Guided Tour along The Meadows Trail to Celebrate Earth…

Come join The Meadows Trail Crew for a walk in the Meadows forest. 

Date:  Saturday April 20, 2024

Time:  11:00 to 1:00pm

No Rain Date

The Meadows is the largest Borough owned natural area in Highland Park.  Its 18 acres includes forested areas, wetlands, open streams, and important floodplain areas along the Raritan River.  Eight acres of The Meadows was used as a landfill from 1940 to 1977.  It is now a recovering environment and its ecological functions and value continue to improve.  This  amazing forest has over 40 species of trees, but also has many invasive non-native species to contend with.  A dedicated Trail Crew has been maintaining and improving the ecosystem.

It will be very leisurely, but bring comfortable shoes and water.  Spots can be very muddy too.

Meet at the Trail Entrance at the base of S. 5th Ave.

Park at the DPW lot at 444 Valentine St.

All ages welcome!

Does Highland Park Recycle – YES!

A number of Highland Park resident have approach members of the Environmental Commission as to why the borough does NOT recycle.  Other resident say they do not recycle because they see the “recycling” thrown into the back of the garbage trucks to be sent to a land fill.

In the past Highland Park separated paper, plastics, metal, and glass separately. Highland Park now collects all of the recyclables in the same truck and takes it to a recycling center. This is termed “commingling.”  Highland Park uses Colgate Paper Stock Company, 12 Industrial Drive, New Brunswick for it recycling.  The company is about 70 years old and started in NY city. The company has about 60 employees.

Members of the Environmental Commission, Council President Hersh, and employees of HP DPW and New Brunswick DPW recently had a tour of the Colgate recycling center in October It is a very impressive operation. More than 200 trucks with recycling arrive every day. The company operates 24 hours a day/seven days a week.  They are closed for Christmas and New Years

The process starts by the trucks being weighted to determine the weight of recyclables that are being delivered. The truck then dumps their load onto the floor of the plant. Large uploader tractor transfer loads of the recyclables on to a conveyor belt and they are machine sorted by size – cardboard and paper is remove first. They have employees who remove non-recyclable plastics and trash from the conveyor belt, plastics are separated into 2 categories, further down metals and aluminum cans are separated, then glasses. Each of these different materials goes down a different processing line. and get further separated.  There are two types are aluminum cans A and B which are further separated.  Glasses are separated by color: green, brown, and clear. All of these separate materials are formed into 2000 pounds rectangular bales, which have dimensions of about 8 x 8 x 10 feet (see Figures ). The baling machine are huge and cost about 2 million dollars each.

The plant has system to detect high temperatures, fires and has a fire suppression system.

One surprise about the recycling plant was how clean It is and the building does not smell.

Colgate sells these recycled materials to companies worldwide.

The company rejects about 1% of the material delivered to them. 

Some surprises – pizza boxes if only slightly soiled can be recycled, as well as aluminum foil and aluminum plates (such as for pies, cakes).

Request from Colgate: remove the hard plastic tops of water bottles, Snapple bottles, etc.

Yes, Highland Park is recycling – Plastic 1 and 2, aluminum cans, cat food cans, steel cans, newspaper, paper, cardboard. This recycling helps save the environment, saves money as recycling is cheaper than landfill disposal. So HP residents please take the time to recycle. It helps everyone.

Winter Ducks Return

Female Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, and Buffleheads have been observed in the Raritan River in late November off of Donaldson Park and Johnson Park and in some of the ponds in Johnson Park.

Slate Colored Juncos and White Throated Sparrows have been sighted in many backyards in late December.

Eagles have been repeatedly seen in Johnson Park and Donaldson Park in late November and December;

Environmental Commission Wins Grant from ANJEC/LSRPA Foundation

The Highland Park Environmental Commission (EC)has been awarded a grant from ANJEC (The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions) to make improvements and continue maintenance of the Meadows and the Meadows Trail. The Meadows Trail Crew and EC members will replace an ageing boardwalk close to the entrance and will build another observation deck in the eastern end of The Meadows conservation. It will overlook a meadow area. The observation deck construction will require removal of brush, building a small trail to the site of the observation deck (off of the main loop trail), and create a level foundation area, and building the observation deck.

The grant was partially funded by the LSRPA Foundation (Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association). The LSRP’s are the professionals, who oversee the remediation of contaminated sites, write plans and reports, and certify the remediated area is suitable for intended use. This authority had been delegated to them by NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

This funding occurred because The Meadows was previously a landfill (ended in early 1970’s) and has been remediated.

The replacement of the boardwalk and new observation deck will be completed by June 2024.  

Rutgers Day of Service Volunteers in the Meadows

Saturday, March 26, was the Rutgers Day of Service. Seven RDS volunteers worked at the Meadows on Saturday morning for three hours in spite of the rain. They cut the invasive plants and bushes: Lonicera, Highbush Honeysuckle, and Wisteria. In addition, they did a lot of trail work – cleaning ups and lining the trail with logs.

The Environmental Commission and Meadows Volunteers thank these hardworking Rutgers students for service and dedication!

NJ Invasive Plant LegislationNJ Invasive Plant Legislation

Non-native Invasive plants are becoming a significant problem. A good example is invasive bamboo trees. There are two identical bills in the assembly and the senate (A3677 and S22186) that are attempting to deal with this problem by banning the sales of various invasive plants in New Jersey.

Residents of New Jersey do not have to wait for the legislation to help solve the problem. The NJ Invasive Plant Strike Team has put together a listing of invasive plants. Many of which are sold in NJ stores and nurseries. We recommend that resident do not buy such plants. The list can be download here.

Peregrine Falcons and Other Birds in Johnson Park

Peregrine Falcons have returned to Johnson Park. They have been multiple times (as many as 3 peregrines) in the tall trees along Johnson Park Road just before the John Lynch Bridge (Route 18, Eastern side of bridge). Peregrine falcons feed on birds (frequently pigeons). Typically, Peregrine dive from above reaching maximum speeds of 240 mph. The impact of the peregrine’s talons on the prey usually kills the prey instantly.

It is believed that a family of Peregrines had a nest on the steel girders of the John Lynch Bridge last year. In the wild Peregrine nest on open rock outcrops. Peregrines have adapted to “city life” nesting on ledges of building including skyscraper and bridge girders.

A pair of Eagles has been showing up in the tallest tree next to the Raritan River and the pond across from the old Johnson Park zoo. Winter ducks including common merganser, common golden eyes, and buffleheads have seen in the area of the Raritan River around the John Lynch Bridge and further up river.

Also, Common Merganser have been seen in the Raritan River off of Donaldson Park.

Map of Part of Johnson Park

Blue rectangle where Eagles have been seen. Red rectangle where Peregrines have been seen.

ANJEC Awards Councilman Phil George the Municipal Leadership Award

Phil George Highland Park Councilman and Shawn LaTourette  NJDEP Commissioner at ANJEC Congress, Oct 2022

The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) has awarded Highland Park Councilman Phil George their Municipal Leader Award for his work to improve the local environment.  Working with Sustainable Highland Park, he wrote the ordinance banning single use plastic bags, which was passed by the Council several years ago. Working with the Environmental Commission and administration, he brought a PSE&G solar farm with battery storage to an abandoned landfill.  In addition, his actions have resulted in the purchase of electrical vehicles for the Borough, Electric Vehicle charging stations at the Community Center, the electrification of the Meadows Volunteer equipment , Passage of an updated Stornwater Ordinance, and implementation of the Water Quality Accountability Act.

Death of a Double Crested Cormorant (“phalcrocorax auratus”)

Several days ago at dusk, I was driving through Johnson Park past the large pond across from the old zoo. Multiple Cormorants were flying in and perching on the one of the higher branches of the largest tree between the pond and the Raritan River (where frequently an Eagle is perched). One Cormorant was flying in and suddenly was jerked upwards. It seems that one of his feet was entangle in a fisherman’s monofilament line and the other end of the line in a tree branch. As hard it tried flapping it wings to get untangled, it did not happen. For the next few days its body upside down swung back and forth in the breeze.  On the fourth day, the body was gone. Fell to earth, removed by a predator?

The important point is that monofilament fishing line should be discarded properly. There are containers for the filament by both of the major ponds in Johnson Park (see figures below).

New Bird in Johnson Park

Since the last week in April, a Peregrine Falcon has been seen in the trees just east of the John Lynch Bridge (Rt. 18) along the Raritan in Johnson Park.  On one occasion there were two Peregrine Falcons in the trees. There is speculation that they may want to nest on the bridge, which is not unusual in an urban environment. In Jersey City they are known to nest on ledges of tall buildings. 

Peregrine feed on other birds. They will dive from above going about 200 mph and hit the prey with their talons. The impact is sufficient to kill the prey.