THE MARSH CONNECTION
News from the Meadowlands Environment Center and the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority
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Hydroponic Vertical Farm Containers Arrive! |
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Four recycled shipping containers converted into hydroponic vertical farms by AmplifiedAg arrived at the NJSEA on March 9th. This project is a partnership among the NJSEA, MEC and the REED Foundation for Autism funded by a Federal Earmark and the State. Each container is fully equipped, ready for planting when hooked up to water, and power and modified as “learning farms” for instruction. High school students and adults with autism through REED’s “Greens Do Good” program will learn to become hydroponic vertical farmers and sell their harvest to supermarkets, restaurants and food services in communities in the area. Through this innovative program, the partners and stakeholders will increase understanding of how work experience at the farm will prepare participants from this population with greater knowledge and skills to enter the workforce. The farm containers are being stored awaiting preparation of the site on Disposal Road.
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Environmental Planning Program at the MEC
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In February middle school students from the Hudson County Gifted and Talented program were challenged to address the familiar adage.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
Students were introduced to the issues of flooding and poor water quality that many New Jersey citizens deal with that demonstrate this adage. They investigated the benefits and pitfalls of various land uses and made a plan that attempted to strike a balance between the wants and needs of a community and best practices for preserving the integrity of the watershed. Their investigation culminated in the building and presentation of a 3-D model of their environmentally friendly town.
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New Programs on Climate Change
Launched in March
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Students from Jersey City, Wayne and Parsippany-Troy Hills experienced our new program offering on Climate Change. Students differentiated weather and climate, learned how greenhouse gasses cause the changes and conducted experiments on how glacier and iceberg melt, and topography affect sea level rise. They conducted a survey outside to measure how an increase in the level of a few inches will change the Meadowlands.
Students learned about modifications in buildings like our LEEDS certified science center and played Jeopardy and a “Climate Change Game” to explore all the actions they and their families can do to slow the changes to our planet. NJ is the first state in the nation to require all its public schools to adopt Climate Change Education into its curriculum, the MEC will continue to provide this new programming to schools and offer professional development programs to teachers that include our lesson plans.
For more information or to schedule a program, please call 201-390-5583.
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Summer Programs at the MEC! |
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If you are a parent interested in signing your child up for a summer camp experience, the Meadowlands Environment Center is pleased to offer day camp programs specifically for children in Lyndhurst and the surrounding towns. These programs are not only fun, but the age appropriate, hands-on activities offered will encourage exploration, learning, and discovery to make sure your child is practicing the standards set forth by the NGSS and NJSLA-S. Each day will have a morning session and an afternoon session that will keep your child engaged in science-based activities inside the Meadowlands Environment Center as well as outside, weather permitting. Daily themes and activities will be determined based on the forecast and differ each session. This 2-week camp runs July 31 through August 11 with limited space available.
More information can be found on our website for online registration opening on April 15th!
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Kearny Marsh Conservation Project Gearing Up |
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The Bergen County Audubon Society this month provided the NJSEA with decoys and nesting shelters that were created by volunteers and will be placed on a floating island in the Kearny Freshwater Marsh as part of an innovative conservation project. The initiative, created by the NJSEA’s Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute (MRRI), seeks to encourage local endangered species such as Least Terns and Black Skimmers to nest on an artificial island.
The decoys provided by the volunteers will help to lure in Least Turns and other endangered colonial nesting waterbirds. The nesting shelters will provide protection from predators and fledgling Least Terns. MRRI will also be installing a sound box to assist in attracting Black Skimmers, and remote cameras that will stream live video to MRRI’s scientists and to the public through MRRI’s website, meadowlandsrri.com.
The NJSEA extends a hearty thank you to the Maywood Boy Scouts and Fair Lawn High School wood shop students who constructed the nesting shelters and decoys.
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Celebrate Spring in the Meadowlands: Native Plant Day Is Sunday, May 21, at DeKorte Park! |
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Join the NJSEA and Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS) for Native Plant Day on Sunday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. This family-friendly event encourages visitors to explore the significant importance of native plants to parks and natural areas. Local species serve as food sources for many Meadowlands pollinators such as bees and butterflies. In addition, Monarch Butterflies will only lay eggs on milkweed, a native plant that is abundant in DeKorte Park. As the Monarch Butterfly is in decline, the existence of native plants is critically important to their survival.
Throughout Native Plant Day, NJSEA and BCAS experts will lead tours of DeKorte’s diverse flora. There will also be a presentation on creating a certified wildlife garden in your own backyard. Creating a native plant habitat at home allows individuals to do their part in supporting birds and wildlife while fostering a healthy landscape.
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A New Tool for Wildlife Research |
The Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog is a recently discovered frog species found in freshwater ecosystems throughout the northeastern United States, and is the only amphibian species known to occur in the Meadowlands. In general, because Atlantic Coast Leopard Frogs are difficult to find and typically most active at night, they are difficult to study. As a result, not much is known about them.
To better understand this species and determine where they might be living within the Meadowlands, NJSEA Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute (MRRI) scientists this spring employed new technology known as acoustic recording units (ARUs). These tools are a relatively novel method of surveying wildlife without disturbing the species or the habitat. They can be deployed for a number of days and nights to capture all sounds during those hours when frogs would likely be vocal. Once the sounds are collected, they are downloaded and analyzed by MRRI scientists using a variety of software.
The use of ARUs to detect Atlantic Coast Leopard Frogs in the Meadowlands proved effective as the equipment detected frogs in a number of sites around the area. This demonstrates a world of possibility for nocturnal wildlife research in the Meadowlands, and urban habitats as a whole. Going forward, MRRI will be expanding their use of ARUs to monitor the Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog to assess long-term trends and, ultimately, conservation goals.
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Meet Michele Daly
MSW, MSET Director Disability Education
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Michele Daly has been a member of the MEC staff since 2007. She served as project manager for the MarshAccess grant funded by the National Science Foundation and continues to disseminate successful strategies for engaging disabled audiences in informal science as a consultant for NASA’s solar system ambassador program. In addition to her personal experience living with a disability, Ms. Daly has worked with the disabled community for nearly three decades. She is currently the Director of Disability Education at Ramapo’s Meadowlands Environment Center overseeing daily programming to ensure equal access under the law. Michele earned a BSW and a Master of Science in Educational Technology from Ramapo College, and a MSW from Rutgers University. She joined the MEC staff with experience in the Head Start program in Passaic County as well as an academic disability counselor for the Office of Specialized Services at Ramapo.
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The blue claw crab (Callinectes sapidus) lives in the Hackensack River and the impoundment on the NJSEA campus. You can tell males from females by looking at their claws - females’ claws have bright red tips. The first crabbers in the Hackensack and Newark bay region – Native Americans followed by Europeans used these abundant, pugnacious crustaceans as a source of food. Their position as scavengers and their importance to the trophic structure makes Callinectes a critically important part of this ecosystem.
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Meet Gabrielle Bennett-Meany
NJSEA Senior Natural Resources Specialist/Open Space Manager
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Gabrielle Bennett-Meany plays an integral part in the day-to-day maintenance of multiple New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority properties, including the highly popular DeKorte Park, home of the NJSEA.
Bennett-Meany’s responsibilities include employing environmentally sound practices of natural resource land management of NJSEA parks, trails and restoration sites. She provide ecological monitoring at restored and remnant native landscapes. “The NJSEA park and trail system inspires an appreciation for the beauty and value of native plants and a commitment to protect the habitats that sustain them,” Bennett-Meany said.
In addition, Bennett-Meany oversees special outdoor projects and maintenance including trail repair, outdoor classrooms, signage, tree planting, native plants, erosion control, interpretive kiosks and special gardens. She organizes and coordinates conservation projects that protect the Meadowlands and its natural resources. Bennett-Meany also captains and narrates NJSEA Pontoon Boat Trips, educating passengers on the surrounding wildlife, plants and natural resources.
Prior to her current role, Bennett-Meany has served at the agency as a Senior Natural Resources Specialist, Senior Education Program Specialist and Outreach Coordinator. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Environmental Science Management and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, both from Montclair State University.
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