Steve Williams, Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, visited the New Jersey Hackensack Meadowlands on August 27, 2002. The tour was hosted by Bob McDowell, Director of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and Cliff Day, Supervisor of the New Jersey Field Office, to take a closer look at the largest remaining block of estuarine wetlands in northern New Jersey and one of the largest blocks of contiguous open space in the NY / NJ Harbor Estuary. Congressman Steven R. Rothman (NJ 9th), and representatives of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Hackensack Riverkeeper, New York / New Jersey Harbor Baykeeper, and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission also joined the tour.

The remaining 8,450 acres of the Meadowlands support a diverse concentration of wildlife, including several State-listed species, species of special emphasis, and communities considered rare or uncommon in the urban core. Despite severely negative land-use impacts, this estuarine area, within view of the New York City skyline, supports remarkable diversity and concentrations of migratory birds, fish and other animal life, including 65 species of nesting birds and over 50 species of fish and shellfish. The Service has identified 88 species of special emphasis, including 15 State-listed species, 42 species and 6 natural communities considered rare in urban areas, and 49 species considered rare in the estuary. Located on the Atlantic Flyway, the Meadowlands provides a critical stopover for migratory birds. Of the 443 mostly migratory species that have been documented in New Jersey, 2/3 of these species have been observed here. In 1996, the Service identified the Meadowlands as a "Regionally Significant Habitat Complex" in the New York Bight Watershed. The Meadowlands are also included within a "Joint Venture Area" under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The State manages the 800-acre Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area in the Meadowlands. The State and the Service recently developed "A Vision Plan for the Fish and Wildlife Resources of the Hackensack Meadowlands." What truly makes the area special is its proximity to almost 20 million people. The conservation importance and scientific, educational and recreational potential for this natural area has yet to be realized.

Due to its metropolitan location, the Meadowlands has historically been under considerable development pressure and has suffered much degradation of its natural resources over time. Fortunately, recognizing the area's importance to fish and wildlife and to the public, federal and State agencies, elected officials, NGOs and other stakeholders are partnering to develop a long-term conservation plan for restoration, protection and management. Recognition of the Meadowlands, its value to fish and wildlife resources and the interest stakeholders are taking to ensure ecosystem restoration and long-term conservation were prevalent during the Director's recent tour.

The Service has had considerable involvement in the Meadowlands. After maneuvering through a finally debunked "Special Area Management Plan" that proposed to fill hundreds of acres of wetlands for development, the Service is now opposing the issuance of a federal permit to fill 200 acres of wetlands for a mega mall and works with cooperating agencies and other stakeholders to protect the area. Pursuant to Congressional direction (H.R. Rpt. 107-234[10] dated October 11, 2001), the Service is working with the Corps of Engineers (New York District) and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, the non-federal sponsor, to conduct a feasibility study and develop a "Comprehensive Restoration Improvement Plan" for the Meadowlands. The Service is also pursuing several Natural Resource Damage Assessment cases with the objective of restoring several contaminated sites. The protection and conservation of the Hackensack Meadowlands will conserve a valuable estuarine system, sustain and safeguard wild living trust resources, and provide an outdoor education opportunity for America's largest urban center. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to be a partner in this conservation effort.