Rest and Be Thankful?

Okay, but consider volunteering at our Conservation Management Area (CMA) on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) will be more thankful!

GSWA will hold a post-hurricane clean up and workday at its Conservation Management Area (CMA) on Sunday, November 25, 2012.

The workday will run 9:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

The CMA is located at 1 Tiger Lily Lane in Harding, although many GPS systems place the location in Morristown.

There are tasks for all—from brush cleanup to moving chainsawed logs off the trail, to boardwalk repairs and fencing renovations—in the wake of Sandy's unwelcome redesign of the property.

We will have work gloves, simple tools, and snacks but if there are any chainsaw experts out there we could use their EXPERT help.

All those intersted in helping out are asked to email GSWA's Director of Outreach and Education Hazel England (hazele[at]greatswamp.org) with their availability.  Please provide some indication of the type of tasks you prefer—light-duty or heavy-duty. It's also helpful to let Hazel know how many other volunteers you plan to bring with you.

Anyone who has NOT volunteered for us in the past will need to read and sign a volunteer release form, so please RSVP if you are thinking about attending.

Coffee and donuts will be available starting at 9:00 a.m.

This is your chance to get away from family after the long Thanksgiving holiday, or an opportunity to bring all those relatives together to work as a team to help recover and restore the public trails at the CMA.

Springtime Is Volunteer Time!

March at the Great Swamp Watershed Association was all about volunteering and working outside this year. On Sunday, March 18, Director of Water Quality Programs Laura Kelm worked with the Morris County Park Commission and the Americorp NJ Watershed Ambassadors to lead more than 20 volunteers through cleanup activities at a new inside Loantaka Brook Reservation (Morris Township). After three hours of hard work, the nonnative plants are out and the natives are in along this short stretch of Loantaka Brook near Seaton Hackney Stables.

On Saturday, March 24, Director of Outreach and Education Hazel England, who also doubles as our land steward, led another large group of volunteers through trail maintenance tasks at our 53-acre Conservation Management Area (CMA) in Harding Township. Bridges were built, trails were mulched, and weeds were pulled. After all this hard work our CMA is ready for springtime visitors, so remember to pay us a visit at 1 Tiger Lily Lane.

Want to get the scoop on what really happened during our March volunteer days? Check out these two recent updates from our two volunteer group leaders, Laura and Hazel.

GSWA’s Annual Stream Cleanup & Enhancement by Laura Kelm

You might remember previous Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) stream cleanups at Kitchell Pond where our volunteers collected trash from the grounds of Loantaka Brook Reservation. The good news is that our gatherings there have made a real difference! This year there was minimal trash around the pond, so we decided to change our work site and the focus of our event.

GSWA worked with Geoff Knapp from the Morris County Park Commission and Stephanie Queirolo, the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for the region, to plan this year’s volunteer work. On March 18th, 21 volunteers converged on Loantaka Brook Reservation’s South Street Recreation Area to refresh and enhance the stream bank along Loantaka Brook. Many of the participants were new to GSWA, including several students from Passaic County Community College.

Located next to Seton Hackney Stables, the area we focused on sheltered many invasive plant species and nuisance vines that were overtaking nearby trees and reducing local biodiversity. Using clippers and lots of manpower, the volunteers removed the vines and invasive plants and planted 15 native trees in their place.

The native trees that we planted will provide wildlife habitat, and their deep roots will help to stabilize the bank of Loantaka Brook. The plant material we removed from the site was collected by the Morris County Park Commission to be turned into mulch. We got much more accomplished than we had planned, but there is still more to be done to rid the entire area of invasive plants. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, and we hope to see you at future cleanups!

Check out photos from the Loantaka Brook volunteer day below or on GSWA's Flickr page!

Volunteer Workday At The Conservation Management Area by Hazel England

Twenty-three people from near and far enjoyed the warm March weather and early blooming trout lilies and spicebush, while readying the GSWA CMA for spring.  After the hurricanes and flooding of August, and the freak snows in October, the trails were in need of some TLC. Our volunteers spread wood mulch over paths leading a third of a mile away from the CMA entrance to the Silver Brook boardwalk bridge. This will allow hikers access without muddying up their boots quite so much.

Students from Passaic County College helped us clear introduced, non-native plant species away from several hundred small native shrubs. This will give our native plants time to establish themselves successfully without competing with invasives for light or nutrients. Because the CMA has a 28-acre fence around it to exclude deer, we have found that removing invasives and replanting native plants has allowed the forest understory to flourish.

Ten volunteers from the REI’s retail store in East Hanover—easily identified by their bright orange volunteer shirts—helped us construct a temporary bridge crossing that will join the CMA’s existing trail system with lands conserved by our neighbors at the Harding Land Trust. In the coming year, new trails will be created on HLT lands that will expand the total number of trail miles visitors can access. When all is said and done, a hike that begins at the CMA gate off of Tiger Lily Lane and concludes on HLT property along Harter Road will cover almost 2.5 miles of ground. 

Thanks to all who volunteered their time!  GSWA will having more weekend volunteer days as we manage the property and restore it to a functioning floodplain forest. Our next scheduled volunteer workday takes place on June 16. Register online at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm.

Check out photos from the CMA volunteer day below or on GSWA's Flickr page!

Please join us at a future volunteer event!

 

Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee & Their Impact On Local Water Pollution Utilities

by Laura Kelm, Director of Water Quality Programs

I’m sure we all remember the impacts that Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee had on our homes, businesses, and towns. Great Swamp Watershed Association was curious if the storms had any impacts on the two water pollution control utilities (a.k.a. WPCUs, or wastewater treatment plants) located in the watershed.

The Woodland Water Pollution Control Utility of Morris Township discharges into Loantaka Brook. The plant did suffer a power outage as a result of the storms, but a backup generator was able to keep the plant running as usual. Timothy O’Dell, assistant superintendent of the WPCU, noted that the plant was designed to treat a maximum of 2.2 million gallons per day (mgd), while its average daily volume is only half that amount. This allows excess volume generated by storms to be held and treated afterward to meet state water quality requirements for WPCU effluent.

The Chatham Township WPCU, which discharges to Black Brook, also lost power during the storms, but was kept online with power from a backup generator. The maximum permitted flow at this smaller plant is 0.875 mgd. During the days after Hurricane Irene, the plant saw volumes as high as 2.26 mgd. Marc Christensen, the water pollution control manager, said that while the excess flow meant that the water moved through the plant faster than normal, the WPCU still met all of its target requirements for effluent.

Here are some other interesting facts and figures about these two WPCUs—

The Morris Township Woodland WPCU:

• had its new system built in 1992 to provide tertiary treatment.
• can retain 1.5 mgd for future treatment.
• has no combined sewer overflows (aka. CSOs).

The Chatham Township WPCU:

• has a normal flow under 0.875 mgd.
• took precautionary measures before Irene hit, including reducing the amount of solids held in inventory, in order to hold greater capacity during the storm.
• increases its flow during precipitation events because of open tanks at the WPCU, some infiltration from manhole covers and pipes, and some illegal hookups of rain gutters into sewer lines.
• has no combined sewer overflows (aka. CSOs).
• measured the following flows after Irene: 1.54 mgd on 8/27/20112.26 mgd on 8/28/20111.435 mgd on 8/29/20111.441 mgd on 8/30/2011, and1.167 mgd on 8/31/2011.

Reprinted from Great Swamp Watershed Association, Across The Watershed, Spring-Summer 2012.

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Editor's note: The spate of turbulent weather in the Great Swamp region that originally sparked our interest in learning more about what happens at our local Water Pollution Control Utilities has stuck with us for many months. How much of what we have experience—hurricanes, tropical storms, rampant flooding, mild winters, and unusual snow falls—actually demonstrate the effects of global climate change on our small corner of the world?

We decided to go in search of some answers that we could share with you in the form of one of our regularly schedule, early morning Breakfast Briefings.

On Tuesday, April 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Professor Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Predication, will try to help us understand what to expect of the changing weather in our state in the coming months and years. He also will explain studying the causes of climate change might help us all prepare for what is coming.

Please join us at GSWA's headquaters located at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown, NJ, for this very special presentation.

Register at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm if you wish to attend, or give us a call at 973-538-3500 x22. Registration is free for current GSWA members. Non-members are asked to make a voluntary donation of $10/adult and $5/child (6-17 yrs.), or $30/family (includes 4 or more people).

Great Swamp Watershed Association Announces Spring 2012 Speaker Series

Breakfast Briefings keep you informed about the local environment without missing time at the office.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Morristown, NJ—The Great Swamp Watershed Association is pleased to announce speakers and presentations scheduled for its Spring 2012 Breakfast Briefing Series. GSWA created the Breakfast Briefing Series in order to help busy professionals stay informed about community environmental issues without taking valuable time away from work or family life. Presentations are kept brief, focus on current environmental topics, and minimize overlap with most traditional business hours. Unless otherwise noted, all Breakfast Briefings take place on the second Tuesday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at GSWA’s headquarters located at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown. Seating is limited, so online pre-registration is recommended, visit www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm. GSWA members attend at no additional cost. Non-members are asked to make a voluntary contribution of $10 per adult at time of registration. A continental breakfast is served at all events.

This spring’s scheduled presentations will cover eco-friendly landscaping, weather and climate changes in New Jersey, a discussion of threats to New Jersey’s critical forests and woodlands, and a summary of findings from an ongoing study of Great Swamp’s bugs, worms, mollusks, and other tiny spineless creatures. Speakers will include Professor Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Predication, environmental author and landscape designer Leslie Sauer, Drew University Emeritus Professor of Biology Leland Pollock, and GSWA’s own Hazel England, director of education and outreach, and Laura Kelm, director of water quality programs. Our first briefing takes place on Tuesday, March 13, 2012.


Here is GSWA’s complete Breakfast Briefing schedule for Spring 2012—


Landscaping for the Environment
Tuesday, March 13, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
Kemmerer Library, 19 Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., NJ
Want to learn how to make your yard more eco-friendly? Join Great Swamp Watershed Association’s Laura Kelm and Hazel England as they discuss ways to improve your landscaping to benefit local wildlife, water quality, and environmental conservation. We’ll start by reviewing simple tips and techniques designed to help you choose native plants that can manage the water on your property and keep pollution out of nearby streams. Later, you will learn which of those plants and shrubs do well under conditions found in the Great Swamp watershed, and which ones attract beneficial wildlife. This event includes an indoor presentation and an outdoor tour of recent plantings at Harding’s Bayne Park. Kemmerer Library is in no way responsible for the content or views presented during this event. Please note alternate location of this event.


Why Is New Jersey’s Weather Changing?
Tuesday, April 10, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
GSWA Headquarters, 568 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, NJ
Hurricanes, freak snowstorms, 100-year flood events –what’s coming next?  If you’ve worried about our weather over the last twelve months, or the overall effects of climate change on your life here in New Jersey, you need to join us for this presentation by Dr. Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Prediction. Professor Broccoli will tell us what to expect of the changing weather in our state, and he also will explain how study of the causes of climate change might help us better prepare for what is coming. Climate change will have profound effects on our environment and our society. Use this opportunity to inform yourself about the local consequences.

The Future of New Jersey’s Forests
Tuesday, May 8, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
GSWA Headquarters, 568 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, NJ
What is going on with the woods?  What threats do New Jersey’s forests face? Join Leslie Sauer, founder of the ecological restoration consultancy Andropogon Associates and author of The Once and Future Forest, as she speaks about the environmental and manmade threats facing New Jersey woodlands. Topics covered may include deer overpopulation, non-native invasive species introduction, forest fragmentation, and logging plans. What do we have to watch for in our state and protected forests next time we are out for a hike in the woods? Come to this talk and find out!

Unlock the Secrets of Great Swamp's Small Creatures: 2011 Findings from an Ongoing Study of Macroinvertebrates
Tuesday, May 22, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
Kemmerer Library, 19 Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., NJ
Macroinvertebrates—known outside of scientific circles as bugs, worms, mollusks and other small, spineless creatures—are useful when it comes to studying water quality and environmental conditions in and around a stream. For instance, dragonflies, aquatic snails, and flatworms can indicate whether the water in a stream is truly clean.

Drew University Emeritus Professor of Biology Lee Pollock, has studied these small creatures each year in the Great Swamp watershed since 1992. Join us to hear findings from his 2011 studies, along with his long-term view of environmental trends and what they mean for our local waters. There is no suggested donation requested for non-member attendance. Please pre-register online at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm. Kemmerer Library is in no way responsible for the content or views presented during this event. Please note alternate day and location for this event.


For more information about GSWA’s Breakfast Briefing Series, please visit www.GreatSwamp.org or call 973-538-3500.