his hope that the Trust may continue expanding its role as land conservationists in the Meadowlands District and Hackensack River Watershed and that he may continue working on projects with the Trust. He also expressed his hope that we as the human race can move “towards a more sustainable future in which we stop using non renewable resources” and in which we as the human race live a healthier, more peaceful existence.

I am Dee Ann Ipp. I am a retired Registered Nurse specializing in Neonatal Intensive Care. I am also qualified as an appraiser of art and antiques. Because of my background in these two disciplines, I have an interest in biology and protecting and restoring environmental health. Appreciation for historic preservation is also extremely important to me.

I live on Pomander Walk, Teaneck NJ. My house is located within the floodway of the Hackensack River. I understand the nature of swamplands and the Hackensack River because of a lifetime of living with it. I have experienced two major floods of the Hackensack River since living in my house. Clean water and a healthy environment have a direct impact on my life and are really important to me.

I have been interested in science and nature since childhood. My family moved to Pomander Walk, Teaneck, from Paterson, NJ in 1960. We moved to Pomander Walk because I wanted to live in “the country.” Teaneck itself was already a suburb, but Pomander Walk was not yet developed. It looked like the “real country” back in 1960. The road was not yet paved, none of the split-level houses had been built and there were 20 acres of thick swampland teeming with birds behind my house. All of these acres have been filled in since the late 1970’s. They are now the Teaneck Swim Club and the Teaneck Leaf Transfer Station. I have observed the entire process of the loss of nature to development by direct, first hand observation. I am therefore aware that nature is whittled away foot by foot and that every bit that is preserved counts as an important step toward protecting the health of the whole natural world.

I have always loved animals, had a great variety of pets as a child and dreamed of having an animal shelter when I grew up. As an adult and committed environmentalist, it is natural that I enjoy observing the wildlife of the Hackensack River. I actively defend and help to protect their habitats from careless ruination and seek to have open spaces conserved as nature preserves.

Because of my science and nursing background, I am also fascinated with Botany – plant science. I believe that I have used my knowledge of human biology and put it to work in an effort to restore, preserve, and protect the health of the natural world. There is really no difference between human requirements for life and plant requirements for life: food, temperature, oxygen, disease, and so on.

In 2005, my grassroots group of citizen activists, called “The Coalition for the Preservation of Teaneck’s Slave and Indian Cemetery” was working hard to do every possible thing we could to stop the horrifying plan to bulldoze this cemetery and build a single family house on top of it. We wanted the Township of Teaneck to buy the property from the owner instead and have it dedicated as an historic site. The Township of Teaneck said it would buy the property if we could raise $ 100,000 from public donations towards the purchase price. They gave us only 2 weeks to raise the money. The situation became public hysteria as people were desperate to prevent what was considered an ultimate desecration, bulldozing a cemetery. None of us had any experience with fundraising. We did not know how to get the full amount in such a short amount of time. The events were well publicized by the media. In the midst of panic and frenzy, the Meadowlands Conservation Trust came to Teaneck with their proposed solution of a Deed of Conservation Easement. This is how I was introduced to the Trust and their work.

My effort to preserve the property at 662 Pomander Walk, which is now called the Teaneck Historic Burial Ground, was unique unto itself. It could not be considered a “project”; it was so much more. The motivating purpose for the public went beyond volunteerism, land conservation or historic preservation.

I feel very good about having the MCT Deed of Conservation Easement for the 662 Pomander Walk property. It has put my fears for the future of this land to rest and I am deeply grateful and appreciative to the MCT for their assistance. The Deed contains stipulations and elements of protection that are critical to the proper preservation of this environmental treasure. Preservation could be ensured for only as long as there was public interest and a grass roots fighting spirit. I will always be committed to environmental stewardship, because healing, protecting, and preserving is part of who I am as a person.

I don’t consciously think about volunteering and whether or not to do it, I just do what I feel is important in order to get a job done. Sometimes it takes so little effort for a large return. The best work is done by people who do things from the heart and for a “higher purpose” rather than people who do things for greed or because it is only a job. Many times, places of environmental sensitivity are ruined only from carelessness. Historic artifacts can be lost, destroyed, or trashed—because of ignorance and carelessness. If we know how to help or correct a wrongful situation, then we have an obligation to step forward and volunteer.

Volunteerism is based on basic religious principles that the only path to true happiness is through humility with the intention of doing service for a higher good. Man was put in this world for the purpose of making the world a better place. The great reward of volunteering is that it causes personal happiness and joy which is something money can’t buy.

My hope for the future from an environmental perspective is for stronger legal protections to protect and purchase open spaces for wildlife habitats, biodiversity and ecological wholeness. We need more national parks. We need to educate government officials and politicians about the importance of open space preservation. We need to communicate to them and the rest of the public that open space is not wasted land that needs to be “improved” in order to provide some sort of human benefit. Opens space is needed for the good and sake of all. It is needed because it serves a higher purpose. Open space protects the health of the Earth and protecting these sacred gifts is a way to honor The Creator.

By: Dee Ann Ipp

Karen and Bruce Riede are residents of Ridgefield, NJ. Bruce is a retired chemical engineer who worked at Unilever for 31 years. During the last ten years of his employment, he was manager of Safety and Health. Currently, he is an EMT serving in his 39th year with the Ridgefield Ambulance Corps. Karen worked as a registered nurse for 20 years. Currently, and for the past 10 years, Karen has been a docent at the Bergen County Zoo in their Animal Encounter Program. In this program, a scheduled animal, reptile, or bird is brought to the Armenian Home in Emerson, NJ for an interactive pet therapy session with the residents. Karen and Bruce are involved in their church, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Jersey City, NJ. Bruce is active with the Acolyte Program (training young members to serve in the church) and Vacation Bible School. Karen is in charge of the coffee hour between services.

Karen has been on the Ridgefield Environmental Commission since 2004; Bruce soon followed in 2005. Karen has served as Chairperson since 2005 and credits her nursing background as beneficial to serving in this position as she stated, “I consider it environmental nursing and that everyone deserves clean air and water”. In 1996, Karen was a weekly volunteer at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (“NJMC”). As children and growing into adulthood, Karen and Bruce always had a love and respect for the environment; it is something they have been fortunate to share.

Karen and Bruce Reide have been invaluable to the health, beauty and general well being of Skeetkill Creek Marsh Park (“Skeetkill”), owned by the Meadowlands Conservation Trust (“MCT”, “the Trust”) and located in Ridgefield, NJ. Skeetkill was previously owned by the NJMC; however, in 2008, NJMC donated the property to Trust. In 2004, the Ridgefield Environmental Commission sparked a revitalization of the park. It involved the stewardship of: Genzyme Biosurgery, Inc. (the company that adopted the site), the NJMC (tree swallow nest box site) and the Ridgefield Environmental Commission. While working with the NJMC, Karen found out about Meadowlands Conservation Trust and she felt that the Trust would be a great organization to partner up with to do what they love best, protecting the environment. When Skeetkill was owned by the NJMC, Karen & Bruce worked with NJMC staff regularly with clean ups and the tree swallow nest box program. In 2008, the property was turned over to the Meadowlands Conservation Trust and the Riedes continued their volunteer work at Skeetkill with the Trust staff.

The Riedes find volunteering for the Trust, the Environmental Commission, GeesePeace and other groups more than rewarding. They both feel it is necessary to take care of the Earth and want to make a difference in their own community and give back. The Ridgefield Environmental Commission’s motto is, “Think Globally. Act Locally”. Mrs. Riede stated, “Volunteering was always part of both of our lives when we were growing up. We met when we were both volunteers on the Ridgefield Ambulance Corps and later married. It is a large part of our lives now; some activities involve us both”. The Riedes view the environmental future as somewhat optimistic. They believe the best thing that they can do for the Borough of Ridgefield is to continue to plant trees and manage the Ridgefield Nature Center and Community Garden areas. “We will continue to get the message out, especially to school-aged students, that we can all do our part to be stewards of the Earth. Each person can make a difference”.

If interested, please call Laura at 201 460-2802 or email mctinfo@njmeadowlands.gov

Please visit the following link for tree swallow bird box plans - the pole length should be 10 feet.

Where: Pleasantview Terrace, Ridgefield, NJ

Description: Meadowlands Conservation Trust, in partnership with Genzyme Biosurgery, Inc. will have a litter clean up at Skeetkill Creek Marsh Park. Litter pickers, gloves and trash bags will be provided as well as lunch. If you would like to participate in this clean up, please call (201) 460-2802 or email mctinfo@njmeadowlands.gov.

Did You Know that Garter Snakes…

• are the first snakes to leave their hibernacula (den) in Spring. They have even been seen crawling over snow. Males generally emerge first to be ready when the females wake up. 
• mate from late March to April. Sometimes when several males find a female at the same time, they form a “breeding ball.” A breeding ball is when snakes wrap themselves around each other, trying to mate.
• give birth to live young. Each baby snake is five to nine inches long. Up to 50 young can be born together, though ten to 15 is more common.
• receive no parental care and disperse immediately upon birth.
• have many predators, and most young will not survive.
• are good swimmers, but are not as good at climbing as some other snakes. They spend most of their time on the ground or in low shrubs and other plants.
• are useful to have around your yard, since they control slugs, mice, insects, and other pests.
• will release a bad-smelling odor if attacked. They also bite, but they are not venomous.
• saliva may be toxic to amphibians and other small animals. For humans, a bite is not dangerous, though it may cause slight itching, burning, and/or swelling.
• are classified into thirteen types (subspecies). All are considered common except the San Francisco Garter Snake which has been listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1967.
• can live up to 10 years.

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