Hartz helps the environment with 90 acre wetlands sale.

Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc. announced that it has sold the 90-acre Meadowlark tract in Ridgefield, N.J. to the New Jersey Meadowlands as part of a new round of acquisitions by the commission.

The Meadowlark marsh is a secluded tract located north of Bellman's Creek and east of the Hackensack River and New Jersey Turnpike. The land is visited frequently by feeding ducks, including green-winged teal, and is a popular nesting area for redwing black birds. The marsh is also home to several freshwater ponds, as well as staghorn sumac and black cherry trees, providing and important source of food for a wide variety of birds and mammals. NJMC is also purchasing an additional 11 acres of wetlands along Berry's Creek in East Rutherford from Murray Hill Parkway Land Corp. The announcement complements the addition of 170 acres of wetlands in Lyndhurst and Kearny that was acquired in October.

NJMC Chairman Susan Bass Levin noted that the acquisitions highlight Governor McGreevey's Smart Growth initiative to secure environmentally sensitive wetlands throughout the state.

"Today's announcement completes a significant piece of the Meadowlands' environmental puzzle," she said. "In the middle of this densely populated industrial landscape, we're carving out an environmental haven for all residents to enjoy." "Selling this tract to the Meadowlands Commission makes sense for the buyer, the seller and for the environment," said Hartz Mountain president and chief operating officer Emanuel Stern.

For tax reasons, the Meadowlark tract could not be donated. However the parties agreed upon a purchase price of $10,200 per acre or a total of $914,124.

The Berry's Creek wetland in East Rutherford is currently owned by Murray Hill Parkway Land Corp. The NJMC is proposing to purchase the land for $545,366, which includes $122,596 per acre for four upland acres on the site, and $10,200 per acre for seven acres of wetlands on the site.

The total purchase for the two sites would total nearly $1.5 million.

"With this acquisition, we will be closer to the vision our master plan puts forth of redeveloping the district's contaminated sites and conserving vital wetlands," said NJMC executive director Bob Ceberio. "The Meadowlark plot and Berry's Creek shoreline marsh are both hemmed in by industrial development. It is good to know that in the middle of all that economic heavy lifting we can preserve vital wetlands for future generations."