THE MARSH CONNECTION
News from the Meadowlands Environment Center and the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority
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Grant submitted to the
National Science Foundation
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The MEC submitted a grant application to the National Science Foundation to advance Informal STEM Learning for high school students and adults with autism through hydroponic vertical farming. If funded, the NJSEA, MEC and the REED Foundation for Autism will expand their partnership at the new hydroponic vertical farm constructed on the NJSEA site. The grant will sponsor a series of programs and workshops with stakeholders including representatives from hydroponic food producers, State and County workforce programs, high school special education programs and the community. Through these workshops and programs, the partners and stakeholders will increase understanding of how STEM learning coupled with work experience at the farm will prepare participants from this population with greater knowledge and skills to enter the workforce. The decision will be announced in June 2023. |
Crime Scene investigation at the MEC
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Early in January over 225 middle school students from the Hudson County Gifted and Talented program were challenged with the following problem.
Something’s amiss in the Meadowlands…can you help solve the crime?
Students were introduced to a “theft” from the MEC’s science building and challenged to act as Forensic Scientists. They first distinguished between observations and inferences, and then focused on the analysis of physical crime scene evidence with the help of chemistry, chromatography, and dactyloscopy (fingerprint) methods. As forensic investigators, they must communicate results, synthesize the entire body of evidence, and deliberate over which suspect is the most likely culprit. They justified making a strong case against the person or persons responsible for the crime and solved the “Case of the Missing Mustache”!
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Programs on Climate Change at the MEC |
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As New Jersey becomes the first state in the nation to require all its public schools to adopt Climate Change Education into its curriculum, the MEC has incorporated this topic into our program offerings. Our programs are the perfect way to spend these winter months! Although we strive to bring each group outside weather permitting, program activities occur inside our platinum LEED-certified science center. Programs include Wind & Water: Building for the Elements, Sustainable Design, Climate Change Conundrum and more.
For more information or to schedule a program, please call 201-390-5583.
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Time to Sign Up for
Summer Programs at the MEC!
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Although it may be January, our staff is already looking toward the summer months and has begun working with local town recreation programs to bring their campers to DeKorte Park. Campers entering kindergarten through grade 8 will become immersed in the environment through activities exploring the land, air, and water. Unlike many traditional summer camps, MEC program offerings focus on reinforcing school-year curriculum and practicing skills that will be reintroduced when school starts again. To incorporate a science-based field trip into your organized group or recreation camp schedule, check out our flyer or call 201-460-8300 for more information and to book a date.
If you are a parent interested in signing your child up for a summer camp experience, the MEC has partnered with the Lyndhurst Recreation Department to offer two weeks of hands-on fun at our Center. More information can be found on our website on February 1st for online registration opening on April 1st.
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Meadowlands Bald Eagle Festival |
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On Sunday, January 15, the NJSEA and the Bergen County Audubon Society co-hosted the first-ever Meadowlands Eagle Festival at the Authority’s River Barge Park in Carlstadt. The event was a tremendous success. More than 250 people came to the park throughout the day. They scoped out eagles along the Hackensack River, visited a dozen local environment groups’ information tables and took in a “Return of the Bald Eagle” talk by Bergen Audubon President Don Torino.
Many young children attended the Eagle Festival and participated in crafts and games at the information tables. This was significant. It is crucial to instill in the next generation the importance of protecting eagles, and the overall environment and wildlife in the Meadowlands and beyond.
Native Plant Day, the next NJSEA-Bergen Audubon event, will be held in April at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. Check meadowblog.net in the coming weeks for more specific information.
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NJSEA Meadowlands Research and Restoration (MRRI) Presentations |
MRRI Co-Director and Chief Restoration Scientist Terry Doss, and MRRI Chief Chemist/Laboratory Director Cheryl Yao, presented studies and gave talks at recent national and regional conferences.
Doss was part of a virtual conference in late November, “NY-NJ Harbor Estuary’s Programs’ 2022 Restoration Conference: Our Urban Shores.” She participated in a panel discussion on “Long Term Restoration Results and Lessons Learned in the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary.” Doss also gave a talk, “The NJ Meadowlands: Long-Term Results and Lessons Learned.”
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In December, Doss attended and presented at the Restore America’s Estuaries Coastal & Estuarine Summit” in New Orleans. Her presentation focused on “Understanding the Adaptive Capacity of the Sawmill Creek Marshes to Lessen Climate Change Vulnerability in the NJ Meadowlands.”
Yao in December participated in a virtual conference held by the American Geophysical Union. She presented the MRRI research publication, “Effects of Climate Change on Redistribution of Trace Metals in Tidal Wetlands.” This study investigated the redistribution of trace metals from legacy-contaminated tidal wetlands due to extended drought periods and storms.
Earlier this month, MRRI staffers Drew McQuade and Mike Turso presented at the annual Harbor Herons conference. McQuade’s presentation, “Update on Avian Research in the NJ Meadowlands,” focused mainly on the Institute’s secretive marsh bird research, results from their Motus tagging of songbirds, and a floating island pilot project that looks to increase sandy habitat in Meadowlands marshes. Turso spoke about “Saltmarsh Sparrows in the Hackensack Meadowlands.” He discussed the dramatic decline of the species in the Meadowlands District. MRRI biologist are working to understand this local population and ultimately recover it from the brink of extinction.
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Superbird Sunday is February 12
Enjoy nature before
settling in for the big game!
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The Bergen County Audubon Society and the NJSEA present a walk at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, home of the NJSEA, from 10 a.m. to noon on Super Bowl Sunday, February 12. Prizes will be awarded to the first people who identify birds with the same names as National Football League teams: Falcon, Cardinal, Raven, Eagle, Seahawk (osprey), Giant (great) egret, Giant (great) blue heron and Green Bay Wood (Packer).
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Meet Kirk Weber
Senior Environmental Educator
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Kirk Weber has been a member of the MEC staff since 2004. He leads programs for students from pre-K through high school at the Center and activities for “Family Science Nights” offered at our partner school districts. Kirk has excelled in developing activities on alternative energy and green building design focusing on our LEEDS Platinum science building. He is a scout master and has created and directs programs aimed at boy and girl scouts and troops pursuing scouting badges, and is the liaison between the MEC staff and Eagle Scout candidates. Kirk joined the MEC staff with 10 years of environmental education experience at YMCA camp Bernie in NJ. His B.S. in Elementary Education was earned at The College of NJ and he holds an M.S. in Educational Technology from Ramapo College of NJ. |
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Meet Terry Doss
Co-Director/Chief Restoration Scientist (MRRI)
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Since joining NJSEA, Terry Doss’ primary focus has been assisting the Authority with protecting the wetland, open spaces and other natural resources found in the Meadowlands. Working closely with MRRI staff, she developed a Strategic Plan for the Natural Resources Group, a USEPA-approved Wetland Program Plan, and the NJSEA’s first Wildlife Action Plan. These documents now provide a living framework for the research and restoration goals undertaken daily by MRRI staff. |
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The about 11,000 years ago the American mastodon (Mammut americanum) was a common inhabitant in the Meadowlands? In 1962 two teenage boys discovered the so-called Hackensack Mastodon near Polifly Road; it was recovered by scientists from the American Museum of Natural History. The fossils are reported to be in storage in Bergen County.
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