Dennis Cheeseman photographed this little guy at lunch at DeKorte today.

Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society writes a weekly column for wildnewjersey.tv. His latest is on Earth Day, and it begins something like this…

We have come a long way since the first Earth Day 44 years ago today. The Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act has helped bring back the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Osprey back from the brink of extinction to where they have become almost a common sight even here in densely populated New Jersey.

But even as climate change threatens the future of our planet our biggest challenge ahead may be getting people to reconnect with the nature that exists right around them, every day in their local communities and even in their own backyards. …

Children have lost their connection to the trees, bugs and birds that past generations grew up with. We will not be able to expect that there will be new conservationists or nature lovers that will care enough to protect the Bald Eagle, save the Monarch Butterfly, or preserve wildlife habitat if they grow up afraid of a Bumblebee or never touch a wildflower.

The link is here.

The Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society have two exciting events today (Tuesday):

*A free Earth Day nature walk is at 5 p.m. outside the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park.

*A free Earth Day Concert with Spook Handy begins at 7:30 p.m. in the MEC. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

More on Spook Handy here. Details follow. Continue reading →

In this new segment, Angela Cristini of Ramapo College, head of the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park, talks about upcoming public programs.

l to r: Craig, Jeff and Bobby Lahullier

Five years ago, as part of the N.J. Meadowlands Commission’s Oral History Project, we interviewed lots of folks about the region in the old days. We are reprinting the best of them here, every Tuesday, for 11 weeks. This week: the Lahullier Brothers of Carlstadt.

For Bobby, Craig and Jeff Lahullier, the Meadowlands of their youth was a giant playground. The brothers were raised in Carlstadt and spent countless hours exploring quarries, landfills and clay pits in Carlstadt and Wood-Ridge.

Today, all three men retain close ties to the area. Craig is a Carlstadt Councilman, Jeff is a councilman in East Rutherford, and all three work at the family business in East Rutherford.

In this audio interview, the brothers recall their adventures swimming, hunting, trapping and getting into all sorts of mischief in the Meadows.

Click “Continue reading…” to hear the Lahullier Brothers’ stories. Continue reading →

Allan Sanford photographed this Diamondback Terrapin in the brackish part of the Kearny Marsh this past weekend.

Thanks, Allan!

Allan Sanford writes:

Jackie [DeMarco] and I walked along the Kearny Marsh  this Saturday. It was a 4-hour walk, with over 40 species.

A couple of the highlights included Yellow-throated Warbler, Green Heron, Bald Eagle and more. Here is a shot of the Yellow-throated Warbler.

(Thanks, Allan and Jackie!) According to NJMC Naturalist Mike Newhouse, This is a first for the Meadowlands, bringing our total number of bird species to 283 or 284 (still checking).

More on Yellow-throated Warblers here.

  Regina Geoghan writes:

A few recent fun photos from Mill Creek.

(Thanks, Regina!)

Bird migration is here, and the World Series of Birding is just around the corner. And the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks are defending our title for the second year in a row.

We couldn’t have won last year without your support.  This season, our team is asking for your help again as the title defense is going to be a real challenge.

Every time a team wins the Limited Geographic category, its par total goes up by five — which means the par for Bergen County has now increased by 10 species in the past two years.

The overwhelming support from all of you last year helped us raise enough money to do an overhaul of the Kingsland Overlook Trail. We are in the designing phase right now, and we’ll be planting native plants this spring. Please come out in May to see the trail’s new look.

This year, we have several exciting projects you can contribute to:

* Add another Purple Martin Colony at DeKorte.

* Add more native plants to Harrier Meadow.

* Plant a new native-grass habitat on a nearby closed landfill.

You can get the details and download the pledge form here:

Pledge sheet 2014