Please note that the Steven R. Rothman Overlook and Preserve in Carlstadt will be closed on all World Cup Game days at the Stadium:
Saturday, June 13
Tuesday, June 16
Monday, June 22
Thursday, June 25
Saturday, June 27
Tuesday, June 30
Sunday, July 5
Sunday, July 19
Please be advised that River Barge Park and Marina in Carlstadt will be closed during all FIFA World Cup game days at the Stadium. This closure is inclusive of the park, boat slips and the public boat launch.
Belted Kingfisher
Join the Bergen County Audubon Society this Sunday (June 14) for a guided nature walk through DeKorte Park, the jewel of the Meadowlands parks system! Keep your eyes peeled for Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Kingfishers and other avian species that make the park their summer home.
The walk is from 10 a.m. to noon and meets in the Meadowlands Environment Center Parking Lot, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.
Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Gabrielle Bennett-Meany, NJSEA Manager of Parks, Trails and Open Space, and BCAS President Don Torino led walks at Native Plant Day on Sunday, May 31. Credit – Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com
Thank you to everyone who joined the NJSEA and Bergen County Audubon Society at DeKorte Park this past Sunday for a wonderful Native Plant Day! We were pleased to spotlight the many species of native plants and pollinator gardens around the park and raise awareness of their critical importance to pollinators, butterflies and the overall environment.
The Record sent a photographer to the event and a photo gallery can be found here. Some of the photos will run in the Sunday, June 28, print edition.
All photos below courtesy NJSEA unless otherwise noted.
Credit James Falletti
Credit James Falletti
Credit James Falletti
Credit James Falletti
Credit James Falletti
Credit James Falletti
Join the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Bergen County Audubon Society for Native Plant Day this Sunday (May 31) at DeKorte Park! The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NJSEA and BCAS experts will lead walks throughout the park’s plant-lined trails and gardens, informing visitors of the importance of native plants for birds, pollinators, other wildlife and the environment. They will also talk about how people can create their own native plant gardens in their backyards and communities. There will be information tables from local plant and environmental organizations.
Native Plant Day is rain or shine – activities will be moved inside in case of inclement weather. We look forward to seeing everyone at this great event!
DeKorte Park and the Meadowlands Environmental Center are located at 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.
Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.
Join the Bergen County Audubon Society as they lead a walk through Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry on May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. They’ll be on the lookout for warblers, Wood thrush and Waterthrush while traversing one of the last remaining low-lying forested areas in the Meadowlands.
Trails may be muddy; boots are highly recommended. Park in the lot adjacent to the soccer field on Mehrhof Road.
Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983
Bergen County Audubon Society President Don Torino goes from host to interviewee on this Sunday’s (May 24) episode of his radio show, The Nature Connection. James Falletti will be interviewing Don about his new book, “More… Life In The Meadowlands.” The book continues Don’s essays and observations about being a lifelong Meadowlands resident and the region’s environmental changes and challenges that have shaped his life.
The Nature Connection airs the fourth Sunday of each month from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WFDU 89.1 FM, and is archived on the station’s website for the following two weeks.
James Falletti and Don Torino (with book)
James Falletti is a Bergen Audubon member and an ace nature and bird photographer who has produced a plethora of amazing Meadowlands photos.
The public is invited to join Don for an evening of storytelling and conversation at the book’s launch this Thursday, May 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hackensack Financial Center, 120 River Street, Hackensack.
The Bergen County Audubon Society leads an Endangered Species Walk at Harrier Meadow, a wonderful nature preserve that is usually closed to the public. Endangered and threatened species that can be seen at Harrier Meadow include Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels and Savannah Sparrows. The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon.
Click here for lists of New Jersey Endangered, Threatened and Species of Special Concern.
Harrier Meadow is located off Disposal Road in North Arlington
Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983
Danny O’Connor finds artistic inspiration – literally – in the marshes of the Meadowlands. Discarded sardine tins, half-and-half dispensers, wire and cardboard at the water’s edge are among the muses that have informed Danny’s imagination, creativity and found artwork.
Some of Danny’s work is currently on display through the end of May in the entrance to the Secaucus Library. They include a built-to-scale model Titanic meeting its demise in a mythic Kraken’s unyielding grip, a houseboat that O’Connor envisions having floated down the Hackensack River decades ago and an old wharf at Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus. There are two views of the New York City skyline, steely grey by day and adorned with painted white lights at night.
“I see the cityscape constantly where I live and the contrast between this massive concrete village across the river and these beautiful marshes over here that are the jewel of the Meadowlands and the jewel of Hudson County,” said Danny, a Secaucus resident. “The houseboat is a scene of what could have floated down the Hackensack River in my imagination, like a vagabond floating down the river collecting things.”
Danny found the wooden Titanic models tossed curbside. The boats are 3 ½ feet long by 10 inches tall and were painted shiny red when he discovered them. “I like things that are rusty and weathered, that look like they have a story behind them,” the artist said.
“Pristine and clean is nice but I like things weathered and worn. I wanted to add to the story with the sea monster and paint the ship as if it had things happen to it on the ocean. At least for me, you have to build these little stories in your head.”
He said his favorite path is the Secaucus High School Marsh walkway. “I enjoy going out on the Secaucus High School boardwalk for serenity,” he said. “There’s a certain calmness near any body of water. The grasses in the meadows move with the wind in a pattern. It’s like a dance, seeing the wind 200 yards away and then coming and see-sawing through the grass.”
Danny said he doesn’t set out along the marshes with preconceived ideas for his next work of art. “It’s the randomness I enjoy,” he said. “I don’t go looking for anything specific or have anything in mind. I see patterns in things, just like a kid looking at the clouds and making little images. I just happen to do it with bottle caps and other things.”
Some of Danny’s additional work that is not on display:
In addition to found art, Danny is prolific in watercolors. His works are featured on his Instagram account, art_4_the_ether.
Past exhibit of Danny O’Connor’s watercolors at the Secaucus Library
The Bergen County Audubon Society leads an Endangered Species Walk at Harrier Meadow, a wonderful nature preserve that is usually closed to the public. Endangered and threatened species that can be seen at Harrier Meadow include Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels and Savannah Sparrows. The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon.
Click here for lists of New Jersey Endangered, Threatened and Species of Special Concern.
Harrier Meadow is located off Disposal Road in North Arlington
Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983