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Posts Tagged 'bergen save the watershed action network'
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network
Posted in franklin parker small grants program, recreation & aethestics
The Old Tappan Woods is an approximately 160 acre ecological gem within the Upper Hackensack River Watershed, preserved as a result of the 1993 Bergen SWAN settlement with United Water and State agencies, and owned by the water company. Entrance to the woods is via the adjacent 3+ acre “Bonnebel Park,” owned by the Borough of Old Tappan, preserved since 2008 with the use of State Green Acres and County and municipal open space trust fund dollars. These woods are an especially rare example of a large area of natural woodlands and wetland with a nearly continuous riparian edge along its border. The site boasts upland areas containing large, mature beech trees, backwater flood plains and wetlands along a C-1 classified stretch of the Hackensack River, and several vernal ponds, all of which provide habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife.
Bergen SWAN is seeking funding to assist with upgrading the network of trails throughout the property and to create a nature guide for the area. As part of their educational outreach efforts, they will instruct the public on wise stewardship issues for the trails – avoiding overuse of wetland and floodplain areas, cleaning up litter and dog waste, and staying on a limited number of established trails. They will communicate their work to the public though their website and other web resources and local press outlets.
Funds will be used to:
1. Fund a naturalist to evaluate the site and write a nature guide for the area;
2. Create a printed, illustrated guide to the Old Tappan Woods;
3. Create a trail map for the Old Tappan Woods;
4. Develop and post an online version of the nature guide;
5. Groom, clean, and prune trails as needed; and
6. Work with stakeholders to develop, post, and implement usage guidelines for the woods.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Outreach, Recreation, and Aesthetics: Public access, Environmental education- improved hiking access, stewardship education, and nature guide.
Total Project Cost: $9400
Status: Bergen SWAN is looking for funding to complete this project. They will hire a professional landscaper and crew for the bulk of the pruning and clearing, and plan to train volunteers for the lighter tasks. They anticipate about $2,400 in in-kind contributions.
In 2012, CRI awarded this project $2000 through its Franklin Parker Small Grant program.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network
Posted in biological diversity, water protection, filtration, & control
Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN) is working with the Bergen County Parks Department, Rutgers University Water Resources Program, US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Borough of Westwood, United Water NJ, R&S Landscaping, and Pascack Sustainability Group to design and install an enhanced vegetative buffer surrounding a large pond at the Pascack Brook County Park. The 2,000 linear foot pond is an impoundment of a small tributary which connects to the Pascack Brook at a point approximately one mile above where the brook enters the Oradell Reservoir.
At present, there is very little vegetation surrounding the banks of the pond. Bergen SWAN has worked with Rutgers to design a planting plan with a coverage area of 10,500 square feet that will help to control runoff from the parking areas surrounding the pond, deter Canada geese from utilizing the pond and field areas, and increase the habitat for native songbirds and other species. The planting plan calls for the installation of native trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, and wildflowers, plus removal of invasive species surrounding the pond. Phase 1, taking place in spring 2010, will involve the planting of sixty 1-2-inch caliper trees. Phase 2, to take place in 2011, will involve the planting of the remaining vegetation.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- restore vegetative buffer to control runoff
Biological Diversity: Habitat- restore native vegetation, removal of invasive plant species
Total Project Cost: $17,500
Status: Bergen SWAN would like to plant sixty trees during the spring of 2010.
If you would like more information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network, carbon sequestration and restoration grant program
Posted in ecological restoration project, projects funded by conservation resources, water protection, filtration, & control
In 2010, this project received a $5,000 grant from CRI, Elizabethtown Gas, and PSEG through CRI’s Carbon Sequestration and Restoration Grant Program.
This project is focused on restoring a 2,500 foot section of the bank of the Musquapsink Brook in Westwood. This area has been deeply disturbed through a combination of illegal dumping of residential and landscaping trash and the improper dumping of dredging spoils by the County Mosquito Commission. As a result of these activities, the area along this section of the brook has lost the majority of is natural vegetative cover, and in many places the soil has been degraded by the introduction of construction debris and gravel deposits.
Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN) has held an initial in-the-field planning meeting with the property owner – Westwood Regional School District – and they are very excited about moving forward with the project. Students and teachers in biology and environmental science classes will participate in the planning and installation of this restoration project and will utilize the site for ongoing environmental studies programs.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- buffers to streams, restoration of native vegetation
Total Project Cost: $31,000
Status: Bergen SWAN is hoping to develop detailed plans for the project during the summer of 2010, conduct some work in the fall of 2010, and complete the planting in the spring of 2011.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network, wma 05 (hackensack hudson and pascack)
Posted in climate stabilization and/or air pollution mitigation project, ecological restoration project, franklin parker small grants program, NRD settlement candidate project, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics, riparian mitigation candidate project, water protection, filtration, & control
The focus of this project is the development of a regional approach to stormwater/watershed management. Guided by expertise from Rutgers’ Water Resources Program and Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN), decision makers and stakeholders will engage in a series of information sharing workshops that generate tangible, time-driven results. The meetings will culminate with on-the-ground projects requiring the installation of a demonstration rain garden or streambank restoration project within each of the four towns. The outcomes generated by these meetings and hands-on projects will be used to develop educational materials and other media communications designed to promote the adoption of these techniques more broadly throughout the community.
The principal audience for the stewardship workshops will be elected municipal officials; Planning Board members; environmental commissioners; Dept. of Public Works personnel; and town professionals such as engineers and planners. For the hands-on rain garden and streambank projects Bergen SWAN will reach out to educators, garden clubs, community organizations, and other stakeholders for their input and participation.
There is a dire need to bring new ideas on watershed management to local officials and decision makers. Currently, the prevailing mindset concerning flood control and stream management is to regularly dredge stream beds and move the water quickly down the line to the next town. Such traditional methods inadequately address peak flows and quantity, do not at all address water quality, and seriously damage and stress existing ecological communities.
By providing information on best management practices and low impact stormwater management systems, and by promoting watershed-friendly strategies – floodplain buyout programs, humane geese population control, water conservation inside and outside of homes and buildings, the adoption of no-mow zones, native plants, smaller lawn areas, and other alternative landscaping techniques — municipal officials, land managers, and others will be able to build their capacity for addressing stormwater problems with more creative, long range solutions.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration & Control: Water quality- protection of groundwater recharge areas, restoration of stream buffers, stream bank stabilization, prevention of sedimentation, stormwater projects, reduction of runoff
Climate Stabilization and Air Pollution Mitigation: Carbon sequestration- aforestation
Outreach, Recreation & Aesthetics: Environmental education- workshops/training sessions
Total Project Cost: $30,600
CRI granted $4,000 to Bergen SWAN in 2007, and another $4,000 in 2008 for this project through its Franklin Parker Small Grants program.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
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