Fields of Sun and Grass: An Artist's Journal of the New Jersey Meadowlands / Edition 1

by John R. Quinn

Overview

To all caring and compassionate environmentalists out there, Fields of Sun and Grass, the latest offering by gifted naturalist, writer, and artist John R. Quinn, is a glorious cry of victory via a remarkable portrayal of some of the most durable and stubbornly determined survivors in the faunal and floral kindgdom.

The setting is the New Jersey Meadowlands, a wild and reedy tract located a mere six miles west of New York's Times Square. It is considered by many as nothing more than a "toxic wasteland," but is in fact home to a dazzling array of often overlooked plants and animals. While there is little doubt that many of the life forms that once thrived here are long gone, many others remain, and these are the primary focus of this book. Many, many species are discussed; far too many to list here. Suffice it to say Quinn leaves no stones unturned.

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. There also is an "Introduction," a "Starting Point," an "Epilogue," a bibliography, an index, and an interesting sort of "hands-on" chapter called "Exploring the Meadowlands." This will be of particular interest to anyone who lives within traveling distance of the region. It gives helpful and experienced advice on enjoyed the Meadowlands firsthand through boating, fishing, hiking, and the visiting of local parks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813524443
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	09/01/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

John R. Quinn is an artist-naturalist with more than forty years' experience. Born and raised in the Village of Ridgefield Park, located at the northern edge of New Jersey's Meadowlands, he has published ten books on nature and science. 

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  
Introduction  
Home Ground  
     Starting Point
          Home Ground Revisited
     Yesterday - 
          Lenapehoking
          The Golden Door
          Patriots, Loyalists, and Neutrals
          Of Mosquitoes and Men
          Railroads
          A "Monstrous Visual Symbol"
          A Gathering of Grackles
          Suburban Hawkeyes
          The Meadowsmen
     Today - 
          The View from the Turnpike
          The Oradell Dam and a Changing River
          Flight
     Tomorrow - 
          Grand Plan for the Meadowlands
          The HEART of the Meadowlands
          Taking Care of Business
          The Seventeen-Acre Dot in the Swamplands
          Flowers from Garbage
          Teach Your Children Well
          Message on an Observation-Blind Wall
          Postscript
Epilogue      
EXPLORING THE MEADOWLANDS  
By Boat    
Fishing      
On Foot    
Parks and Other Facilities  
Education    
BIBLIOGRAPHY  
INDEX  

Editorial Reviews

John Quinn's recollections and dramatic drawings create a portrait in text and line of a surprising urban wetland. A valuable addition to volumes of New Jersey.

Director, Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission's Environment Center - Anne Galli

John Quinn has written an insightful book about the Meadowlands. He effectively blends his experiences and perspectives about the changing Meadowlands and those of other residents (past and present) with facts on the history, wildlife, and the uncertain future of this urban wildland to produce an interesting and timely work. I highly recommend this book to people living in the Newark-New York metropolitan area and to others interested in wetlands and environmental conservation.

Wetland Ecologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ralph Tiner