Empire Tract Renamed The Richard P. Kane Natural Area

 

By Hugh M. Carola

 

The recently preserved 587-acre Empire Tract on the Hackensack River in Carlstadt, just a stone’s throw from Giants Stadium, has been renamed the Richard P. Kane Natural Area. Former Vice President of Conservation and Stewardship for the New Jersey Audubon Society (NJAS), Kane produced research on wildlife in the Meadowlands that was critical to environmentalists working to preserve the region’s wetlands. The new name was announced before 200 attendees of the Second Annual New Jersey Meadowlands Festival of Birding on September 19, 2005.

“I cannot think of a person more deserving of an honor like this; Rich Kane has always been a dedicated, devoted advocate of habitat preservation and environmental awareness here in the Meadowlands,” said Tina Schvejda, executive director, Meadowlands Conservation Trust, which holds the title to the land and is charged with its care. “Rich is a wealth of knowledge and a strong, vibrant leader within New Jersey’s environmental community.”

For more than 30 years, Kane studied the birds of New Jersey, learning to identify 350 species by their call alone. His survey of breeding wildlife in Meadowlands marshes during the 1970s led to increased knowledge of wetland functions and the significance of open space for wildlife habitat. In 1997, NJAS published Kane’s 37-page Hackensack River Migratory Bird Report. The report’s findings were used throughout the many battles to save the wetlands of the Meadowlands and are credited with helping to change the region’s culture to one of conservation. The Report is still referenced by the environmental community today.

“Not so long ago, there was a time when the only thing that stood between the destruction of the Meadowlands and its preservation was - literally -  the 37 pages of Rich’s Report,” said Captain Bill Sheehan, Trust Chairman and Hackensack Riverkeeper.® “I’m proud to call Rich a colleague and even prouder to call him a friend.”

The Meadowlands Conservation Trust is chartered by the State of New Jersey to acquire, hold and manage conservation lands within the Meadowlands and throughout the Hackensack River watershed. The 587-acre Natural Area, located largely in Carlstadt, NJ, and on the Hackensack River, was transferred to the Trust’s ownership on March 25 of this year. The acreage is comprised predominantly of wetlands with approximately 25 acres of uplands on the property as well. 

Plans for the site’s management include the restoration of tidal flow over the wetlands (currently prevented by tidegates across Moonachie and Bashes Creeks and berms along the banks of Losen Slote) and the addition of walking paths, canoe/ kayak access points and birding trails on the upland portions.

“The Trust is proud to be able to rename the crown jewel of the Meadowlands after such an influential and inspirational man,” said Schvejda.

(from left) Tina Schvejda, Richard Kane and Bill Sheehan celebrate the historic renaming of the Empire Tract