Chris Evangelista

MRRI scientists worked with Pratt Institute’s Master of Landscape Architecture students to prepare for upcoming field work by building experimental floating wetlands and eel mops. The eel mops will be used this winter and early spring to survey grass eels migrating from the Sargasso Sea up the Hackensack River. The eel mops mimic suitable habitat … Read more

Coastal marsh ecosystems are in danger of disappearing if the sea level rise is greater than the marsh’s surface elevation change. Every year for the past 15 years we measure marsh surface elevation to see how marshlands are keeping up with sea level rise. In 2023, we measured six sites. Sites monitored for less than … Read more

On Sunday, Oct. 1, some 300 bird enthusiasts attended the 14th Annual Meadowlands Birding Festival at DeKorte Park. The event, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Bergen County Audubon Society, featured guided walks, several talks and presentations, information tables with a plethora of avian information, and kid’s activity stations. A … Read more

Each year the Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute mentors up to 4 high school interns from Bergen County Academies. Students work in the NJDEP certified laboratory and  GIS laboratory.  Each student will work next to professional scientists learning lab techniques, conducting chemical analysis, aiding in the field work  and inputting data into different software.  GIS … Read more

https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/P9060688.mov The video shows Fiddler crabs hurrying for cover across the mudflat, which resembles a migration. This usually takes place when a boat comes near to the place where they are foraging or sunbathing. A well known evolutionary treat, the sexually dimorphic claws of the Fiddler crabs are on full display in the recording. The … Read more

Friday, August 11, 2023, our GIS specialist Christopher Blackley received a master’s in Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University. Chris’s knowledge of geospatial system analysis and design is critical in helping the Meadowlands District government officials, engineers, and scientists communicate geographically. His capstone project at Penn State was: Raptor Migration and Phenological Adjustments within … Read more

Aleshanee Mooney from MRRI assisted scientists from the Center for Natural Resources from NJIT during a routine salinity sensor maintenance at River Bend. Long-term measurement of the changes in salinity using digital salinity sensors and data loggers at River Bend. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Michel … Read more