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Group gets everyone involved
(by K. Darius Amos - January 03, 2008)
With a fleet of two dozen canoes and kayaks, the Hackensack Riverkeeper can create soft ripples on the surface of the Hackensack River just about any time of the year. On occasion, the area’s leading conservationist organization will launch its pontoon boats onto the water, offering tranquil cruises to people of all walks of life — environmentalists, school children, senior citizens and young couples.
Now in its 10th year of watching over the river, Hackensack Riverkeeper can finally move up and down the river at any pace. The recent addition of a 12- to- 14-foot jet boat, a donation from a local resident, will allow the Riverkeeper to launch from southern points along the river and arrive in central Bergen County faster than ever.
According to Capt. Hugh Carola, program director of Hackensack Riverkeeper, the jet boat will be used to police the river and control pollution.
“The boat will allow us to go beyond the Court Street Bridge. There are a lot of DPW yards up there, and most are good, but you’ll never know what’s going into the water,” Carola said. “We can give more time and effort to get polluters. Now we can go from Secaucus and up the river fast.”
Though patrolling the northern and southern shores of the Hackensack River, including the Meadowlands, has become part of Hackensack Riverkeeper’s reputation, Carola and the group’s members still consider teaching one of their most important strengths. And one of the most popular and effective teaching tools that Carola and Capt. Bill Sheehan utilize throughout the year are the two pontoon boats and their eco-cruises.
With hopes of promoting a healthy Hackensack River watershed and further environmental awareness, Sheehan started an eco-cruise program in 1994, three years before Hackensack Riverkeeper was founded. Sheehan, a United States Coast Guard captain, led each of the cruises, navigating through the creeks and marshes of the Meadowlands while narrating along the way.
Carola, also a U.S. Coast Guard captain, joined the Riverkeeper in 1999, leaving his career in retail to volunteer with Sheehan and his small staff. Under Sheehan, Carola learned the history, along with the present-day ins and outs of the river, and was soon leading tours and cruises.
Today, the cruises and on-water activity have boomed in popularity. Carola said the Riverkeeper launches approximately 200 eco-cruises a year, giving roughly 3,000 patrons the opportunity to see the wildlife and scenery of the river. Another 1,000 or so boaters a year take off in canoes and kayaks, upping the total number of people that the Riverkeeper can educate.
“Capt. Bill and I have found that the most popular reaction to the cruises is ‘I had no idea it was out there’,” Carola said.
He added that boat riders see local places such as the Shop-Rite on South River Street in Hackensack or even renowned landmarks like the Empire State Building from new perspectives.
“They’ve never seen the these sites from the river. It’s new to them, and it’s the peace that needs to be policed.”
Each pontoon boat seats a maximum of 15 riders. The cruises, which begin at the docks in Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus, wind through the Meadowlands and up and down the Hackensack River. Carola and Sheehan have taken the boats as far north as the Court Street Bridge in Bogota and Hackensack and as far south as New Brunswick. Distances and destinations typically depend on the time of day and the river’s tide, though most are tailored to the customers. All rides, however, focus on the Meadowlands.
Carola said many first-time riders question the river’s safety and current condition. Most believe the waters are still heavily contaminated but the ship’s captains debunk the myths and explain that the proverbial tides are turning and the river is cleaning itself.
“We point out what used to be garbage dumps. We try to downplay the pollution and show them the real Meadowlands,” he said.
The Real Meadowlands
During the eco-cruise season, May through October, bird watchers have the opportunity to see approximately 270 species of birds in the Meadowlands and Hackensack River area. Seventy species nest and make their home in the Meadowlands, while another 200 species use it as a migrating stop. Various egrets, herons, hawks and sandpipers, among others, are the favorites of cruise-goers, Carola said.
In addition to birds and waterfowl, the river is also home to many varieties of fish, crabs and turtles, which are all visible from aboard the pontoon boats. Carola, however, said he sometimes has to assure riders that certain wildlife doesn’t thrive along the water.
“During the recent West Nile Virus outbreak, we had a group of senior citizens canceling trips,” he said. “The Meadowlands has gnats but it doesn’t have mosquitoes.”
Other callers, he said, questioned the validity that bears were spotted in the Meadowlands.
“The only time bears can be found is during football season in Giants Stadium,” he joked.
Showing off the real Meadowlands was one of the earliest goals of the Riverkeeper and the eco-cruise program. Taking 15 patrons at a time, Carola and Sheehan stressed the importance of protecting the watershed.
“By taking them out on the water and teaching them about the Meadowlands and the river, we were able to build a constituency,” Carola said. “We were able to turn this action into advocacy. Knowledge is power.”
On the waterfront
In recent years, Hackensack Riverkeeper has added more to its list of educational and awareness programs. In addition to the eco-cruises, which are run by Carola and Sheehan, kayaking and canoeing are offered. Run by Nick Vos Wein, Riverkeeper operates the only small boat livery service on the Hackensack River. Kayak and canoe tours launch from Secaucus.
Carola also arranges and narrates various eco-walks throughout nature trails and parks within the Hackensack Watershed. Popular walks include hikes along the State Line Lookout in Alpine, Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus and the upcoming Mehrhof Pond event in Little Ferry.
Little Ferry’s Losen Slote Park and Hackensack’s Johnson Park are sites for upcoming Hackensack River Cleanup events. Sponsored by the Riverkeeper and coordinated by Lisa Ryan, river cleanups are focused along the banks of the river and clear garbage and debris from the water. Often, kayaks and canoes are dispatched from the parks to clear the surrounding water.
Riverkeeper staff also hosts discussions and talks with local organizations and groups. Carola said he has appeared in classrooms and at rotary club meetings, among other venues.
“We really do work with people of all ages. From pre-Kindergarten to senior citizens, anyone can enjoy our programs and the river.”
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