Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 10, 2012 Allendale Jim Wright pens new book on Meadowlands by John Koster Jim Wright of Allendale will be rolling out his new book, “The Nature of the Meadowlands,” at a signing with former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, who wrote the foreword, at the Meadowlands Environmental Center in Lyndhurst on Oct. 15 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wright will present a slide show, and Kean will speak about the environmental recovery Wright describes in the lavishly illustrated 128-page book. “The Nature of the Meadowlands” celebrates the environmental restoration of the Meadowlands and its natural and “unnatural” history. The book illustrates DeKorte Park, the home of the Meadowlands Commission, Kearny Marsh, and Laurel Hill. Individual chapters are devoted to birds, butterflies, and mammals, with a final photo essay that captures the essence of the New Jersey Meadowlands throughout the four seasons. “It took me about three years to write,” the author acknowledged. “The new book is all about the Meadowlands -- from the dark days of 50 years ago, when it was a land of landfills and rampant pollution, to its current environmental revival. The book is filled with incredible images -- from photos of rare minerals and endangered birds to beautiful butterflies and sunsets. I wrote the book and took many of the photos, with a huge assist from nature photographers Ron Shields and Marco van Brabant.” Known as the home of the National Football League’s Giants and Jets and purported Left: The cover of Wright’s new book ‘The Nature of the Meadowlands.’ Right: Author Jim Wright. to be the burial place of the late Jimmy Hoffa, the Meadowlands has more recently undergone an environmental restoration from a polluted wasteland where even barnacles could not survive to a magnet for kayakers, birders, and other nature lovers. A 30.4-square mile region located in south Bergen and Hudson counties, and just five minutes from Manhattan, the Meadowlands is now recognized as a location for a variety of marsh life. The area is also rec- ognized as an important piece of the state’s comprehensive environment. Wright, who is active in the Fyke Nature Association and in the continued preservation of the Celery Farm Natural Area in Allendale, is the author of several other beautifully illustrated books, including “Jungle of the Maya,” “Hawk Mountain,” and “In the Presence of Nature.” He also writes nature columns and children’s books. He and his wife, Pat Finn, also participated in the successful struggle to save the John Fell House from the bulldozer and gradually turn the house into a local history center. Wright’s new book was published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. in Atglen, PA, on the Schiffer Book Farm. Schiffer specializes in antique, arts, architecture, lifestyle, and military history books and children’s books. Interact Club at Highlands focuses on community service At the Italian Ice Sale are: Brianna Weck, Brittany Rios, Puneet Binepal, and Fatima Devens of Clyde’s Italian Ice. Students at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale are invited to participate in the school’s Interact Club. This service organization was launched at Highlands last fall as a direct result of the efforts by the Allendale Saddle River Rotary Club. Interact members are required to raise money to support one local and one inter- national service project. Recently, the students at Highlands chose to donate their time and some of the funds they raised to a soup kitchen in Suffern, New York. The international organization they chose to support was the International Humanitarian Foundation. Through IHF, Highlands Interact sponsored two young girls residing (continued on page 27)