Monthly Archives: August 2017

Don Torino’s Life in the Meadowlands: Some Thoughts Before You Cut Down a Tree

Gray Birch

The devastation of Hurricane Sandy can still be felt around my Meadowlands home. Neighbors I knew for years have moved away, many displaced and some never able to return even for their belongings. But besides the human toll there was also a localized environmental loss that for the most part went unnoticed.

It was a very insidious loss that went unobserved until it seemed one day a few curious folks looked up and noticed things were very different around their neighborhood. The trees had just about disappeared.

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Mill Creek Nature Walk Next Tuesday (Aug. 15)!

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society for a guided nature walk at Mill Creek Marsh next Tuesday (Aug. 15) from 10 am to noon. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for for Sandpipers (pictured above), Yellowlegs, shorebirds and more. Park and meet in the parking lot at the back of the Mill Creek Mall by the Bob’s Furniture Store.

BCAS walks are a great experience for new and experienced nature lovers and birders alike. Your guides point out birds along the way and bring a spotting scope so you can see them up close. They’ll also talk about the vegetation you encounter and the history of the marsh.

For more information contact Don Torino at greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

A Special Visit

We were very happy to meet Virginia Conlon last week. Virginia was a volunteer at the Meadowlands Environment Center for 10 years in the 1990s.  She is also a sketch artist and presented us with the beautiful drawing of the MEC seen above.

Virginia, 93, is a longtime Rutherford resident and Kearny native. She said she loved interacting with the children who visited the Environment Center and the peacefulness of DeKorte Park.

Thank you so much Viriginia for thinking of us and for this generous gift!

A Special Visit and a Great Gift

We were very happy to meet Virginia Conlon last week. Virginia was a volunteer at the Meadowlands Environment Center for 10 years in the 1990s.  She is also a sketch artist and presented us with the beautiful drawing of the MEC seen above.

Virginia, 93, is a longtime Rutherford resident and Kearny native. She said she loved interacting with the children who visited the Environment Center and the peacefulness of DeKorte Park.

Thank you so much Viriginia for thinking of us and for this generous gift!

More DeKorte Walk Photos

Eastern Kingbird

Many thanks to Dede Kotler for sending in these photos of a variety of fauna and flora taken during yesterday’s BCAS DeKorte Park walk. A great way to brighten a gloomy afternoon!

Grey Catbird

Cedar Waxwing

American White Pelican

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Laughing Gull