Jim Wright, who maintains this blog, also writes a twice-monthly column for the South Bergenite. His latst column is about the volunteers who have been pitching to help clean the Meadowlands after the big storm.

Here's a sample:

As I review our lists of cleanup volunteers, I realize that helping out is not just about “the kind of community you want to live in,”  but also the kind of natural world you want to visit and maintain — and leave for the next generation.

The volunteers who have helped out are from all over New Jersey, from our own backyard to  28 communities outside the district – and as far away as Sparta.

Volunteerism, it turns out, knows no boundaries.

Full column follows.

The region’s parks and natural areas are slowly recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, and although a lot of work still awaits, I wanted to take a moment to talk about our secret weapon in the efforts thus far: volunteers.

As I write this, the NJMC and the Bergen County Audubon Society have sponsored three cleanups for volunteers — two at Harrier Meadow in North Arlington, and one in the park at Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus.

One was also scheduled for this past Sunday at DeKorte Park, and we will announce more cleanup dates soon.

Our Mill Creek Marsh cleanup was a classic example of volunteerism at its best. After NJMC landscaping crews did the heaviest lifting, removing downed trees and scraping tons of phragmites debris from the trails, the volunteers swooped in on  the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving.

There were a lot of other places — and a lot of warmer places — that these folks could have been, but for two hours they collected all sorts of storm-tossed debris, from aluminum cans to coconuts.  They cleared all the driftwood and timbers they could lift.  And they made the park look about as beautiful as it could have under the circumstances.

At 11 a.m. the following day, Mill Creek Marsh opened again for the first time since Hurricane Sandy. The volunteers made it happen, and they deserve a huge amount of credit for their tireless efforts.

We invite more folks to help get their parks and natural areas up and running again. All we ask is that volunteers be at least 16 years old.  If you’d like to participate, please e-mail me at jim.wright@njmeadowlands.gov.

I have always admired volunteers, and I volunteer myself when I can. No surprise, then, that I have always liked this anonymous quote: “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy.  You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”

As I review our lists of cleanup volunteers, I realize that helping out is not just about “the kind of community you want to live in,”  but also the kind of natural world you want to visit and maintain — and leave for the next generation.

The volunteers who have helped out are from all over New Jersey, from our own backyard to  28 communities outside the district – and as far away as Sparta.

Volunteerism, it turns out, knows no boundaries.

A huge thank you to everyone who has pitched in to help out in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.