The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC; formerly the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission) was a regional zoning, planning and regulatory agency in northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Its founding mandates were to protect the delicate balance of nature, provide for orderly development, and manage solid waste activities in the

New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of N ...

District. The Commission operated as an independent state agency between 1969 and 2015, loosely affiliated with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. NJMC was merged with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority through legislative action.

Establishment

The Meadowlands Commission was established by an Act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

in 1969, sponsored in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

by Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. The merger with the Sports and Exposition Authority was made effective in February 2015.

Geographic jurisdiction

The Meadowlands District is composed of , approximately 31 mi², of 14 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson counties. They are: Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack, and

Teterboro Teterboro ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 67,Bergen County Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Kearny,

North Bergen North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...

, and

Secaucus Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,Hudson County. The Meadowlands District stretches mainly along the delta of the Hackensack and

Passaic River Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...

s as they flow into

Newark Bay Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, t ...

; tributaries of the Hackensack include Berrys Creek and Overpeck Creek. The District is bordered by U.S. Route 46 on the north, Routes U.S. Route 1/9 (Tonnelle Avenue) and the freight rail line owned by

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

and

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Corp. (the former Conrail main line) on the east, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) commuter rail lines and Pulaski Skyway on the south, and Route 17, the Pascack Valley Line, and the Kingsland rail line on the west.

Program history

Diking and Draining the New Jersey Meadows - Scientific American - July 1868

MUNICIPAL GARBAGE DUMP IN HACKENSACK MEADOWS ATTRACTS THOUSANDS OF SEAGULLS

Prior to the establishment of the NJMC, the Meadowlands region was viewed as a dumping ground, and the Hackensack River and its marshes were often seen as places to fill for commercial and industrial development. Through cooperation with environmentalists, businesses, mayors, state and federal agencies, the NJMC authored a new Master Plan for the Meadowlands District in 2004 to target development to

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

and greyfield sites, revitalizing formerly blighted areas into places of economic and community growth and preserving of

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and open space. The new Master Plan anticipates a market value of $5.6 billion and the creation of 56,250 new permanent jobs in the Meadowlands District through the Secaucus Transit Village, Belleville Turnpike Redevelopment Area, and other redevelopment projects. Following the Master Plan's adoption, the NJMC focused its goals into four policy areas: improving environmental stewardship, fostering economic success with an eye on business growth, aiding municipalities, and expanding special services, educational and cultural programs. These policies are backed by MAGNET (Meadowlands Area Grants for Natural and Economic Transformation), a five-year, $32 million funding plan. In 2006, milestones for the NJMC included plans to bring 20 megawatts of renewable energy (solar, tidal, geothermal, etc.) to the Meadowlands District by the year 2020, the establishment of green building guidelines to encourage

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

development, endorsement of the

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...

to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and the release of "Birding and Wildlife Trails: Meadowlands and More," a free, 72-page color guide encouraging visitors to enjoy

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

activities in the region including birding, catch-and-release fishing, hiking, canoeing, and pontoon boat cruises offered in the summer. The NJMC also advanced the sharing of services between the 14 Meadowlands municipalities to lighten the municipalities’ individual tax burdens. The agency has established a municipal equipment pool, offered financial and technical assistance with New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) planning, and allocated $1 million to investigate additional shared services programs. The agency is also leading regional efforts to improve stormwater management and create a comprehensive transportation plan for the Meadowlands District.

Environmental research

In order to support its land use management and other policies with scientific data, the NJMC established the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI). MERI has placed comprehensive air and water quality monitoring systems throughout the Meadowlands District, and has developed

Geographic Information System A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

digital mapping technology for the Meadowlands municipalities. MERI functions as a center for scientific investigations of the urban wetlands, their functioning, restoration, and sustainable management. In the Kearny Marsh, MERI is currently conducting a study utilizing Aquablok to trap contaminated sediments in the marsh floor while allowing plants and aquatic life to thrive above. The study will attempt to determine if Aquablok improves water quality, biodiversity, and the ability of flora and fauna to colonize the marsh, once called the "best freshwater marsh in the state" by the

New Jersey Audubon Society The New Jersey Audubon is an environmental education and conservation advocacy organization. Founded in 1897, it is one of New Jersey's largest environmental organizations, with several staffed nature centers, dozens of unstaffed sanctuaries, and ...

Land protections in the district

The NJMC has acquired more than of the remaining wetlands in the Meadowlands District for preservation and enhancement. The Skeetkill Creek Marsh in Ridgefield, Harrier Meadow in North Arlington, and Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus have been restored or enhanced through the agency's efforts. Goals of restorations include increased tidal flow, the reduction of

phragmites ''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Taxonomy The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in London ...

, and greater use of the site by estuarine species of fish, waterfowl, and shorebirds. According to a report by the

, the Meadowlands is a major part of the Atlantic Flyway migration route. Two hundred and sixty five species of birds including great and

snowy egrets The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...

tree swallow The tree swallow (''Tachycineta bicolor'') is a migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae. Found in the Americas, the tree swallow was first described in 1807 by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot as ''Hirundo bicolor''. It has since been mov ...

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

black-crowned night heron The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and N ...

, ruddy duck, red-tailed hawk,

double-crested cormorant The double-crested cormorant (''Nannopterum auritum'') is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes, and in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alas ...

, and

American bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

have been spotted in the Meadowlands. Many of these species can be seen from the of park lands and eight miles (13 km) of trails that have been constructed by the NJMC for public access, environmental education, conservation and enhancement. These parks include Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, home to a butterfly garden, World Trade Center Memorial, overlook of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, several trails, and the NJMC's

Meadowlands Environment Center The Meadowlands Environment Center (formerly the Hackensack Meadowlands Environmental Center) is an educational facility in the New Jersey Meadowlands in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. It is currently operated by Ramapo College of New Jersey. Ramapo Colleg ...

. The center is currently being expanded to include an observatory, additional science labs and classrooms to accommodate the thousands of students who engage in hands-on wetlands studies of the Meadowlands each year. The NJMC's Flyway Gallery, located within the MEC, fosters a cultural identity unique to the Meadowlands District by hosting public contests and exhibits by local and environmental artists. Other NJMC Parks include Laurel Hill County Park in

Secaucus Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority

Meadowlands Environment Center

Water Management Area 5

Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Meadowlands Commission Bergen County, New Jersey Hudson County, New Jersey New Jersey Meadowlands District Environment of New Jersey Government agencies established in 1969 Government in the New York metropolitan area