Abstract: The Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute will present the results of a comprehensive study that shows a significant increase over the past 15 years in the number and diversity of species of tiny invertebrates (known as benthic organisms) that live on the bottom of the Hackensack River in the Meadowlands. The rebounding populations of these tiny worms and other mud dwellers indicate improved water quality in the river.
The labor-intensive study was conducted in the same places and using the same techniques as a survey conducted in 1987. Recent studies show an increase in the bird and fish populations and improved air quality in the Meadowlands. These results are futher evidence of the river’s restoration and the efforts in revitilizing the river and the surrounding wetlands.