There’s a reason why Bruce Springsteen selected Hackensack Riverkeeper as one of two charities-of-choice for his Oct. 10 concert at Izod Arena. Just as The Boss is synonymous with New Jersey, Hackensack Riverkeeper has the same relationship with the positive transformation of the Meadowlands.
Realizing the importance of Hackensack Riverkeeper to the Meadowlands and New Jersey, Springsteen tabbed the environmentalist group and allowed its members to set up tables and exhibit in the arena corridors during his show. During the show, Springsteen also gave Riverkeeper “shout outs” from the stage and urged his fans to visit the tables and collect information.
“I’m very grateful that he allowed us to do it,” Sheehan said earlier this month.
“The only bad thing is the show is the night before our organization tries to pull off the biggest event in its history.”
Working the Springsteen concert, Sheehan, along with Hackensack Riverkeeper members and volunteers, re-energized for the next night and to hosted its annual Awards Celebration and Sustainable SeafoodFest. Ceremonies, which took place at the Hasbrouck Heights Hilton, honored attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and commemorated Hackensack Riverkeeper’s 10th anniversary.
“Local politicians and environmentalists have acknowledged the importance of keeping our rivers clean. The cleaner the water is, the healthier the fish and wildlife are,” said Hackensack Riverkeeper Development Director Diane Saccoccia.
Kennedy, who was presented the Riverkeeper’s Lifetime Achievement Award by Gov. Jon Corzine, was honored for his dedication and work to protect natural waterways, including the Hackensack River, Newark Bay and the Hudson River, among others. An environmental attorney and chairman of the Waterkeeper Alliance, Kennedy has worked with Sheehan for nearly two decades. Sheehan volunteered with him with Baykeeper projects, and Kennedy noted his enthusiasm and work ethic.
In 1997, Kennedy asked Sheehan to head a new Riverkeeper organization, one that turned into Hackensack Riverkeeper.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” Sheehan told The Chronicle.
Since then, Kennedy, Sheehan and other conservationist worked together to take on some of the biggest developers and agencies responsible for pollution in and around the Hackensack River Watershed. Among their major accomplishments was the legal fight with the Mills Corporation, which planned to convert several dozens of acres along the Empire Tract into a shopping center.
Through Sheehan and Kennedy’s efforts, among others, Mills eventually pulled its plans and refocused development around the existing Continental Airlines Arena. Sheehan had suggested that tract of land several years before Mills’ reconsideration.