Mae DeVoe, one of the first Meadowlands residents to participate in the Meadowlands Commission’s Oral History Project, passed away on Friday, June 15.

In her honor, the Meadowlands History Blog has reposted an interview with Mae in July 2009.

In the interview, she offers several colorful recollections from a childhood spent exploring copper mines, skating on the old Jersey City Waterworks reservoir and attending high school dances.

Mae also talks about life in North Arlington during the Depression and World War II.

The Hudson Reporter had a neat story yesterday on all our summer events.

Link is here — get your calendars out!

A couple of recent Meadowlands Commission pontoon boat trips on the Hackensack River included multiple Osprey sightings, including (above) this guy with a fish atop the Lift Bridge. There is a new nest nearby.

All told, there are at least four active Osprey nests along the Hackensack River, and a likely fifth.

There is also a possible sixth nest farther inland — and that would be a big first.

We're not saying that we predicted this Osprey housing explosion, but we did make the Osprey the 2012 Meadowlands Bird of the Year, with a special T shirt in its honor.

The T shirt is available at the Tideland Treasures Gift Shop in the Environment Center at DeKorte Park.

(The gift shop is traesure unto itself — you should check it out the next time you are at DeKorte!)