NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse demonstrated bird-banding at Harrier Meadow at last year's Meadowlands Festival of Birding. He will reprise the demonstration on Sept. 12 and Sept. 22 at Harrier.

   We have a full slate of events over the next two months, including several walks and the big Bird Fest on Sept. 12 and 13.

    Click "Continue reading…" for the whole lineup.

Sunday, September  6
First-Sunday-of-the month Bird Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society.

This free event starts at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. We will look for shorebirds, waders, Ospreys and migrants – plus any butterflies we encounter. Meet in front of the Meadowlands Environment Center.  To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022. 

Thursday, September 10
Green Purchasing & Slow Foods Event

   This free event begins at 11 a.m. at the Kearny Library and kicks off the NJMC’s Green Living programs, a series of workshops to help people learn ways to better conserve resources, protect the environment and “green” their life in general.

    Participants will get tips on how to navigate product labels and will learn how to recognize when companies misrepresent or overstate the environmental benefits of a product, a practice known as “greenwashing.”

    The event will also feature a slow foods cooking discussion and food tasting, designed to convey first-hand the health and environmental benefits of buying and preparing locally grown, fresh food. All attendees will receive free reusable shopping bags.

   The Kearny Library is located at 318 Kearny Ave. To register, contact Debbie Lawlor at debbie.lawlor@njmeadowlands.gov or 201-460-4671. 

Sept. 12 & 13 (Saturday, Sunday) — Sixth Annual “Meadowlands Festival of Birding” includes field trips on foot and by boat, birding basics for beginners and loaner binoculars, a keynote lecture on migration by Dr. Robert DeCandido, a butterfly program, a raptor show, and much more.

    The festivities start at 8 a.m. Saturday at the NJMC’s Meadowlands Environment Center, in DeKorte Park, and include early morning bird-banding at Harrier Meadow – a 70-acre natural area usually closed to the public – and excursions on the river and to other unique sites.

    The $40 registration fee benefits festival organizers the Hackensack Riverkeeper and New Jersey Audubon Society, and includes breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Ages 10 to 17 are free.

    To purchase tickets call the Riverkeeper at 201-968-0808 or visit www.hackensackriverkeeper.org. 

   Tuesday, September  15
    Third-Tuesday-of-the month Bird Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society.

    This free event starts at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. We will look for shorebirds, waders, Ospreys and migrants – plus any butterflies we encounter. Meet in front of the Meadowlands Environment Center. 

    To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022. 

Monday, September 21

Movie Night at the Meadowlands Environment Center

   The NJ Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council has teamed up with Green Faith New Jersey, a group of interfaith environmentalists, to present “movie night” at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst.

    The film is the Emmy-nominated “Blue Vinyl,” a humorous look at the environmental truth about America’s favorite plastic. The event kicks off at 4 p.m. with refreshments and time for networking, the movie shows at 5pm, and at 6:30 p.m. director Judith Helfand will lead a discussion on the film. A nominal fee will be charged. For more information, visit www.usgbcnj.org.

Tuesday, September  22

Harrier Meadow Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society

This free event starts at Harrier Meadow  and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Will include a bird-banding demonstration by NJMC naturalist Mike Newhouse.  To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022. 

OCTOBER 

Saturday, October 3

Butterflies Everywhere

The Meadowlands Environment Center presents “Butterflies Everywhere!” an educational program featuring butterfly farmer Rick Mikula and his live and collected specimens of these beautiful creatures. Appropriate for anyone over age 5, the program is $4 for MEC members and $5 for the general public. 1 p.m. start time. For more information, call 201-460-8300.

DOUBLE-HEADER SUNDAY

Sunday, October 4

First-Sunday-of-the month Bird Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society

This free event starts at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. We will look for shorebirds, waders, Ospreys and migrants – plus any butterflies we encounter. Meet in front of the Meadowlands Environment Center. To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com  or 201-636-4022. 

Followed by:

"Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History"

Talk and Reading by Judith Weis

Rutgers biology professor Judith Weis will present her new book “Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History” during a talk and reading at the Meadowlands Environment Center. Weis, an expert on “recovering” marsh’s like those surrounding the Hackensack, and the critters that live in them, will discuss the critical importance of these ecosystems and how, for too long, they have been used as dumping grounds. Sponsored by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission as part of its 40th Anniversary Celebration, the talk starts at noon. For more information, call 201-777-4600 or visit the “Events and Alerts” section at www.njmeadowlands.gov.

Tuesday, October, 20
Third-Tuesday-of-the month Bird Walk with Bergen County Audubon Society
This free event starts at the Ridgefield Environment Center in Ridgefield and runs from 10 a.m. to noon. After a walk around the nature center, we will drive to Skeetkill Creek Marsh to do some birding there. Along the way, we will stop to see how the Ridgefield Monk Parakeets are doing
on Railroad Avenue.  To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or 201-636-4022.