A proposed development for 3 million square feet of industrial space on Meadowlands landfills may disrupt endangered species of migratory birds. The Bergen County Audubon Society is calling for more documentation of nesting birds in the area after endangered Savannah and grasshopper sparrows were discovered on portions of the 718-acre site. The land, now owned by Russo Development and Forsgate Industrial Partners, had previously been the site of the proposed billion-dollar EnCap golf course and luxury housing development. That project went bankrupt.

“The proposal to build warehouses at the former EnCap site in the Meadowlands threatens the fragile ecosystem of the area. The massive project might also disrupt endangered Savannah and grasshopper sparrows nesting in the area. There should be a hold on this project until more studies are done and protections put in place for the endangered birds. We also need to scrutinize the full environmental impacts of the project. This is an area that already floods and went underwater during Hurricane Sandy. Paving it over will add to the flooding and contribute to more water pollution. More truck traffic will also add to the air pollution,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We need to slow this project down and find out more about all of its impacts. The Meadowlands resources are important to flood control, fisheries and migratory birds. It is a vitally important environmentally sensitive area that needs to be protected.”

EnCap was a billion-dollar proposal to build a golf course and luxury housing on four Meadowlands landfills in Lyndhurst, Rutherford and North Arlington. The project went bankrupt in 2007 even after Donald Trump stepped in to try to keep it alive. Taxpayers were left on the hook for $50 million. A subsequent cleanup plan included putting dirt and river mud atop the landfills, which cultivated grass that has attracted nesting birds.

“The EnCap project was a disaster from the start, and when they went bankrupt it cost the public $50 million. This new project does not rely on the public financing that made EnCap such a boondoggle. However it presents similar concerns about increasing pollution and flooding, as well as threatening endangered species. The site has been capped and remediated, and this project could break up those caps and release the toxic chemicals there. That’s why more study of the potential impacts is so important. The Xanadu/American Dream megamall, when it finally opens in the Meadowlands, will also bring more pollution to the area,” said Tittel. “Despite its toxic legacy, the Meadowlands has become an oasis of nature in one of the most developed places anywhere in the country. Now it seems we’re trying to build on every square inch of it, with two proposed power plants, a megamall, and massive warehousing. We’re turning this wild area in an urban setting into one big sprawl project.”

The presence of endangered and threatened birds’ nests has recently caused several disruptions of development projects and events around the state. A Sandy Hook concert series was cancelled to protect Piping Plover nests. A killdeer nest prompted the closing of a Teaneck soccer field. Part of Point Pleasant Beach was roped off to protect least tern, black skimmer and American oystercatcher nests.

“Birds like the Savannah and grasshopper sparrows need special protections, and give us another important reason to fight overdevelopment in the Meadowlands. Protecting our endangered species wherever we find them is especially important as climate change threatens more of them with extinction. Scientists estimate that dozens of species are becoming extinct every day. The Endangered Species Act became law in 1973 and it was one of the most important environmental acts of the 1970s. The law has worked. Since then, 54 species have been removed from the endangered list. Another 21 have improved from endangered to threatened,” said Tittel.

Developers have said they already consulted with state environmental regulators and would avoid building on hundreds of acres of the 718-acre site, including areas where the threatened birds have nested. The Bergen County Audubon group has documented the sparrows on at least two landfills but believes there could be more in other locations. They are calling for more research.

“The developers say they will not build on hundreds of acres of the site, including areas where the endangered birds have nested. However we do not know if the birds might also be nesting in parts of the site targeted for building. Other endangered species may also be found. We also do not know enough about the impact the project will have on air and water quality, as well as flooding, regardless of where it is built on the site,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This project should not move forward without fully scrutinizing all of its potential environmental impacts, including the threat to endangered birds.”