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Hackensack River Water Trail
Action Plan Complete! Hackensack River next to get a
National Parks Water Trail
By Nick Vos-Wein
Some of you might be asking, "What exactly is a water trail?" The answer is fairly simple: it's a route marked out along a continuous waterway with various launches, stops and attractions shown on a map for paddlers and others to follow. Some trails follow wilderness waterways like Maine's Allagash River or Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area while others can be discovered in more urban areas like the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in Washington DC. Some trails are established by state agencies, some by private groups but most - like ours - come about through collaborative effort. What they all have in common is that they are low-impact and they exist to bring people to the water.
"The Hackensack River Water Trail has been an idea just waiting to happen," said Captain Bill. "Now thanks to the hard work that Jared, Nick and Jerry have done it will happen."
Thirty years ago, the idea of establishing a water trail on the lower Hackensack River would have been dismissed as laughable. Like many other urban waterways, the Hackensack had become so polluted and degraded that people literally turned their backs on it. Fortunately times have changed. Thanks to the Clean Water Act and other federal and state environmental protections, a slow and steady healing process has been underway since the 1970s. Water quality has improved, wildlife diversity continues to increase and people are reconnecting with their river; just ask the thousands of folks who come out with us each year.
Although places like Yellowstone and Acadia often come to mind when thinking about National Parks, our region does have its share including Gateway National Recreation Area, Delaware Water Gap NRA, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Morristown National Historic Park and Fire Island National Seashore. Soon we will add our own Hackensack River Water Trail to the list. |
Twenty-one miles worth of good news
is about to hit our watershed: the Hackensack River Water Trail!
Hackensack Riverkeeper and the
National Parks Service Rivers & Trails Program have been working together since
2004 to develop a 21-mile trail from the head of tide at Oradell, NJ to Lincoln
Park in Jersey City. Representing the Service is Jerry Willis, NJ Program
Director for the Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Section.
Jerry first worked with my predecessor Jared Eudell, and then with me, to
create a Draft Action Plan for the trail which was completed late last year.
The groundwork is now complete and over the next few months, we'll conduct a
final round of stakeholder meetings (stay tuned to our Website for updates) and
we expect to unveil the final Hackensack River Water Trail Action Plan this
summer.
Obviously, creating a twenty-one
mile trail with thirteen stops through northeastern New Jersey requires more
collaboration than simply what the Parks Service and Riverkeeper can provide.
Fortunately, the plan has met with praise and support from Bergen and Hudson
Counties, the NJ Meadowlands Commission, key municipalities and private
landowners - all of whom see the value of an official National Parks Water
Trail right here in our own backyard.