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Hackensack Riverkeeper Paddling Center Celebrates Two Milestones By
Nick Vos-Wein
If you have been out paddling with us this year, you may have noticed that our facilities at Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus have undergone some major improvements. Last fall, the Hudson County Department of Parks and Recreation received a grant from the National Trails Program. The grant was used to design and construct a new building to house the Paddling Center. The new building not only provides us with a permanent, secure storage facility, but also enables us to better serve the public who frequents Laurel Hill Park.
This year also marks our 5,000th paddler. Over the years, our fleet of canoes and kayaks have given people the opportunity to explore the fascinating and dynamic ecosystem called the Hackensack Meadowlands. As an educator I often read that, as a rule of thumb, we remember 20% of what we hear, 40% of what we watch, 60% of what we do, and 80% of what we discover for ourselves. By allowing people to discover for themselves all that the Meadowlands has to offer, the Paddling Center is critical to Hackensack Riverkeeper’s mission to protect, preserve and restore the Hackensack River watershed. Many of our paddlers arrive with stereotypical preconcieved notions about the Meadowlands. Our goal is, by the time they leave, to foster in them a sense of stewardship for this once neglected natural treasure. You can help make this our busiest year yet. To register for one of our guided paddles or to make a paddling reservation, call 201-968-0808. Paddling Center Stats. Year # Paddlers # River Hrs. 1999 59 100 2000 112 190 2001 394 918.5 2002 935 1,973 2003 648 1,128 2004 1,551 2,405 2005 817 2,710 Special Thanks To Mr.
Bob Seifert for his generous donation of a nearly new Walker Bay Rowboat. |
Since its inception in July of 1999, the Hackensack
Riverkeeper Canoe Project has been providing river-based recreation
opportunities to area residents.
