This new North Jersey nature preserve was half a century in the making. Now it's open

Fifty years ago, Ridgefield Park Mayor John Anlian and Stephen Quinn, the village’s environmental commission chairman, explored woods in an untouched patch of land near the New Jersey Turnpike. The two recently stood together to dedicate the area as a new nature preserve.

The duo, both avid environmentalists, spent decades dreaming up the preserve and working with the local government before they were part of it to secure grants and land to create the green space.

Now, a mile-long trail wraps around the 14-acre preserve that’s filled with wetlands, deer and red foxes. It also provides a haven for migrating birds, according to Ridgefield Park Social Media Manager Michelle DeLuca.

Panels with educational information about the preserve’s natural history dot the trail, and a floating boardwalk made from recycled plastic has a long stretch that’s accessible to wheelchair users.

The nature preserve sits between Overpeck Avenue and the New Jersey Turnpike, near Ridgefield Park High School. Quinn envisions local students and scouts studying the preserve or conducting outdoor activities in the area as one of many potential ways people can utilize the land.

DeLuca said young children and people of all ages have helped Quinn remove invasive species such as bamboo from the preserve. Adding native species encourages pollinators to visit the area and supports wildlife — both motivators for the village to preserve this land.

“Especially in a suburb like Ridgefield Park where land is at a premium, having this space preserved for the environment (and a place) where people can go to be in nature has been well received,” DeLuca said.