Learn about “The Nature of the Meadowlands” at Audubon meeting

Jim Wright, communications officer at the NJ Meadowlands
Commission, will bring his program, “The Nature of The Meadowlands,” to the
Monmouth County Audubon meeting on Wednesday, May 14 at 8:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Church of the
Nativity on Ridge Road in
Fair Haven. The public is welcome; admission is free.

For
decades, New Jersey’s Meadowlands have been known mostly as the home of the
NFL’s Giants and Jets, or the place where Jimmy Hoffa is buried, or a wasteland
that travelers passed through on the way to somewhere else. Until recently,
that reputation was deserved. The land was blighted with unregulated landfills,
and the Hackensack River
was so polluted that barnacles couldn’t survive. These days, MetLife Stadium,
which was the host of the 2014 Super Bowl, and the region itself have made a
remarkable environmental comeback – to the point where it is a prime
destination for birders, kayakers and other nature lovers.

Jim
Wright’s presentation is based upon his book of the same name. In words and
images," The Nature of the Meadowlands" illuminates the region’s
natural and unnatural history, from its darkest days of a half-century ago to
its amazing environmental revival today. The evening promises to be education
and entertaining.

The Monmouth County Audubon Society, a chapter of
the National Audubon Society, is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of
nature, wildlife conservation, habitat protection, and education. Meetings are
held the second Wednesday of each month September through May at the Church of
the Nativity, 180 Ridge Road, Fair Haven; guest speakers address a wide variety
of nature-related topics, and refreshments are provided. In addition, the group
sponsors at least one field trip per month, and members receive The Osprey, the club’s bi-monthly
newsletter. Further information can be obtained by visiting the organization’s
Website at http://www.monmouthaudubon.org, or via e-mail at info@monmouthaudubon.org.