Letters to Riverkeeper:
Greetings:
What a great time of year this is. Something is special about the river as summer approaches. Having grown up on the old Hackey, I find that it seems to hold special memories of many a hot summer day playing at Snipes Beach. The area surrounding the river has changed so much since that time, but something about the river always remains the same. I guess that it is more a feeling, which the river gives to those of us who grew up in the towns where it flows. I still find something fascinating about standing there simply watching the tide roll by and the smell of the air. Some people may think that it does not smell nice at all, but to me it is like perfume. And when the sun reflects off the waves as a tug goes by, that is the end of a perfect day.
I find your web site to be interesting, however I feel that it would be better if you could include some photographic images of the river, and the life that seems to be thriving in the Meadowlands. I am grateful for people who seem to be concerned with the welfare of this wonderful ecological environment. You are doing a good thing by your Riverkeeper activities. I hope that the change in the name of the H.M.D.C. to the N.J.M.C. is an indication that they intend to work more in the future for the goal of protecting what remains, rather than finding every excuse in the book to exploit this precious part of the earth.
I now live some distance from Secaucus, but I still enjoy opportunities to visit and watch the wildlife on the river. Now I live closer to a different river, a river that has its own ecological concerns. This river has a history just as does the Hackensack. As all rivers bind us together as a nation they are things which deserve protection, and I thank you for what you are doing for your river. I hope that in the future you can add some images of the Hackensack.
Sincerely:
Michael
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Morning, Riverkeeper:
I came across your site by chance and was happy to remember you as the subject of a television documentary not long ago. I applaud your work.
A New Jersey native who got out as fast as possible after high school because of the state's environmental wasteland, I am so grateful to know that you and many others decided to solve the problems rather than flee. (And with a four-stroke motor. Excellent!)
Of course, you can't run from any of it. A Seattle resident for 13 years, I have watched with dismay as this once-pristine landscape has come under assault by short-sighted developers who need a good lesson in bio-mimicry. So I work as a volunteer editor for an anti-sprawl group.
I wish you the best
as you work to educate fellow New Jerseyans on the importance of preserving their
natural capital. When next I get home, I shall visit the Meadowlands and see your
work first hand. In the meantime, I hope a small donation will be of some assistance.
Best,
Mieke
Bomann