Hagen Park rededication

Posted in: Community News on January 13, 2011 at 10:36 am |

By Closter Councilman John Kashwick

At the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Closter Borough Council adopted a resolution re-dedicating “Olaf and Ingeborg Hagen Park.” The Hagens were early environmental champions in the Borough. Olaf served on the Closter Environmental Commission for nearly two decades and Ingeborg was a teacher at Village School and a girl-scout troop leader.

The park was originally dedicated in January 1997, when Olaf Hagen was still alive (Ingeborg died in 1995), but no sign was ever installed. Last year, the Environmental Commission designed and ordered a sign which was recently installed. With the increasing popularity of the Closter trail system, the Commission felt it was important for people to know about the park and the dedicated individuals for which it was named.

My first introduction to environmental education came from Ingeborg Hagen. I was a student of hers at Village School during the 1970s. I will always remember her as a passionate and articulate leader on issues affecting our land, water, and air.   It was in one of her classes where I first comprehended that the things we do every day have an impact on the environment.  She introduced the annual Stokes Forest trips and brought the word “ecology” to Closter’s students.

Closter Councilman John Kashwick

Prior to drafting the resolution re-dedicating the park, I had a conversation with Sivert Hagen, Olaf and Ingeborg’s son, about the contributions his parents made to Closter. Sivert informs that in addition to her other contributions, as a Girl Scout leader, his mother championed the diversity of the membership of the local troop. Olaf Hagen was legend in the community, chairing Closter’s Environmental Commission for years and according to Mayor Sophie Heymann, fathered Closter’s many passive parks and assured our Environmental Commission’s strong pro-active participation in Borough activities.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the park, it is a 25-acre tract that runs predominantly along the Tenakill Brook from the area behind the A&P across Durie Avenue to the end of Brook Street.  The park is contiguous with the Demarest Nature Center. In addition to a C1 stream that flows to the Oradell Reservoir, the park contains a significant portion of wetlands and hardwood forest. There are a number of trails that traverse the property with benches and bridges across several streams and that connect with the Demarest Nature Center trail system.

There are a number of entry points for the Closter trail system. The main entrance for Hagen Park is at the corner of Durie Avenue and Tenakill Street where the sign has been installed. The formal dedication of the sign will take place on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m.  All members of the public are encouraged to attend.  Sivert and his family, who still live in Closter, will be on hand for the ceremony.

Tags: Closter Community News featured