by Don Torino

The sweet smelling white flowers of the Clethra glow like a woodland candelabra through the Sweet Gums, Oaks and Sassafras trees. The Mayapples look like tiny umbrellas along the forest floor, and the Ostrich ferns stand in tribute to a time long ago. A Hairy Woodpecker suddenly clings to a tree right over your head, and a Red-Tailed Hawk watches your every move from its perch. You are in Losen Slote Park in Little Ferry, one of the last stands of hardwood lowland forest in the Meadowlands district and the last one left that is accessible to the general public.

Losen Slote Park is a 22-acre hidden gem in an otherwise congested part of Bergen County. Here, Wood and Swainsons Thrush have the run of the forest floor, the Kingfisher’s rattling call can be heard through the woods, and birders can see migrants such as Hooded and Blackburnian Warblers.

My brother and I grew up in the woods of Moonachie and Little Ferry, a unique Lowland forest habitat where the Muskrat, Box Turtle and Red Fox still roam. The kids from other towns would call us “Moonahicans” like we were a Native tribe of people. We wore the name proudly.

As time passed, children lost the experiences we were lucky enough to have as the habitat disappeared or access was denied. Despite this, however, the Losen Slote (Dutch word for Creek) is still there. The Slote, a tributary of the Hackensack, meanders through the park which is surrounded by Gray Birch and birds such as Fox Sparrows and Carolina Wrens. It is the last of its kind, which is still there for all of us to visit, appreciate and enjoy.

Photo courtesy of NJMC

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has done an amazing job in the designing and construction of the park. It is now owned and operated by the borough of Little Ferry. Through a partnership with Bergen County Audubon Society and the NJMC, I have been lucky enough to help lead field trips to Losen Slote Park. I have been able to show people in a small way what it was like to grow up here, and why this diverse habitat should be protected.

Losen Slote Park has not been without its problems. Illegal off-road vehicles have heavily damaged some of the trails, vandals have painted trees and garbage seems to accumulate much too often. Some like to point fingers at who they believe is responsible for caring for the park, but I will end the controversy right here and now. I am responsible for the care of Losen Slote Park, as well as you and anyone who cares about the environment and having such a special place.

I fought through cancer a few years ago. The one thing that the cancer did to me was to destroy my patience gene. I no longer have any patience to wait to see if anyone else like politicians, government agencies, my neighbors or even friends will do what needs to be done. We do not have that much time to waste. My younger brother Todd was my partner. We grew up loving every minute we spent in the Meadowlands. He passed away a few years back at much too young an age. He still walks with me at places like Losen Slote Park. It is a wonderful place, a gem in the middle of suburbia. It needs to be better looked after and appreciated for his sake and everyone else who visits there.

For directions and more information on Losen Slote Park, visit http://www.meadowblog.net

Don Torino is the Education Chairperson for Bergen County Audubon Society.