Little Ferry’s Losen Slote Creek Park!
Losen Slote Creek Park
Welcome to the 28 acre Losen Slote Creek Park! The Park is located in Little Ferry, NJ and contains 26 acres of woodland and meadows. 2 acres are dedicated to recreation.
Losen Slote Creek Park Boundaries
The park, named for the creek which flows through it, was created in 1990 by an agreement with the Borough of Little Ferry and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC). The NJMC has a 99 year lease agreement with Little Ferry for public access. Losen Slote Creek Park has the Little Ferry Department of Public Works to the north, the Bergen County Utilities Authority Nature Preserve to the east, Losen Slote on its western border and the Richard P Kane Natural Area to the south.
Losen Slote Creek Park
Habitat found in the preserve includes forested freshwater wetlands, meadows and a portion of the Losen Slote Creek, a major tributary of the lower Hackensack River watershed. The name “Losen Slote” is of Dutch origin and translates to “curvy creek”. As such, the name of the park translates to “Curvy Creek Creek Park”. 
Losen Slote
Losen Slote is not influenced by tidal waters because of a tide gate that is present near Losen Slote’s confluence with the Hackensack River. The tide gate was installed by the Bergen County Mosquito Authority around 1921. Losen Slote has been labeled by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as “FW2-NT/SE2″. This classification indicates that these waters do not contain trout (NT=No Trout) and are a mixture of fresh and salt water.
May 6, 2012 NJMC & Bergen County Audubon Society Tour
Birders in Losen Slote Creek Park
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) & the Bergen County Audubon Society led a 1.5 mile 2 hour tour of Losen Slote Creek Park on May 6, 2012 to look for migrating birds and other wildlife.
Losen Slote Creek Park Trail Map
Jim Wright of the NJMC informed the group of the different habitats found in the park before the tour began.
I was happy to attend because it provided a chance to explore & undertake a deeper understanding of the flora & fauna that can be found in Bergen County’s sole remaining lowland forest.
Losen Slote Creek Park Wet Meadow Habitat
After the group assembled in the parking lot, we stopped near the entrance to the forest by a wet meadow where Solitary Sandpipers and Greater Yellowlegs were poking around. Most attendees commented that they had never seen so many Solitary Sandpipers gathered in one spot before.
Losen Slote Creek Park Trail
After entering the forest, the group almost immediately spotted a Baltimore Oriole and at least 2 Scarlet Tanagers high in the trees (and too high for me to get a picture). I did get a picture of a Gray Catbird who was singing a territory song.
Gray Catbird
Soon after I took the picture of the catbird, a splash was heard in a nearby ditch as a Muskrat made a quick getaway which I caught on camera as a blur.
Blurry Muskrat
As we traveled further into the woods, a good amount of native flora was present:
Don Torino of the Bergen County Audubon Society with Mayapple in Bloom
Arrowwood
Black Cherry In Bloom
Sweet Pepperbush
Canada Mayflower In Bloom
Cinnamon Fern
Gray Birch became the dominant species as the group came into the meadows portion of the preserve.
Gray Birch
Reaching the creek turtles were spotted basking on a rock and a surprised Great Blue Heron flew away before I could get its picture.
Turtles on a rock in the Losen Slote
As we got into the meadows there were plenty of butterflies (especially the Red Admiral) flying around.
Losen Slote Creek Park Field Habitat
A Brown Thrasher was waiting for the group in the meadows and put on quite a show.
Brown Thrasher
Heading in, Raccoon tracks were found in the mud on parts of the trail.
The group did notice some Mile-A-Minute, an invasive plant which had sections eaten by insects which were released in the park to control Mile-A-Minute from taking over.
Mile-a-Minute Insect Holes
Reaching near the end of the trail, the group turned back to the forest and to the parking lot where the tour concluded.
Check out Plant Communities of New Jersey.
NJ’s geology, topography and soil, climate, plant-plant and plant-animal relationships, and the human impact on the environment are all discussed in great detail. Twelve plant habitats are described and the authors were good enough to put in examples of where to visit!
Click here for more information!
A full list of birds spotted on the tour can be found here.
Losen Slote
Many thanks to the NJMC & Bergen County Audubon Society for hosting an excellent walk! Check out the Meadowlands Blog or the Bergen County Audubon Society’s webpage for information regarding future events!
Click here for directions to Losen Slote Creek Park!
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Books on the Meadowlands!
1. The Nature of the Meadowlands – The Nature of the Meadowlands illuminates the region’s natural and unnatural history, from its darkest days of a half-century ago to its amazing environmental revival.
Click here for more information!
2. The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City – Author Robert Sullivan proves himself to be this fragile yet amazingly resilient region’s perfect expolorer, historian, archaeologist, and comic bard.
Click here for more information!
3. Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story – Slowly but surely, with help from activist groups, government organizations, and ordinary people, the resilient creatures of the Meadowlands are making a comeback, and the wetlands are recovering.
Click here for more information!
4. Fields of Sun and Grass: An Artist’s Journal of the New Jersey Meadowlands - The book has three central parts, respectively called “Yesterday,” “Today,” and “Tomorrow.” Each covers a different time period in the ecological life of the Meadowlands.
Click here for more information!
Hiking West Milford’s Kanouse Mountain!
Kanouse Mountain
The 2011 Pequannock River Coalition Fall Hike took place in West Milford’s Kanouse Mountain located in the Newark Watershed lands. The mountain is part of West Milford’s baker’s dozen-a series of mountains you can hike in West Milford.
Attendees of 2011 PRC Fall Hike near trail entrance off Route 23
The 1,100 foot Kanouse Mountain is located off of Route 23 North near Echo Lake Road in the Newfoundland section of West Milford. Dense woodlands surround the mountain to the north, Echo Lake is to the north east, Kanouse Brook is to the west, the Echo Lake Channel is to the east and Route 23 is to the south and southeast.
Kanouse Brook Tributary
Kanouse Brook has a naturally regenerating trout population and drains into the Pequannock River.
Attendees of the hike parked off of Old Route 23 near the NJ Transit Park & Ride and walked to the entrance of the trail off of Route 23 North near the entering Newfoundland sign.
Entering Newfoundland
The hike took place on unmarked wood roads starting in a northeast direction to the summit of Kanouse Mountain where a large star, American flag and outstanding views were present.
Star on top Kanouse Mountain
US Flag on top of Kanouse Mountain
View of Charlottesburg Reservoir from top of Kanouse Mountain
Views of Route 23
View of Copperas Mountain (Foreground) & Green Pond Mountain (Background)
Charlottesburg Reservoir was formed from the impoundment of the Pequannock River which is given C1 water classification. The C1 classification is used to indicate that the river is relatively unspoiled in comparison to other rivers in NJ.
As with all Pequannock River Coalition Hikes, Ross Kusher (the executive director of PRC) discussed different points of interest along the hike including ecology and geology. This interesting information makes a hike much more than a physical journey. The information provided by Ross’s expertise boosts the strength of your mind as you learn new aspects of your surroundings.
Fall Colors
The geology of Kanouse Mountain and the surrounding highlands is estimated to be between 400-435 million years old and thought to be from the Silurian Period of the paleozoic era. Past glacier activity courtesy of the Wisconsin Glacier is evident by gentle slopes on the north side of the mountain and a sudden drop on the south side. As the Wisconsin glacier moved through the area 10,000 years ago it pushed rocks and carved out hillsides creating this phenomenon present throughout the highlands region.
Small trace amounts of copper have been found alongside the much more abundant iron in the highlands region. It is said that nearby Copperas Mountain was named so because of the copper that was once taken from it.
Coyote Footprint
Occasionally the group came across muddy areas when the trail crossed through wetlands. These muddy spots are prime spots to look for animal prints. Ross pointed out this coyote print found in the picture above.
Wood Frog
The group found this Wood Frog near the trail. Though hard to tell from this photo, wood frogs generally look like they have a robber’s mask on due to the dark patch which extends backward from their eye. These frogs are often found in moist wooded areas.
American Chestnut Leaf
American Chestnut saplings were found periodically in the forest. Once a dominant tree in the forest canopy, the Chestnut blight has reduced the tree to the shrub layer. Once the American Chestnut reaches about twenty feet or so the blight strikes and kills it. The tree may die, but the root structure is still alive and sends up new sprouts. The American Chestnut Foundation is working to defeat the blight and restore its former footprint.
Other flora found includes these among others:
Northern Red Oak
Shagbark Hickory
Christmas Fern
Chestnut Oak
Ground Pine
- Quaking Aspen
- Shadbush
- White Oak
- American Beech
Ross explained that Black Bears love the fruits of Shadbush. He once tasted the berries and compared them to wet cardboard. White Oak Ross said was cherished by wildlife for its sweet acorns.
The hike was an estimated six miles and went in a loop fashion so that attendees came out the same way the came in. What a great fall hike!
The Pequannock River Coalition holds three hikes a year (Fall, Winter and Spring). They are worth checking out!
Remember, to hike in the Newark Watershed land a permit is required. For more information on obtaining a Newark watershed permit click here.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Bonnabel Nature Park at Lachmund’s Bend!
Bonnabel Nature Park at Lachmund's Bend
Bonnabel Nature Park (Click Image to Enlarge)
Welcome to Old Tappan’s Bonnabel Nature Park! The park’s 3.26 acres consists of uplands and wetlands and is a pleasant respite from the suburban development that surround it. The park has the Hackensack River and its remnant watershed lands to the west and south, Old Tappan Road to the north, and additional remnant Hackensack River watershed lands to the east.
The land which became Bonnabel Nature Park at Lachmund’s Bend was purchased October 17, 2007 from the Bonnabel family by the borough of Old Tappan for $950,000 with a combination of Green Acres, Borough Open Space and Municipal Bond Ordinance funding for use as open space. The park was established in 2008.
The 3.26 acre site is situated next to the trout stocked upper Hackensack River (which is given C1 Status at this location) and United Water watershed land.
Hackensack River
Bonnabel Nature Park features trails, picnic tables, benches and fishing.
Flora at the park includes:
- Sensitive Fern
- White Snakeroot
- Sugar Maple
- Cinnamon Fern
- Others
The property was once the site of a popular hotel called Lachmunds which existed from the late 1800′s until it was demolished in 1954. Today, instead of a hotel, the land is a beautiful nature preserve for the people of Old Tappan and surrounding communities to enjoy.
Bonnabel Nature Park at Lachmund’s Bend is located off of Old Tappan Road near Recktenwald Court by the Rivervale border. Click here for directions. Please note that Unfortunately, yahoo maps does not recognize the park’s entrance as an address. These directions will culminate to Recktenwald Court. The park is located just southeast of Recktenwald Court on Old Tappan Road. A gravel lot in the park is provided for parking.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
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