Captain Bill stands before an audience of about 50 municipal officials at the
recent Green Table Forum, hosted by Hackensack Riverkeeper
Green Table Forum: Open space, open minds
Mayors, municipal officials gain tactical knowledge
By Hugh M. Carola
On December 12, 2001, Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. hosted a Green Table Forum for the mayors and governing bodies of the Hackensack River watershed. The event was attended by over fifty participants. Beginning with a buffet dinner, the evening featured discussions on the importance of land preservation and the mechanics of successful land acquisition. The Forum also dealt with specific acquisition sites within the intensively developed Hackensack River watershed such as Ell Woods in Hillsdale and the Teaneck Creek Woods in Teaneck.
Captain Bill stands before an audience of about 50 municipal officials at the
recent Green Table Forum, hosted by Hackensack Riverkeeper
In addition to support from PSEG, the Forum was funded through a grant from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF). Modeled after Morris County's successful "Green Table," it was the last in a series of land preservation initiatives supported by Hackensack Riverkeeper and funded by NJCF in 2001. Representing NJCF at the Riverkeeper event was Dennis Miranda, Urban Projects Coordinator and longtime colleague.
The unusual setting for the meeting was the Public Service Energy Group's (PSE&G) Bergen Generating Station in Ridgefield Park, NJ, a state-of-the-art, zero-discharge power plant that has enhanced the water quality of the Hackensack River. "Essentially the Ridgefield plant itself and its pollution control units are fine," said Mary Mears, spokesperson of the USEPA regional office in New York. "These are very clean units."
Also among the attendees were John Ponticorvo, Chair of the Ridgefield Environmental Commission, Teaneck Committeewoman Deborah Veach, Patricia Guida from the Lyndhurst Historical Society and the entire governing body of Ridgefield Park led by Mayor George Fosdick. Everyone received a file of information and educational materials that included model municipal ordinances that help conserve natural resources, and guides for finding funding and support for open space preservation projects. In an informative presentation, Martha Sapp, Northeast Team Leader for the NJDEP Green Acres Program outlined how the successful state program works and how municipalities and nonprofit groups can avail themselves of acquisition funds.
Captain Bill Sheehan, the keynote speaker for this event, gave an entertaining and informative PowerPoint presentation entitled, "The Twelve Myths of Urban Growth" that stressed the importance for elected officials to listen to citizens – and to their own minds. "Voters in the watershed consistently support acquisition of open space through state, county and municipal open space preservation initiatives," said Capt. Sheehan. "Leaders have to realize that their constituents will support them."
Another speaker, Jim Hall, Executive Director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, spoke about how the bi-state Commission can help communities Other speakers included Abbie Fair, the Project Director for Land & Water Resources at the Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) and Cathe Morrow, then Chair of the Watershed Management Area 5 Open Space Committee (and HRI Trustee) who said of the evening, "Information is the first key to successful land preservation initiatives and I'm very happy to have helped open some doors."
