Don's Jersey Birding: Our Local Heroes of the Environment
Karen and Bruce Riede.
Photo courtesy of Don Torino
by Don TorinoPhoto courtesy of Don Torino
Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”. That quote rings true to my heart when it comes to a group of the most amazing people that I have been fortunate enough to come to know. Every movement looks for leaders, a person that can direct us on what to do and where to go next, but the environmental movement is not like that. The environmental movement it is made up of many leaders at the local level.
The best thing about my work with Bergen County Audubon Society over the years is that it has given me the opportunity to be introduced to some of the most caring, hard working people imaginable. They are our neighbors and I consider them heroes of the environment. With very little fanfare, often with no pay and much self- sacrifice, these unsung heroes work hard everyday right in our own community to save habitat, clean up the environment, and teach kids about the wonders of nature.
We can look for our heroes in many different places and there are all different kinds of heroes. I can tell you first hand that our local grassroots folks are making the biggest difference in the environment and they are the ones you most likely never heard of, including great people like Karen and Bruce Riede of the Ridgefield Environmental Commission.
Ridgefield Nature Center.
Photo Credit: Sky Drive
Photo Credit: Sky Drive
When Karen and Bruce joined the Ridgefield Environmental Commission in 2004, Ridgefield owned a 14 acre tract of land along Shaler Boulevard, known as the Great Bear tract. This is a piece of land with a rich history and the site of the Trinity Spring, later known as the Great Bear Spring. First called the Jacobus Estate, the land was sold to the Great Bear Spring water company in 1920. Water was bottled on the sight until 1975, which is when Ridgefield bought the tract.
7 acres of the site, now known as the Ridgefield Nature Center, was opened to the public but quickly closed because of the lack of supervision and vandalism. When Karen and Bruce joined the Ridgefield Environmental Commission, the nature center was closed to the public, the trails were overgrown, and the preserve faced the threat of development. Through their hard work and commitment, the Ridgefield Nature Center was reopened to the public with Mr. & Mrs. Riede along with the Environmental Commission as tour guides. School groups, scouts, seniors, birders and nature lovers of all kinds now get to enjoy this little wildlife oasis.
Photo Credit: Sky Drive
Those of us who live in this densely populated part of Bergen County know how important every acre of woodland is to the area's wildlife. I am always amazed at the migratory birds that use the preserve. Each May, Bergen County Audubon and the Meadowlands Commission conduct an Annual Mother's Day Walk through the preserve to enjoy the warblers, scarlet tanagers, and many other species that visit this important rest stop along the migration highway. None of this would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of Karen and Bruce.
Through grants from Bergen County Audubon Society, Karen and Bruce were able to restore native plants and provide tree and plant ID signs to the preserve. In 2009, a new trail was added from grant money from the NJ Forest Service Community Stewardship Incentive Program. Karen and Bruce continue their devotion to the preserve and also have been hard at work at nearby Skeetkill Marsh getting the community involved in constructing tree swallow boxes.
John Burroughs, the great American naturalist and conservationist, said “For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice, no paper currency, no promises to pay, but the gold of real service.”
Photo Credit: Sky Drive
Karen and Bruce Riede live that everyday. We all need to thank them and people like them. Who is your local Environmental Hero? Let me know and maybe we can thank them on this blog.The Ridgefield Nature Center is open on Saturdays from 8 am until noon. Tours are provided by appointment during other times of the week and on Sundays. Click here for more information.
Don Torino is the Education Chairperson for Bergen County Audubon Society.
Previous Birding Exclusives:
- Don’s Jersey Birding: Who Doesn’t Love Sparrows?
- Don's Jersey Birding: Winter at Mill Creek Marsh
- Don's Jersey Birding: Every New Jersey Backyard is Critical Habitat
- Don's Jersey Birding: Finding the Right Birding Buddy, Part 2
- Don's Jersey Birding: Birding Binoculars: Keeping it simple
- Linda's For the Birds: The Strange Mating Ritual of the American Woodcock
Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 3/15/2011 10:00 AM 
Categories: Don's Jersey Birding
Tags: Ridgefield Nature Center Bergen County Audubon Society Ridgefield Environmental Commission
Categories: Don's Jersey Birding
Tags: Ridgefield Nature Center Bergen County Audubon Society Ridgefield Environmental Commission
Comments