One of the many cool and useful projects done by the Meadowlands Commission’s scientific arm, MERI (the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute), is aerial photography done from balloons.

 The photo above was taken last Thursday along the Hackensack River looking north between the Upper Hackensack lift bridge and the HX drawbridge. The two railroad bridges cross the Hackensack between Lyndhurst and Secaucus.

   More on MERI here.
   More on the aerial photography here.
   
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 Losen Slote Creek Park is a great place for a hike, and during May and autumn, a good spot to catch warblers moving through.
   The 28-acre park seemed a bit overlooked  — perhaps because it's off the beaten path. The first part of the park is woods, then meadows. 
   The trail is blazed with red-dotted markers, with Mehrhof Woods fenced off to the left and houses in the distance to your right.
   That's good to know in case you lose your way.    If you keep the houses on your left and the fence on your right, you'll find your way back.
   But bring a cellphone, just in case.
   The meadows portion is a bit overgrown and easy to get lost in, but filled with dragonflies and an occasional butterfly. If you wander around long enough, you'll come across the slow-moving Losen Slote ("slote" being Dutch for "creek.")
   On a  recent visit, the bird of the day was an Indigo Bunting that zipped through the meadow portion.  Standing in the meadow, you feel as though you are in the wild –  despite being in heart of Bergen County.
   Click here  and here for more information.

  Click "Continue reading" for more images from Losen Slote Creek Park.

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