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The Meadowlands Conservation Trust

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Emerson Woods

Emerson Woods is a welcome retreat from the suburban development that surrounds it. Visitors to the property can enjoy a maturing forest that provides food and shelter for over a hundred animal species, as well as a protective filter for the nearby water supply.

emerson woods1

Emerson Woods is second growth forest. Whatever remained of the original wild landscape was probably gone by the late 18th century, when the property was used for agriculture and grazing. Although no deeds exist from that time, the land was likely owned and farmed by Petrus Debaun, who inherited it from his father in 1765. Debaun’s revolution-era home still stands (in remodeled form) on the ridge opposite the preserve’s main entrance, where it now serves as a post for the American Legion. It was Petrus’ grandson, Hendrick, who had Main Street laid out by surveyors in 1856. Portions of the road had existed as farm lanes for many years.

It is likely that the property continued to be farmed into the early 20th century, since land surveys from that time reveal a treeless tract. A 1913 Bergen County atlas showed two homes on the property, the foundations for which still exist, along with an abandoned well. One of the homes was owned by a gentleman named Lucie, perhaps Gustav Lucie, who served as Emerson’s third mayor. It may have been Lucie who created the old pasture watering hole, which now serves as a vernal pond for wildlife.
emerson-woods-vernal-pond

The growing need for a large public water supply – the result of a building boom in northern Bergen County – indirectly led to the return of the forest to Emerson Woods. In 1920, the Hackensack Water Company (now United Water New Jersey) embarked upon a major enlargement of what was then a rather small Oradell Reservoir. At the same time, the water company began buying up properties all along the expanded reservoir to provide a protective buffer for the new water supply. These included several parcels of land that today comprise Emerson Woods.

No longer vulnerable to human disturbance, the property was free to follow its natural course. By 1940 it had become open woodland and by 1950 it was a well-established forested tract. Over sixty years later, it is still thriving as the Emerson Woods Preserve.

emerson woods2
The Borough of Emerson gave the Meadowlands Conservation Trust a Conservation Easement for Block 1301, Lot 3.04 on September 24, 2002.

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News

MCT 2022 Annual Report

The MCT is proud to present its 2022 Annual Report. Click here to read the report. … [Read More...] about MCT 2022 Annual Report

PUBLIC NOTICE – MCT Board Meeting – Notice of Virtual Meeting

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Wednesday, December 7, 2022 Board Meeting of the Meadowlands … [Read More...] about PUBLIC NOTICE – MCT Board Meeting – Notice of Virtual Meeting

MCT Dedicates Historical Marker at River Barge Park

On June 14, 2022, the MCT dedicated a historical marker denoting the slave trade in the Meadowlands … [Read More...] about MCT Dedicates Historical Marker at River Barge Park

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