North Jersey Group:
covering
Bergen, Passaic and Northern Morris Counties
approximately
from the Highlands to the Meadowlands
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GENERAL MEETINGS:
GENERAL MEETINGS: Held once a month (except July, August and December). Free. Everyone is welcome.
-
Thursday Sep 14th
Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
Englewood (directions below)
-
Nancy Slowik, Naturalist / Director of Greenbrook Sanctuary, will make a
slide-illustrated presentation about the work of the Sanctuary and recorded
changes in Palisades' flora and fauna over the past 60 years. Her program,
in honor of Greenbrook's 60 years of stewardship, will offer an audiovisual
field guide to the Palisades.
Since 1946, the 165-acre nature preserve atop the NJ Palisades has been a
significant field station: its proximity to NYC allows it to measure the
impacts of intense regional development on species, ecosystems and
biodiversity. Greenbrook was among the first to detect the wildly invasive
Mile-a-Minute vine and assess the health of ecosystems by monitoring
macro-invertebrates in streams.
The Sanctuary's secluded areas of predominately mixed oak forest include
200-year-old trees, standing 130 feet tall. At least 265 species of birds
have been observed, with some 40 species found to breed there. The
Sanctuary is also home to a variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Thursday, September 14
7:30 PM
Flat Rock Brook Nature Center
443 Van Nostrand Avenue
Englewood, NJ 07631
FREE
Everyone is welcome!
For more information, call 201-461-4534 or e-mail
BetsyKohn@aol.com
DIRECTIONS TO FLAT ROCK BROOK NATURE CENTER
From Palisade Interstate Parkway (PIP), North and South:
Take EXIT 1 (Englewood Cliffs, Englewood). Turn RIGHT at the end of the
ramp and proceed straight (west) on Palisade Avenue, through two traffic
lights (the first at Sylvan Ave/9W, the second at Summit Ave). At the THIRD
LIGHT (the intersection with Jones Road to the left and Brayton Road to the
right), turn LEFT onto Jones Road and proceed south. At the SECOND 4-WAY
stop intersection, turn LEFT onto Van Nostrand Avenue and proceed up the
hill, about three suburban blocks to the end. In front of you, you'll see
the nature center sign and the road leading up to the center and parking
(also available below on Van Nostrand).
From NJ Turnpike (I-95) North:
After the last toll booths (exit 18), stay on 1-95 North. Follow signs for
George Washington Bridge and New York. Always stay in the LOCAL lanes to
the right.
Take EXIT 71 (Broad Avenue Leonia Englewood).
At the end of the exit ramp, turn RIGHT onto Broad Avenue. At the second
light, turn RIGHT onto Van Nostrand Avenue and proceed straight up to the
end (passing through a 4-way stop intersection at Jones Road). You'll see
the nature center sign in front of you and the road leading up to the center
and parking (also available below on Van Nostrand).
From Route 80 East, toward George Washington Bridge:
Always stay in the local lanes. Take EXIT 71 (Broad Avenue Leonia
Englewood). Turn RIGHT at the end of the ramp onto Broad Avenue. At the
second traffic light, turn RIGHT onto Van Nostrand Avenue and proceed up to
the end. In front of you, you'll see the nature center sign and the road
leading up to the center and parking (also available below on Van Nostrand).
From Route 4 East:
Take the JONES ROAD EXIT in Englewood which comes after the exit after Grand
Avenue in Englewood area. Turn RIGHT at the end of the ramp, go about a
block to a 4-way stop intersection. Turn RIGHT onto Van Nostrand Avenue and
proceed to the end (about three suburban blocks). In front of you, you'll
see the nature center sign and the road leading up to the center and parking
(also available below on Van Nostrand).
From George Washington Bridge and Route 4 West:
As you cross the bridge, get into the center lane. This way you won't get
caught in the right lane traffic going onto the Palisades Interstate
Parkway. (Please note: If you do find yourself going on the PIP, just
continue and take Exit 1 and follow the directions above from PIP.)
Once you get to the NJ side of the GW Bridge, stay in the center lane and
look for and follow signs for ROUTE 4 WEST (which may also say Paramus or
Hackensack).
Once on Route 4, you'll see a Best Western on the right, followed
immediately by four gas stations (Lukoil, Exxon, BP and Gulf). Get into the
right lane in this vicinity and look for the JONES ROAD EXIT (Englewood),
which is not too far after you pass the gas stations and the Myrtle Avenue
exit.
Take the JONES ROAD EXIT. Turn RIGHT at the end of the exit ramp, go a
block to a 4-way stop intersection. Turn RIGHT onto Van Nostrand Avenue and
proceed to the end (about three suburban blocks). In front of you, you'll
see the nature center sign and the road leading up to the center and parking
(also available below on Van Nostrand).
(By the way, Flat Rock Brook Nature Center is about 8-10 minutes from the GW
Bridge.)
From Palisade Avenue, Englewood:
Take DANA PLACE south. You'll go through a 4-way stop intersection at
Linden Avenue (where Dana Place become Broad Avenue), over two sets of speed
bumps, to a traffic light at the intersection with Van Nostrand Avenue.
Turn LEFT onto Van Nostrand and proceed to the end (passing through a 4-way
stop at Jones Road). In front of you, you'll see the nature center sign and
the road leading up to the center and parking (also available below on Van
Nostrand).
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE While individual actions like letter writing are important, our real strength comes from collective action, joining with others to protect, explore and enjoy our natural resources. We meet every THIRD THURSDAY of the month (except for December and January) at 7:30 pm at Buehler Cultural Center, 950 High Mountain Road, North Haledon, NJ. Our next meeting is scheduled for the third Thursday in February. Please contact Mike (see above) to verify the meeting is on.
ISSUES Ramapo Highlands: we're organizing with other groups in NY and NJ in opposition to the planned large-scale housing projects that will add a total of 2,000 units in this watershed (a source of much of North Jersey's drinking water). Sterling Forest: the effort to keep 107 McMansions out of the State Park has gained the support of Sen. Lautenberg, NY Rep. Hinchey, DEP Commissioner Campbell, and local elected officials including North Haledon Mayor Randy George. Stay tuned -- the fight goes on! Hackensack and Ramapo Rivers and watersheds: we're concerned that the vegetative riparian corridors, so critical for habitat and flood control, remain free of encroachment. Let us know if you want to help or hear of plans to develop. Contact Mike or Tom (see above).
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! Help with conservation issues or political endorsements or general meetings/programs or fundraising. Lead hikes and outings. Become an issues coordinator (e.g., for environmental justice or habitat or oceans or recycling or transportation or another issue of your own choosing). To discuss these and other possibilities, please contact Betsy, Mike or Tom (see above).
CARTRIDGE RECYCLING. Bring your used printer or fax cartridges to Whole Foods Market, 905 River Road in Edgewater, NJ, open from 8 am to 10 pm, seven days a week. Leave them in the window box by the exit door. (Only bring cartridges that have not been recycled, please.) Thanks for recycling and your support!
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CURRENT ISSUES:
Most of us think that we saved Sterling Forest from development... Did you hear about the plans to build a development of 107 luxury homes in the heart of
Sterling Forest State Park?
Sterling Forest Update: Protecting the NewYork State Portion
By Mike Herson, Conservation Chair, North Jersey Group
Reprinted from our newsletter: The Jersey Sierran - January 2006 issue
Like one of those horror movies where
the monster comes back to life after
being vanquished, the developers are
back, trying to build in Sterling Forest,
this time actually inside Sterling Forest
State Park.
Many Sierra Club members will
remember how Sterling Forest was
"saved" in 1998. The Club's New Jersey
Chapter had a key role, working closely
with the Sterling Forest Partnership and
other groups to help save land that
became Sterling Forest State Park.
Forestland south of the New York State
line was saved by Passaic County to
become Tranquility Ridge Park. It was a
crowning achievement for all concerned
and a victory in an effort that extended
for many years.
Funding for the park purchases came
from the Federal Government, the State
of New York, the State of New Jersey
and from private not-for-profit groups.
U.S. Senators Lautenberg and Bradley,
New York Congressmen Gilman and
Hinchey and New Jersey Congressman
Torricelli played major roles in securing
federal funds. NJ Governor Christine
Todd Whitman and NY Governor
George Pataki helped secure state
monies. The bi-state and federal cooperation
was hailed as a model for others to
follow. New Jersey taxpayers paid more
than $19 million toward the acquisitions.
In 1998 Gover nor Pataki said, "Today's
historic announcement will forever preserve
Sterling Forest, as we create a new
state park and protect water quality for
both New York and New Jersey residents
" It's a majestic, nearly pristine natural refuge, a remarkable piece of
woodland, a watershed for millions, and
an outdoor recreational area that now
becomes accessible to 26 million people."
But we didn't save it all! Although more
than $78 million was paid to Sterling
Forest LLC's parent corporation, the Swiss
insurance conglomerate Zurich Financial
Services Group, the company reserved
575 acres for itself. Now the company has
proposed to build 107 McMansions on
those 575 acres located virtually in the
center of the state park.
The company presented a map of this
sprawling development to the Town
Board of Tuxedo, NY, which is responsible
for evaluating the proposal and the
Environmental Impact Study. The 107
home-sites were indicated with 107
round circles that looked like bullet
holes through the map. This proposal for
houses inside a state park would turn the
contiguous forest into Swiss cheese.
The reasons to save Sterling Forest in
its entirety, made sense twenty years ago
and they make even more sense now.
We have more scientific studies and
more development pressure than ever
before; and we still need clean water.
Recently, an Act of Congress recognized
the national significance of the
Highlands region to the United States.
In 1998 Governor Pataki said, "Sterling
Forest contains the single largest block
of intact forest in the entire Hudson
Highlands area,... This unbroken deepforest
habitat is crucial for the survival of
many resident and migratory species,
including black bear, a variety of hawks
and songbirds and many rare invertebrates
and plants."
This year the NJ Sierra Cl ub' s
Executive Committee adopted a resolution
pointing out that unfragmented,
contiguous forest is critical for biodiversity;
it cites a US Forest Service
Highlands Study pinpointing Sterling
Forest as being of the highest biodiversity value in the region and a
known habitat for threatened and
endangered species including the timber
rattlesnake.
Our Chapter is once again taking
action. In an example of bi-state cooperation
we are actively working with New
Y ork State's Atlantic Chapter , w hich
sent a strong letter to the Tuxedo Town
Board. We are also working with the
Sterling Forest Partnership, the New
York / New Jersey Trail Conference, the
Wilderness Society and other groups.
Our outgoing Chapter Conservation
Director, Dennis Schvejda, reached out
to NJ-DEP Commissioner Brad Campbell
to ask for his assistance. At the last
Town Board meeting, John Flynn, the
head of NJ-DEP's Green Acres program,
presented a letter from Campbell which
raised several environmental concerns
and proclaimed, "The State of
New Jersey strongly opposes the proposed
Sterling Forge Estates development"
Hopefully, the State of New York will do
the same, preserve the property and protect
Sterling Forest once and for all.
PROTECT STERLING FOREST
For the Sterling Forest Actionnetwork Alert - Sterling Forest Action Alert
The 20,000 Sterling Forest State Park was created, after nearly two decades of hard work by private citizens and public officials, at the cost of over $78 million -- of which $19.2 million came from the taxpayers of New Jersey. However, Sterling Forest Corporation retained 575 acres where it planned, originally, to build a golf course and 103 luxury homes. When dens for the Timber Rattlesnake, a threatened species, were found on the site, the NYS Department of Conservation ruled out the golf course. The developer now wants to build 107 homes costing $1.2 – $2.2 million on one to five-acre lots.
The rattlesnakes are not the only reason for raising concerns about this development. Out of all the “unique” properties we’ve all worked to save over the years, this perhaps may be the most unique. However, within one property, we have a key section of one of the two most biological diverse areas in New York State (the other is the Shawangunks); a significant system of wetlands; a nationally significant historical and archaeological resource which dates back to 1736, and which played a vitally important role in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars; a variety of threatened and endangered fauna and flora; and a passive recreational resource that is treasured by naturalists and hunters alike.
Sterling Forest is recognized as having the highest biological diversity value in the Highlands and the most significant diversity of reptile and amphibian species in New York State. Sterling Forest provides essential habitat for the threatened Timber Rattlesnake. It is a valued wilderness and recreation area for the 25 million people of the greater New York and New Jersey metropolitan region.
We all made a financial investment through our tax money to protect this important biological corridor and provide a green buffer for a densely populated metropolitan region.
Forest Fragmentation
Sterling Forest is a component of a large contiguous forest that includes Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks in New York,
and Ringwood and Long Pond Ironworks State Park in New Jersey.
The preservation of this unfragmented forest was one of the key issues in preserving Sterling Forest as a park.
In fact, the portion of Sterling Forest in which this development lies is the largest parcel of unfragmented forest in the NY-NJ Highlands as documented by Richard Lathrop of Rutgers University.
The development of this project would have a serious fragmenting effect on the forest, which would extend deep into the adjacent Sterling Forest State Park.
The proposed 107 units will significantly increase edge forest (defined as laying within 250 meters from a road or development)
and will decrease interior forest habitat (defined as laying more than 750 meters from a road or development). Fragmenting the forest will adversely affect wildlife species and habitat, as well as regional water resources and wilderness, recreational and scenic values. The impacts of the proposed development would extend far beyond the borders of the project site, having a fragmenting effect on the forest habitat within the park itself. This unfragmented forest habitat, with its associated highly diverse population of herpetological, avian, and mammalian species, is so important that it attracts University studies from a number of other states. How many other properties offer so much in one place?
Biodiversity
Sterling Forest possesses the highest level of biodiversity found anywhere in the entire State of New York.
This high value habitat is not limited to the eastern side of Long Meadow Road.
The NYSDEC has now determined that the eastern side of Long Meadow Road is part of one of the most valuable timber rattlesnake habitats in the entire State of New York.
As many rattlesnake carcasses have been found on Long Meadow Road, it is obvious that rattlesnakes utilize both the eastern and western parcels, and cross back and forth between them.
The proposed development will eliminate habitat and interrupt centuries-old migratory routes.
The increased vehicular traffic will significantly increase road kills of both rattlesnakes and other species, and inevitable conflicts between timber rattlesnakes and humans will also undoubtedly result in higher rates of rattlesnake mortality.
In regard to flora, the SEIS includes an updated inventory of plants. However, according to wildlife expert, S. Barbour, the inventory was conducted at an improper time to detect rare plants, and also failed to visit critical areas that would likely contain rare plants.
Water and Wetlands
A large portion of the 100-foot wetland buffer will be eliminated in its entirety for the construction of Roads. There will be water quality impacts as well. Sterling Forest is in the Ramapo River watershed, an important source of drinking water for over two million New Jersey residents.
Public Hearings were held in July and September for citizen comment on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) submitted by the Sterling Forest Corporation to develop 107 million+ dollar homes ("Sterling Forge Estates") in the middle of Sterling Forest State Park in the heart of the Highlands. Mike Herson, Tom Thompson and Betsy Kohn testified.
For more information, contact Sterling Forest Partnership:
Sue Scher, Co-Chair - sscher5@optonline.net 845-351-2883
Mary Yrizarry - aracari@frontiernet.net 845-783-4302
For a copy of the Sterling Forest Partnership's fact sheet on this project (in Word or PDF) or the DSEIS Narrative (in PDF), please e-mail BetsyKohn@aol.com
LOCAL ISSUES:
PROTECT THE HACKENSACK, RAMAPO AND PEQUANNOCK WATERSHEDS:
Riparian corridors, wetlands, woodlands, and forested slopes must be maintained for water supplies, flood control, wildlife habitat, river health and open space.
Let us know if you hear of any plans to develop or pave. If you hear about proposed developments on environmentally sensitive land, please notify Mike.
mikeherson@hotmail.com To find out more or help, contact Mike.
Sucess Stories
From Joe Osborne in Hawthorne:
Last year, we were faced with a common problem, a township thoughtlessly cutting trees when alternatives were available. The Sierra Club, particularly Mike Herson and Betsy Kohn, helped us immensely.
We live on a state park in Hawthorne, specifically on a 10-acre parcel of woodland, which is a local treasure. This wood is part of Goffle Brook Park, which was designed by Olmstead and Sons, architects of New York's beautiful Central Park.
One morning, we discovered orange stakes in the woods, delineating a 30-foot wide path. We were told that a sanitary sewer line was to be run through the woods, and that it was a "Done Deal". Despite the fact that the woods are protected, trees would be coming down. Everything had been approved and finalized, and work would commence shortly.
I called the Sierra Club. Never delay. People often use them as a last resort, and later regret this. Make them your first call. They are your "Big Guns". Mike Herson came to Hawthorne to meet me and reviewed our situation, we walked the site together and he shared his past experiences with me. Government takes the Sierra Club seriously, they can be your best friends if you need to fight city hall. Mike's advice proved to be invaluable.
We wrote the county engineer and requested that they withhold approval for the project until we were satisfied. We collected signatures, and they complied!
Our councilman Joe Wojtecki turned out to be a tireless advocate for the park and a strong environmentalist. Betsy Kohn represented the Sierra Club for us, and she was wonderful. She spoke for us in every meeting, and is a great advocate. Another Sierra club member, my neighbor John Mikalonis, shared his knowledge about the migratory birds that depend upon our woods during their migration.
We went to the next council meeting, which was televised, and respectfully submitted a list of demands-
- That alternative routes for the sewer line be researched to save trees and that these alternatives be presented to us in a public meeting.
- All progress on the project remain suspended until these alternatives were presented to us.
- These alternatives should be arrived at quickly and be reasonable in cost to protect the community.
The engineer we grilled at the public meeting turned out to be a very reasonable man and environmentally conscious as well. Given the fiscal authority to explore alternatives, he worked out a plan to run the new line on an existing narrow path through the woods. This plan was presented to us with very little delay in an on-site public meeting. The Mayor, council and press attended. So did the Sierra Club. The plan required new blueprints to be drawn up at a cost to the public, but the alternate line would reside in a lower elevation and so would require less digging, saving money. The new plan did not cut trees, saving even more money.
As I said, I'm not a writer, and I thank you for reading this story. As long as it is, I left many details out, but essentially I wanted to get this across; you can fight city hall, especially with the guidance of the Sierra Club. It's daunting and scary at times but I'm here to tell you it's worth it.
Postscript: The new sewer line was laid in the woods in just seven days, and they did not remove a single tree. Digging where they did, the backhoes coincidentally unearthed a pile of one hundred year old millstones, worth thousands of dollars to high-end landscapers, and which will soon adorn our library grounds. It just gets better and better.
From J.R. in Ridgewood:
"Almost two years ago our neighborhood organized a group to oppose a subdivision that would entail cutting down two-thirds of the trees on a heavily wooded property and the erecting of three McMansions on small lots. Mike Herson helped us to identify core issues and resources. As a result, the Ridgewood Planning Board denied the application 7 to 1. Mike Herson was invaluable to our efforts. Thank you."
Camp Todd Preservation Caps 20-Year Effort
to Preserve Ramapo Scout Camps
On a sunny mid-April afternoon,
Governor Codey, Bergen County
Executive McNerney and DEP
Commissioner Campbell stood atop the
Ramapo Mountains, above Oakland
(Bergen County), to make it official:
Camp Todd's 73 mountaintop acres will
be preserved. The State is supplying $4
million, the County $3.55 million and
Fyke Nature Association is contributing
$450,000 to acquire the last of the Boy
Scout camps in the Ramapos.
There's a long history behind the
preservation efforts for Camp Todd.
As a Scout, one of us (Dennis Schvejda)
camped at Todd from '67 to '73, several
times each year. As a Scoutmaster in the
early '80's, Dennis took his Scouts there.
According to Dennis, "when the Scout
Council decided to sell Camp Todd to a
developer, we tried to find a non-profit
conservation organization willing to purchase
the Camp. That failed. The original
developer went belly up after a few years,
and the property reverted to the
Resolution Trust Corporation, a federal
entity that held title to several Highlands
parcels. There was a big push by NJ environmentalists
and our Congressional delegation
to transfer title to the State of NJ,
but that failed. We then worked to get the
Borough of Oakland a Green Acres grant to
buy the property. We were successful,
and Oakland was awarded the grant. But
they sat on it for too long, and lost the
money. What's left of Camp Todd now is
a remnant, the developer having built
hundreds of units, and is continuing to do
so on the banks of the Ramapo River and
up the hill."
The most recent frustration occurred
in 2003, when Oakland's Planning Board,
ignoring the public outcry
and testimony from Mike Herson, Betsy Kohn and Tom Thompson,
voted 4-3 to
allow construction of 22 McMansions.
Since then, North Jersey Group members
continued to press officials publicly
for preservation, while Dennis worked
quietly with state and local officials to
find the funding to make preservation of
Camp Todd finally happen.
On Todd, there was really "an alignment
of the stars." Oakland Mayor Szabo and the
Town Council supported the purchase, as
did Brad Campbell. Hugh Carola helped
convince Fyke to supply some of the purchase
price. Capt. Bill Sheehan helped
shepherd the project through the Bergen
County Open Space Trust Fund, along
with Adam Strobel, Director of Open
Space for Bergen County. The Highlands
Coalition also provided support. And we
can't forget the New York / New Jersey
Trail Conference, which put in plenty of
work over the years on all these camps.
We may have lost significant portions
of Todd, but we did prevail and save the
heart of it. We're ecstatic that at least this
piece of the camp, containing the lake
and overlook, will be protected. This is
the culmination of efforts to protect not
only Todd, but also Yaw Paw, Tamarack
and Glen Gray.
Camp Todd's acquisition brings to
1,000 the number of acres of Boy Scout
camps saved in Bergen County's
Ramapos. Add that to the adjacent
Ramapo State Forest and the Ringwood
State Forest and we have about 19 square
miles of contiguous forest in northern
New Jersey extending up to the New
York border.
"Little did I know as a young Scout,"
said Dennis, "that I would work so long,
and with so many great individuals and
organizations. After more than 20 years
of effort, we have finally succeeded!"
Visit the following link for photos of Todd:
http://sierraactivist.org/gallery/todd.
Ramapo ends bid to get farm
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
By BRIAN ABERBACK
STAFF WRITER
copyright 2003 The Record
MAHWAH - Ramapo College is suspending its pursuit of a farm following
protests by preservation-minded residents and township and county officials
who criticized the school for authorizing condemnation of the land if its
owners wouldn't sell.
The school has never said it would build on the 17-acre tract across the
road from its campus, but it won't rule out development, either.
A June resolution passed by the school's Board of Trustees authorizing
condemnation cited the school's need for new athletic fields and academic
and administration buildings and referred to Mahrapo Farm as providing a
"site for future development."
"The community has certainly communicated that it has a different interest
in the property," said Ramapo spokeswoman Bonnie Franklin.
"I think they just decided to step back and take another look at this
situation," she said of the latest vote by the board.
Franklin couldn't say when or if the school would resume trying to purchase
Mahrapo.
James Dator, who owns the farm with his brother, William, and sister,
Darryl, is adamant about preserving the farm and not selling. He is
cautiously optimistic about Ramapo's retreat.
"It's still up in the air," said Dator, who lives on the farm. "It's a good
sign, but the college could renew its interest."
Some of the stables and barns on the property date to the 1800s. By some
accounts Mahrapo has been around since Revolutionary times.
The Dator family took ownership of the farm in the 1970s. Today, the farm is
used primarily for boarding horses. The animals are a familiar sight to
anyone who travels the northern end of Ramapo Valley Road.
To many, the farm is one of the township's last links to Mahwah's pastoral
past.
"It represents what Mahwah used to be," said Audrey Gold, a member of the
Friends of Mahrapo Farm, a recently formed local group drumming up support
for the farm's preservation.
"It's a really beloved farm," Gold said. "It should be saved."
Mahrapo also found itself in the middle of a proposed land swap between the
county and the state, which wants to build a weigh station in Mahwah on
county and township-owned land. The state backed off its plan to acquire the
property and turn it over to the county in deference to Ramapo.
"It should be preserved as open space, either by the state's farmland
preservation program or through the county's open-space trust fund," said
Julie Roginsky, spokeswoman for County Executive Dennis McNerney.
The township has also come out against the college condemning the land.
"I don't know if we can find too much security in what [the college] decided
to do last week," said Mayor Richard Martel. "I hope for the Dators that
something is resolved so that everybody can be happy."
E-mail: aberback@northjersey.com
6439519
Task force hears Highlands pleas
Sunday, December 7, 2003
By JAN BARRY
STAFF WRITER
copyright 2003, the Record
Save Camp Todd, a Bergen County delegation implored the Highlands Task Force.
Save Bald Hill, pleaded a woman from Kinnelon who wants a nearby forest tract preserved.
Save the bears, demanded an angry group from Vernon and other rural towns.
It was an opportunity to say something directly to the state panel that will decide what still-undeveloped lands will be saved in North Jersey. And more than 250 environmentalists, local officials, and home builders took advantage, jamming into the meeting room at the Morris County Cultural Center in Morris Township on Thursday.
Many of the speakers cited the state's black bear hunt, scheduled to open Monday, as the kind of bad results that can happen if development is allowed to sprawl further through the Highlands.
"Without protection of areas from roads and development, the black bear is not going to survive in New Jersey," said a New Jersey Audubon Society representative. Nor will many migratory bird species that nest in Highlands forests, he added.
The black bear is the symbol of the Highlands, several people shouted from the audience. An acknowledgement came from Bradley Campbell, the state's environmental commissioner, who said, "I hear and respect those who oppose the bear hunt."
But he asked that they address the issue of Highlands conservation. After extending the hearing more than an hour past the advertised 9 p.m. closing, Campbell reflected on what he had heard.
"The number of site-specific requests highlights the fact that communities are fighting this [battle against sprawl] town by town," he said. "And it highlights the importance of Governor McGreevey's Highlands initiative."
McGreevey's initiative includes boosting the amount of Green Acres funds available for conservation buyouts and establishing a task force to draft a plan of action by March for preserving a greater portion of watershed, forest, and farmlands in the region. The Highlands ridge region stretches from Bergen County into Hunterdon County. It now provides drinking water to half the state's population, recreational open space, and wildlife habitat.
The 19-member group includes conservationists, business and farming representatives, and local, county, and state officials. After introducing themselves, task force members listened attentively to a wide variety of residents of the mountain region and from urban areas that depend on water from the Highlands.
Several speakers proposed a goal of conserving 350,000 additional acres on top of the 150,000 acres currently preserved in the 1,000-square-mile region. The larger figure was derived from a U.S. Forest Service study that recommended protecting roughly half of the region from development.
The Highlands encompasses 90 towns in seven counties, including Mahwah and Oakland in Bergen County, the five northernmost communities in Passaic County, most of Morris County, and eastern Sussex County. Citing the example of Oakland Borough approving a housing development at Camp Todd, a former Boy Scout camp, a planner from another Bergen County community said state action is needed to override such local decisions.
"In this case, 'home rule' did not work," said Michael Herson, a member of the Oradell Planning Board. "A special planning area should be created for the Highlands."
Other municipal officials cautioned that the state should not run roughshod over local governments.
"Local government must be part of the solution," said Chester Township Mayor Benjamin Spinelli. He added that development pressure on Highlands communities is at a critical point. "The time to do something is now. Future generations depend on us to do the right thing."
Conceding that some additional conservation measures may be necessary, Matt Sprung, a Morris County builder, suggested that water users be charged a fee to pay for buyouts. As a trade-off for developers, he called for rezoning areas near highway intersections and railroad commuter stations to allow high-density housing.
The hearings continue in January, and the task force is to make its recommendations in March. Until then, public comments are being solicited in a variety of formats, including on the Internet at www.savethehighlands.org.
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Links:
Web Resources
Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter Action Center
- The easiest way to learn about and take action on pressing issues.
Sierra Club New Jersey Singles Section -
You can also find out about the Singles Section's events and projects by calling 973-364-7573 or e-mailing singles@njsierra.org
(mention Sierra Club in the subject line)
Join Online! MLP - Membership - To join the Sierra Club online -
You can also reach this link at http://www.sierraactivist.org Just scroll down and you'll see a box "Join the Sierra Club" on the left hand side of the web page.
Garden State EnviroNews -
This daily posting of articles, alerts, events is another excellent resource, the work of Phil Reynolds.
To subscribe (free) to receive the GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS, send an e-mail to: gsenet-L-subscribe@topica.com
Save New Jersey Coalition -
A coalition of over 50 NJ-based environmental and civic groups working to repeal the Fast Track Bill that gives developers a green light to build in Planning Areas 1 and 2 (metropolitan and suburban areas) through the automatic approval of permits if DEP doesn't meet a 45-day limit.
Office of Legislative Services, New Jersey Legislature -
Bills, votes, statutes, information about individual State Senators, Assembly Persons, etc.
Hackensack Riverkeeper -
Hackensack River conservation and watchdog group; also runs ecological tours through the Meadowlands. Contact Captain Bill Sheehan or Hugh Carola 201-968-0808.
Passaic River Coalition -
Passaic River environmental organization.
Bergen Swan -
A non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation of the Upper Hackensack River Watershed
Meadowlands Conservation Trust -
preserving, protecting, and enhancing environmentally sensitive land in the Meadowlands
Highlands Coalition -
Photos, maps and information, and contacts/ resources for anyone interested in the Highlands and Highlands conservation issues.
North Jersey Group Hikes - Please refer to the
NJ Chapter Hikes page where North Jersey Group hikes are denoted by "(N)"
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