An Assessment Report from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory Program

by

Ralph W. Tiner, John Q. Swords, and Bobbi Jo McClain

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Wetlands Inventory Program

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Region
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035

December 2002

This report should be cited as: Tiner, R.W., J.Q. Swords, and B.J. McClain. 2002. Wetland Status and Trends for the Hackensack Meadowlands. An Assessment Report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory Program. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, Hadley, MA. 29 pp.

Table of Contents

Page

Introduction 1

Purpose of Report 1
Study Area 1

Methods 3

Results 6

Recent Trends in Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats 6
1950s to 1960s 6
1960s to 1980s 10
1980s to 1990s 14

Status of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats in the 1990s 17

A Century of Aquatic Habitat Changes in the Meadowlands 20

Discussion 22

Acknowledgments 28

References 29