Cruising through history

How to take an environmental boat ride into wetlands

“See the railroad trestle over there? We used to jump off that into the river when we were kids,” recalled John Jandreau, who has lived in Secaucus for 65 years.
He was one of a number of Hudson County residents who took a Riverkeeper Environmental Boat Ride on June 22. Passengers got some river history lessons from the two guides, Capt. Hugh Carola and the Hackensack Riverkeeper himself, Capt. Bill Sheehan.
The nonprofit Riverkeeper environmental organization runs pontoon boat rides in local waters each summer. For those paying, tours run $25 with a kids’ price of $10 (ages 4-12). They also can charter a boat for a group.
“We’re taking the group to look at the Meadowlands, up and down the river from one end of town to the other and in and out of some of the marshes,” said Sheehan. “It’s low tide so there’s plenty of wildlife around for people to see and enjoy.”

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“We were really fighting for the life of the Meadowlands. And we won.” –Capt. Bill Sheehan
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The two 30-foot pontoon boats traveled through Oritani Marsh, Anderson Creek Marsh, and the Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area. Along the way the captains provided a detailed narration of the history of the area, from Laurel Hill to the landfills and garbage dumps that used to dominate the region, including a now-green hump that was once the Rutherford Municipal Landfill.
“This was Rutherford’s garbage dump for many years,” explained Carola. “The dumping days are done. They’ve been gone for almost 20 years now. They’ve all been shut down. Four of them have been properly sealed up, properly capped.”
In addition to the natural estuaries and waterways filled with birds and turtles and other wildlife, the boats cruised down a man-made canal dug in 1890 for landlocked North Arlington to haul its sewage to the river for dumping.
Nowadays those environmentally unfriendly days are past, in large part due to the efforts of the Hackensack Riverkeeper. Since the 1990s, Sheehan and later Carola have been strong advocates for conservation of the natural resources in the region.
“We’re a 100 percent independent, nonprofit voice for the river,” said Sheehan. “We were really fighting for the life of the Meadowlands. And we won.”

Wildlife and history

Carola provided a running commentary in his boat, pointing out birds and their hidden nests along the way, describing the legal battles against chemical dumpers, recalling the trolleys and bridges and radio stations that used to dot the landscape as the boat passed historic landmarks like the HX Jacknife Bridge, built in 1905.
“It stands for ‘Hackensack Crossing,” he said. “That style of bridge is not one you see very often. The concrete drops down which lifts the other end of the bridge up and allows the larger vessels to go through. There’s one in Newark that’s no longer in service. Too many moving parts, too many things can go wrong.”

Saving the wetlands

A former rock and roll drummer and taxi dispatcher, Sheehan bought his first boat in 1995 and began giving tours of the river. “At that time it was more of an advocacy tour because the Meadowlands Commission was deeply engaged in a plan to try and continue filling in all the wetlands,” he said.
Despite the presence of large industrial areas that were no longer used and available for repurposing, many developers preferred to fill in vacant wetlands. “People just thought they were useless swamps or full of garbage,” he said. “They wanted to make new land in the New York metropolitan area. There were thousands of acres of wetlands lost to development during the 70s and the ’80s. So in the ’90s I became really active in educating the public as to what these resources really mean.”
Hugh Carola joined him in 1999 after leaving a job he hated in retail. For six months he worked for free. “In July of 1999 I started drawing a salary from what was then called the Meadowlands Preservation Alliance, which was a separate group from Riverkeeper,” said Carola.
Then in 2001 the finances came together for Sheehan to hire Carola. The following year Carola got his captain’s license from the Coast Guard and they bought their second boat.
“We ultimately won the battles that we were fighting with the Meadowlands Commission and preserved 8,400 acres of wetlands,” said Sheehan. “And changed their whole focus from an organization that used to promote wetlands loss to an organization that promoted redevelopment.”
Hackensack Riverkeeper continues to provide eco-cruises throughout the Meadowlands, along with renting canoes and kayaks, holding events, and conducting volunteer clean-ups along the river.
Secaucus typically partners with them for one free tour each summer, although last year it didn’t take place. This year they’re making up for it with two trips. The second is scheduled for July 20, and there is already a waiting list.
“So many people live in the Meadowlands, they live near the river, and they’re not getting a chance to enjoy it,” said Sheehan.
For more information on the Riverkeeper including available tours and volunteer opportunities, visit hackensackriverkeeper.org or call (201) 968-0808.

Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.

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