CAPTAIN BILL SHEEHAN NAMED TO MEADOWLANDS CONSERVATION TRUST
DiFrancesco's Appointment of Riverkeeper Completes Board
By Hugh M. Carola
On Friday, June 22, Capt. Bill Sheehan took his place at a table where he never once thought he would sit. Just days before, the NJ State Senate unanimously confirmed him as the final member of the Meadowlands Conservation Trust (MCT). The MCT is the state board charged with identifying and facilitating the acquisition of open space in the Meadowlands and throughout the watershed of the Hackensack River.
Capt. Bill joins Richard Kane of the NJ Audubon Society, Abigail Fair of the Association of NJ Environmental Commissions and Mark Becker of Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network as the Trust's representatives from the conservation community. "It's been two years since it was founded. Now that the Board is fully constituted, the Trust can move forward," said Sheehan. "It's been a long time coming and I'm honored to have been asked to serve."
Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco appointed Capt. Sheehan in May at the request of Alan J. Steinberg, Director of the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission. (Yes, you read that correctly and no, it's not a typo.) Fortunately, Senatorial Courtesy, the archaic tradition that allows state senators to block gubernatorial appointments without explanation, was not used in the Captain's case. Since 1999, several potential trustees had their appointments blocked in retaliation for their work on various environmental causes, most notably Dennis Miranda, Urban Projects Coordinator for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and a long-time colleague of Capt. Bill.
Fortunately, all three state senators from Hudson County signed off on Capt. Bill's appointment and his nomination sailed through the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate in what must have been record time for our legislators in Trenton. For the first time since being formed in March of 1999, the Meadowlands Conservation Trust is now fully impanelled and ready to get down to serious work.
In addition to the conservation community members, the aforementioned Mr. Steinberg, North Arlington Mayor Leonard Kaiser and NJ Commissioner of Community Affairs Jane Kenny round out the seven-member MCT. The Trust is empowered by law to acquire and hold property and conservation easements in the Meadowlands and to transfer ownership to state agencies such as the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife which oversees the 900-acre Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lyndhurst / Kearny.
One of the Trust's first tasks will be to promote the purchase of the new Meadowlands license plate; the proceeds from which are earmarked for wetlands acquisition. The Trust is also in communication with Congressman Steven R. Rothman (D-9th) who publicly supports the acquisition and preservation of the region's wetlands and whose seat on the House Appropriations Committee enables him to access federal funding sources. "In light of Acting Gov. DiFrancesco's plan to redevelop the Continental Arena Site and preserve the Empire wetlands," said Capt. Sheehan, "The Meadowlands Conservation Trust is poised to make an important contribution not only to the preservation of Empire, but to the entire 8,500-acre Meadowlands ecosystem."