ating , Educating , and Taking Action
organization helped convince the Meadowlands Commission to rethink the master plan . That process , taking over two years , effectively rezoned large portions of the area as protected wetlands , including the Empire property the
Mills Corporation was planning to purchase for their mall project . With the Empire tract off the table , the Mills Corporation successfully negotiated a new deal for property adjacent to the stadium from the Sports and Exhibition
out the importance of rivers for the environments while enjoying the beauty of nature .
Authority to build a new mall . As part of their negotiations , the Mills Corporation agreed to purchase the former Empire site and sell it for a single dollar to the Meadowlands Conservation Trust to be preserved in perpetuity .
While some developers may not be terribly fond of the organization , Captain Sheehan says he is not anti-business . He is simply focused on protecting an irreplaceable natural resource . Hackensack Riverkeeper is actively educating communities about the importance of the wetlands ; providing eco-boating tours of the river to give New Jerseyans a first-hand experience of the beauty and vulnerability of this vital waterway . The nonprofit also organizes groups of volunteers who clean up the riverbanks . The team also hosts canoe , kayak , and paddle boat rentals at several park launches along the river . The goal is to make the Hackensack an eco-friendly recreational destination .
Now in his seventies , Captain Bill is still working hard to take the organization to the next level . It ’ s an epic journey for a man who once played drums in a rock band for a living . “ I was always an environmentalist ,” says Sheehan , who recalls spending his boyhood days exploring the marshlands when it was mostly farms and undeveloped wilderness . He began volunteering for the NY / NJ Baykeeper organization in his thirties . At the same time , he began a serious appreciation for boating .
“ For about 20 years , I was dispatching and driving cabs in Union City ,” Sheehan recalls . “ At that time , I got a small boat , and then a slightly bigger boat and started volunteering at the Baykeeper Organization .” It was not long afterward he formulated the idea to establish himself as the riverkeeper for the Hackensack . “ I started to realize that if I was going the convince people that there was anything worth fighting for in the meadowlands , I was going to have to take them out ( on the water ) and let them see with their own eyes ,” he relates .
The move from volunteer to leader of a nonprofit was a quantum leap for Sheehan , who credits the support of the NY / NJ Baykeeper organization . He earned the right to license the Riverkeeper trademark , earned a 25-ton Launch / Tender Master ’ s license from the US Coast Guard , and established the nonprofit organization in just a few short years . Today , Hackensack Riverkeeper is thriving , with two research vessels , a staff of 5 full-timers , and three part-timers , as well as a host of volunteers , Captain Bill juggles many hats to keep it all moving forward .
“ There is a lot of work yet to be done . People need to know that they don ’ t have to just take it when they see something that is bad for the environment ,” he concludes .
January , 2024 COMMERCE 9