New Jersey Meadowlands

Coordinates: 40°48′57″N 74°02′23″W / 40.815888°N 74.039612°W / 40.815888; -74.039612
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the wetlands. For the sports complex, see Meadowlands Sports Complex. For other uses, see Meadowlands (disambiguation).
19th century.
waterfowl
.
Marshlands in Lyndhurst
Meadowlands Environment Center
Mill Creek Point walkway with the Meadowlands Sports Complex at far background right.
The Meadowlands as seen from an abandoned section of the Montclair-Boonton Line.

New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the

wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of New York City. During the 20th century, much of the Meadowlands area was urbanized, and it became known for being the site of large landfills
and decades of environmental abuse. A variety of projects began in the late 20th century to restore and conserve the remaining ecological resources in the Meadowlands.

Geography

The Meadowlands stretch mainly along the terminus of the

Berrys Creek, and Overpeck Creek. The present Meadowlands consist of roughly 8,400 acres (34 km2) of open, undeveloped space in addition to developed areas that had been part of the natural wetlands which were heavily developed by H. Bert Mack and M. Bolero in the 1960s.[1] The area includes portions of Kearny, Jersey City, North Arlington, Secaucus, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, North Bergen, Moonachie, Ridgefield, South Hackensack, Teaneck, and Little Ferry
.

History

The area was forested with

salt hay; hence, the area was referred to by locals as the Meadows. In more recent times, the Meadowlands became known for being the site of large landfills and decades of environmental abuse.[2]

Human effect

Before European settlement, the area consisted of several diverse ecosystems based on

American black bears
before being made extinct in the area due to hunting . Considered by residents of the area through the centuries as wastelands, the Meadowlands were systematically subject to various kinds of human intervention. The four major categories are:

The Meadowlands Sports Complex, the site of multiple stadia and a racetrack, was built in the Meadowlands beginning in the 1960s. The race track was the first venue in the complex to open, on September 1, 1976.[9]

New Jersey Meadowlands Commission

Main article: New Jersey Meadowlands Commission

The location of the New Jersey Meadowlands near the center of the

preservation
projects.

The commission merged with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) in 2015.[10][11]

Conservation efforts

The Hackensack Riverkeeper, a conservation organization established in 1997, conducts public education, advocacy, river cleanups and conservation projects.[12]

Water quality in the Hackensack River improved somewhat by the late 2000s following the decline in manufacturing in the area, as well as from enforcement of Clean Water Act regulations and from the efforts of local conservancy groups. Urban runoff pollution, municipal sewage discharges from sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows, and runoff from hazardous waste sites continue to impair the river's water quality.[13][14]

In 2015 EPA awarded grants to conduct research on Meadowlands wetlands.[15]

The NJSEA owns or holds management rights to preserve wetlands in the Meadowlands district. As of 2016 over 3,900 acres of wetlands have been preserved by NJSEA and other property owners.[16]

The New Jersey Legislature established the Meadowlands Conservation Trust in 1999 to protect and manage land in the Meadowlands watershed.[17] As of 2024 over 800 acres of land are protected through the trust using conservation easements and management by government agencies.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Orlando Sun Sentinel: "H. Bert Mack, Businessman, Philanthropist" May 11, 1992
  2. ^ Rojas, Rick (April 26, 2017). "Invisible 'Bird Killer' Lurks in Revitalized New Jersey Meadowlands". The New York Times.
  3. ^ The Hackensack Meadowlands Initiative: Preliminary Conservation Planning for the Hackensack Meadowlands, Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey (Report). Pleasantville, NJ: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). March 2007.
  4. ^ "Berry's Creek/Berry's Creek Canal". Meadowlands Environmental Site Investigation Compilation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. May 2004.
  5. ^ "Scientific Chemical Processing Superfund Site". Superfund. New York, NY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2022-06-30.
  6. ^ "Universal Oil Products Superfund Site". Superfund. EPA. 2022-06-30.
  7. ^ "Ventron/Velsicol, Wood Ridge Borough, NJ: Cleanup Activities". Superfund. EPA. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  8. eISSN 1541-7115
    .
  9. ^ Sullivan, Joseph F. (1976-09-01). ""They're Off!" Tonight at Meadowlands Race Track". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Christie Urged to Turn Down Meadowlands Legislation". 28 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Christie signs controversial Meadowlands overhaul, but says bill will be revised". 5 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Our History". Hackensack, NJ: Hackensack Riverkeeper.
  13. ^ Wright, Jim. "Hackensack River is getting cleaner."The Record. August 26, 2007. Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Watershed Management Area 5 Factsheet" (PDF). NJDEP. 2007-07-17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-27.
  15. ^ "EPA Provides $1 Million to Protect Wetlands in New Jersey". News Releases from Region 2. New York, NY: EPA. 2015-12-09.
  16. ^ Grant, Meghan (2016-09-22). "Meadowlands Conversation Trust handed land for preservation". NorthJersey.com. Woodland Park, NJ: The Record.
  17. ^ State of New Jersey. "Meadowlands Conservation Trust Act." L.1999, c. 31, § 3. March 2, 1999. N.J.S.A. 13:17–87.
  18. ^ "Trust Properties". Lyndhurst, NJ: Meadowlands Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2024-04-08.

Further reading

External links

40°48′57″N 74°02′23″W / 40.815888°N 74.039612°W / 40.815888; -74.039612

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