On
April 23, 2003
, more than 100
guests gathered among the restored wetlands at the New Jersey
Meadowlands Commission’s
Richard
W.
DeKorte
Park
in
Lyndhurst
,
New Jersey
for the
dedication of a memorial honoring those who lost their lives on
September 11, 2001
. The memorial
site is directly across the
Hudson River
from where the
World Trade Centers once stood.
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A
permanent memorial consisting of a curved deck with two projecting piers
that face the
Manhattan
skyline was
constructed along a marsh cove in the park. The piers are patterned
after the
World
Trade
Center
Towers
and surfaced with
110 boards representing the 110 floors of the towers. Where the piers
meet the main deck, a porcelain enamel plaque dedicates the site in
memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11.
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| A
steel sculptural silhouette of the pre-9/11 skyline dons the deck near
the memorial, and visitors may stand in a pair of footprints along the
deck walkway and view the towers restored to the skyline.
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| "The
completed project does much more than resolve practical issues for the
park; it provides a place for solemn reflection and pays tribute to the
memory of those lost on September 11," said Robert Ceberio,
Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC).
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Susan
Bass-Levin, NJMC Chairwoman added, “We can’t put back the
World
Trade
Center
, but perhaps with
this memorial we can help fill the emptiness of our aching spirits.”
DU
was represented at the event by dozens of local volunteers and staff,
many who knew people killed September 11.
DU President John A. Tomke and New York State Council Chairman Tom
Humberstone gave moving speeches at the ceremony.
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Tomke
noted, “We’re equally appreciative to be able to dedicate this
memorial to all those who tragically lost their lives on
September 11, 2001
. Whether they
were innocent victims or brave first responders, they taught us the
deepest definitions of love and friendship.” Tomke went on to say,
“Like all Americans, Ducks Unlimited members were deeply shocked,
saddened, and angered on that day. And, like all Americans, we felt like
we needed to do something to help us deal with our deep feelings of
grief and loss.”
DU’s
international leaders unanimously passed a resolution to this effect,
which concluded with the message,
“Be it resolved that Ducks Unlimited dedicate a regional wetlands
project to honor these heroes in perpetuity and that this project serve
as a 'conservation monument' to their efforts.
The
dedication ceremony was also marked with a moment of reflection
by an Emerald Society Piper from the City of
New York
Fire Department
, a ribbon
cutting, and a reading of the memorial plaque. The quote on the
plaque, from Robert Ingersoll, a 19th Century
 orator who
championed equal rights, reads: “In
the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can
hear the rustle of a wing.”
Thanks
to the tremendous collaborative efforts between DU’s Great
Lakes/Atlantic Regional staff and the New Jersey Meadowlands
Commission, and with generous support from the ADP Foundation of
Roseland,
New Jersey
, the
project was completed in a timely manner and has enriched the
experience of visiting the park. Thanks
to the tremendous collaborative efforts between DU’s Great
Lakes/Atlantic Regional staff and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission,
and with generous support from the ADP Foundation of Roseland,
New Jersey
, the project was
completed in a timely manner and has enriched the experience of visiting
the park.
Meadowland
Facts
The Meadowlands once contained more than 17,000 acres of wetlands,
including tidal marsh, Atlantic white cedar swamp, and other productive
ecosystems important to wildlife. Over many years, human activities
greatly altered the area, leaving it one of the most polluted and
exploited areas in the country.
Fortunately, today, thanks to ongoing collaborative conservation
initiatives, much progress has been made to restore lost habitat. At
least 65 species of birds nest in the Meadowlands, and 250 species of
migratory birds have been recorded. DU, NJMC, and other partners have
already restored hundreds of acres, but much remains to be done. The
NJMC strategic plan seeks to preserve more than 8,000 acres.
Want
to see this impressive memorial and wetland?
Visit
Richard
W.
DeKorte
Park
at 2 DeKorte Park
Plaza,
Lyndhurst
,
NJ
. The
environmental center and trails are free and open to the public from
9 a.m.
to
5 p.m.
Monday through
Friday,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
, Saturday and
Sunday. The park is just a short drive from
Newark
International
Airport
. For more
information: (201) 460-1700;
info@meadowlands.state.nj.us
Click
here for more information on the New Jersey Meadowlands's Website
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After |
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Dedicated by the New
Jersey Meadowlands Commission
in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
This project was made
possible by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission in partnership
with Ducks Unlimited. Additional funds provided by the National
Recreational Trails Program, administered by NJDEP Office of
Natural Lands Management. |
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