Across the country, there are many im-paired wa-terways that are deemed “unfishable.” Fishing bans are enacted in those riv-ers and streams, but fishermen often ignore the signage that de-scribes the contamina-tion of the waterbody. The concept of a fish exchange, where a clean

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A Fish Exchange as Part of Green Job Training for U.S. Military Veterans

Amy Rowe, Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Volume 5, Issue 3 Aug. 2014

newsletter

News of Environmental and Resource Management Issues and Events from throughout New Jersey

Page 1

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental and Resource

Management Agents

Inside this issue:

A Fish Exchange as Green Job Training for U.S. Military Vet-erans

1

US EPA EnviroAtlas Ecosys-tem Mapping Tool

3

Volunteer Water Scouts Keeping Water Chestnut out of Lake Hopatcong

5

Rain Barrels and Mosquitoes 7

Rain Gardens Adapt to Multi-Purpose Design

11

Floating Wetland Islands In-stalled to Improve Lake Hopatcong Water Quality

14

American Water Resources Association Stormwater Best Management Practices Fact Sheets

16

Rutgers Environmental Stew-ards Alumni 2014 Forum

18

News and Upcoming Events 20

The veterans at the Paterson Great Falls learning about the history of the Passaic River and its contamination. Photo credit Amy Rowe.

For the latest news and events– visit the Green knight Blog http://greenknightnewsletter.tumblr.com/ or subscribe to RSS http://salem.njaes.rutgers.edu/

Page 2

fish is provided after the turning in of a contaminated one, has been explored in many watersheds, most notably San Francisco Bay and the Lower Duwamish in Washington State. Despite these explora-tions, as of this writing there have been no fish exchange trials in the United States. Here, the viability of a fish exchange program in the Lower Passaic River in Newark, NJ, is being examined. Previously collected fishermen activity data was reviewed, interviews of current fishermen are being conducted, and a trial aquaponics system will be implemented for fish production based on the need and commu-nity acceptance of swapping a contaminated fish for a healthy one. The greenhouse system and fish farm will be maintained by unemployed U.S. veterans participating in a Rutgers Cooperative Extension-based job skills training program for eventual workforce re-entry. The training program includes sustainable landscaping, stormwater management, aquaponics, and small business management topics. The veterans will not only manage the aquaponics system, but are also providing the education and outreach needed to implement the fish exchange in the Newark community. Jan Zientek, the Rutgers agricul-tural senior program coordinator for Essex County, is teaching the landscape management portion of the class, while the stormwater management topics are being led by Amy Rowe, the Rutgers Environmental and Resource Man-agement Agent for Essex and Passaic counties. The class of 15 veterans has been meeting daily for several months and the veterans have received landscaping and green job training with in-class lectures on the basics of soil, an in-troduction to stormwater, and how to write a business management plan, among other topics. The lectures were reinforced with hands-on instruction in the field at com-munity sites such as; Branch Brook Park, Brookdale Park, and Skylands Botanical Garden.

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Fish exchange... continued

Lotus Pond and Fish. Ito Jakuchu. Public domain. www.wikiart.org/en/ito-jakuchu/lotus-pond-and-fish-1765.

Page 3

The stated goal of the EnviroAtlas online tool is to

“measure and communicate the type, quality, and extent of the goods and services that humans receive from nature so that their true value can be considered in deci-sion-making processes”

Users can view various map layers, including land pro-tection status, water use, and demographics. In addition, there are easy-to-use analysis tools, such as:

• Elevation Profile tool, that displays the ele-vation along a transect or path

• Raindrop tool, that traces the general path of runoff from a loca-tion to a receiving wa-terbody

• Analyze Ecosystem Services tool, which produces a spider plot of index values for the seven ecosystem services for 12-digit HUC watersheds. Users can compare two or more watersheds. Indices include Biodiversity Conservation; Natural Hazard Mitigation; and Recreation, Culture, and Aesthetics; among others.

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US EPA Introduces EnviroAtlas Ecosystem Mapping Tool

Sal Mangiafico, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental and Resource Management Agent

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Results of the Elevation Profile tool showing a transect across Cumberland County with a point on the Maurice River indicated on the map and its corresponding eleva-tion in the profile.

Page 4

Links:

• Main website enviroatlas.epa.gov/enviroatlas/atlas.html

• Download data for GIS use enviroatlas.epa.gov/enviroatlas/Datadownload/index.html

• Details of measures used in the indices of the Analyze Ecosystem Services enviroatlas.epa.gov/enviroatlas/Data/currentdata.pdf

Reference:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2014. EPA Releases EnviroAtlas Ecosystem Mapping Tool. yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Results of the Analyze Ecosystem Services tool for the HUC 12 watersheds representing the upper, middle, and lower Cohansey River. The spider plots indicate the values for seven indices of ecosystem services for each watershed for comparison. For example, while the upper watershed is rated highly for “natural hazard mitigation”, the middle is highest of the three in “recreation, culture, and aesthetics.” The website indicated be-low describes the factors that are used to calculate these indices.

US EPA… continued

Page 5

It started back in mid-May, when a stand-up paddler picked up a life vest floating in Lake Hopatcong near Liffy Island. He took the vest home and found a Water Chestnut nut attached to it (photo 1). Fortunately, the paddler knew how important it is to report all Water Chestnut sightings which he did through www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org website. A couple weeks later in early June, a trained Lake Hopatcong Water Scout was out on her Wa-veRunner in the same area and found about 10 small Water Chestnut plants which she photo-graphed (photo 2) and reported as well. Later in June, a team of experienced Water Scouts were paddling through their assigned area in the Jef-ferson Canals. They have been scouting for Wa-ter Chestnut since the volunteer program was initiated by the Knee Deep Club back in 2010. The volunteers came across ten Water Chestnut plants in the canals, which they immediately hand-pulled and carefully marked the area where the plants were found and along the shoreline with the bright pink tape. The Lake Hopatcong Foundation, who currently oversees the Lake Hopatcong Water Scout pro-gram, reported the Water Chestnut sightings us-ing the Water Chestnut Reporting Form on the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Services of Morris County website and also reported it to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Foundation received permission to keep rec-reational users from the area where Water Chest-nut was found near Liffy Island which is undevel-oped shoreline along the lake. Water Scouts roped off the closed area and posted signs in the lake to keep vessels from transporting the Water Chestnut to other lake areas.

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Volunteer Water Scouts Keeping Water Chestnut out of Lake Hopatcong

Donna Macalle-Holly, Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Grant and Program Coordinator

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Water chestnut fruit. The initial discovery of water chestnut was of a nut found in a life jacket by paddler in Lake Hopatcong. Photo credit Lake Hopatcong Foundation.

Close-up of water chestnut plants in Lake Hopatcong. There were ten found in the Liffy Island area in early June. Each rosette is only one plant. Photo credit Lake Hopatcong Foun-dation.

Page 6

Dedicated Water Scouts have continued to moni-tor both areas near Liffy Island and Jefferson Ca-nals on a regular basis. Plants of all sizes have been marked, photo-graphed and hand-pulled by Water Scouts and NJ Division of Fish and Wild-life staff. Since May, approximately 150 plants near Liffy Is-land and 10 plants in the Jefferson Canals have been hand-pulled and re-moved from the lake. As the summer season pro-gresses, it becomes much more difficult to hand-pull the plants keeping the nut on the bottom of the plant. The Water Chestnut plants become entwined with other aquatic plants and the Water Chestnut nuts are more firmly embedded in the lake bottom. GPS co-ordinates have been tak-en so the Water Scouts can closely monitor the locations in the future. Water Chestnut is an extremely aggressive invasive species. By educating ourselves on how to iden-tify the plant and report Water Chestnut, we can keep it from overtaking ponds, lakes and slow moving sections of our rivers. For more information on the Lake Hopatcong Water Scouts program or to volunteer as a Lake Hopatcong Water Scout, visit www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org/water-chestnut/.

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Volunteers… continued

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Rain Barrels and Mosquitoes

Pat Rector Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Environmental and Resource Management Agent

Page 7

Storage of rain water for later use, or “rain water harvesting” is one of many sustainable or low im-pact development practices currently in use to conserve water resources and to treat stormwater runoff. Rain water harvesting treats stormwater as a resource, rather than the more conventional approach of removing stormwater as quickly as possible. Rain water can be harvested by simply gathering water after a rain for reuse, such as watering the garden, the lawn, washing the dog, or other purposes. Importantly, in New Jersey rain water is not potable and should not be used for drinking or cooking.

Although rain barrel design may vary in small ways the focus of this arti-cle will be the “typical” rain barrel built at many Rutgers led rain barrel workshops. This information will be applicable to many other rain bar-rels. The rain barrels used in Rutgers workshops are made of a 55-gallon recycled food grade high density polyethylene (HDPE) food grade barrel with a removable lid. The barrel is used to collect water from a roof gutter’s downspout (FS1118, njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS1118 ) and the water is used for non-potable us-es. The barrel has a simple construction: a faucet and an overflow hose adapter are installed into drilled holes and a screen is placed and held by the screw on lid (E329, njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=E329 ).

Because rain barrels are often a relatively inexpensive and easy-to-install solution to residential stormwater runoff and water conservation efforts, the initiative in New Jersey has been successful statewide. Dur-ing a 1.25 inch rain event, approximately 600 gallons of water will drain from an 800 square foot roof area (Bakacs and Haberland 2010) but most rain events in New Jersey are less than 0.5 inches. Rain barrels can be linked to additional rain barrels or allowed to overflow to a pervious surface such as the garden or lawn, thereby allowing the excess water to infiltrate into the ground. Rain water diverted to rain barrels does not drain from the downspout to the driveway or another surface. This keeps water from the road and the storm sewer system and ultimately the nearest stream or waterbody. Rain water harvesting can reduce the amount of water, impacting our streams significantly if installed on a community basis. Further, we can reuse that water making our home more sustainable.

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Typical rain barrel built at a Rut-gers led workshop. Note the screw top and the screen. Faucet is visible in the picture. Photo credit Pat Rector.

Page 8

However, standing water in rain barrels can become a source of mosquitoes and mosquito control agencies have raised concerns regarding the proliferation of rain barrels in urban landscapes. Mosquito Facts There are over 3,500 mosquito species worldwide, 176 in the continental US, 63 in New Jersey. Only female mosquitoes bite and do so to acquire blood to obtain enough energy to produce eggs. For day-to-day nutrition both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, plant sap or other sugary substances; blood is not food for adult mosquitoes. Depending on the species, a mosquito can travel relatively long distances for a blood meal and humans are not the primary source of blood for most mosquitoes. Instead, specific mosquito species specialize on birds, reptiles, amphibians or various mammals. However, several mosquito species, many of them invasive exotics have become adapted to humans environments and because they can become very abundant, can bite humans heavily. While many of us think of mosquitoes as a nuisance, they can also give us diseases such as West Nile virus (WNV), eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), dengue, chikungunya, malaria and others. Mosqui-toes can also transmit diseases to our pets and livestock such as dog heartworm and WNV and EEE.

Although there are broad categories of mosquito life-cycle and behavior, each mosquito species has its unique characteristics. One common trait shared by most, however, is that their immature stages (larvae and pupae) live in water although they need access to air to breathe. Mosquitoes use a varie-ty of habitats in which to lay their eggs. Some natural mosquito habitats are wetlands, water-filled tree holes and ponds. However, as mentioned, a few species now exploit human created water envi-ronments such as ornamental ponds, catch basins, stormwater facilities, gutters, buckets, discarded trash and tires – literally any container that can catch and hold water for a week or so. Mosquito lar-vae are not found in moving water or in the open areas of ponds and lakes. Fish are excellent preda-tors of mosquitoes and the two rarely co-exist. Mosquito control in New Jersey is based on the concept of Integrated Pest Management and is gener-ally conducted at the county level with input from the Office of Mosquito Control Coordination, the State Mosquito Control Commission, and extension programs at Rutgers University. Mosquito con-trol programs utilize education, water management, biological control and regulated pesticides. Mos-quito pesticides can be divided into two classes, those that kill larvae (larvicides) and those that kill adults (adulticides). All individuals applying pesticides for professional mosquito control agencies in New Jersey are trained and licensed to perform these activities.

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Mosquitoes… continued

Page 9

Mosquito Life Cycle Mosquitoes, like flies, belong to the insect order Diptera, and undergo complete metamorphosis (refer to the figure for the complete life cycle ). The intermediate stage during which the immature features of the larvae become those of the adults is called the pupa and is equivalent to the chrysalis of a butterfly. Unlike the chrysalis, mosquito pupae are very active and are called “wrigglers”. The females in some mosquito species deposit groups of eggs known as rafts, while others deposit eggs individually. Some must de-posit their eggs directly on the water’s surface while others deposit them in moist areas where they may be inundated with water at a later time. Some eggs hatch in 48–73 hours but others can sit dormant for months or years before hatching. Once the eggs hatch, larvae go through four stages or ‘instars’, molting between each stage. Most mosquito larvae feed on bacteria or other microorgan-isms in suspension in the water or on surfaces but a few are actually predators and will eat other or-ganisms in their environment. Larval mosquito growth is dependent on food availability and temper-ature. Generally the warmer the water the faster the mosquito proceeds through its growth cycle. The fourth larval stage molts into the pupa and when the adult is formed in the pupa, the pupal skin splits at the water’s surface and the adult slowly forces itself out, resting temporarily on the surface before taking flight. In the warmest weather some species of mosquito can proceed from egg to adult in 5–7 days.

Keeping Your Rain Barrel Mosquito Free The best way to keep a rain barrel mosquito-free is to accept the potential for it becoming a mosqui-to habitat and build and maintain the rain barrel accordingly. Problems occur when rain barrels are poorly constructed or not maintained properly. Rain barrels should be designed and constructed to drain completely every week to kill any developing mosquitoes. They should also be disinfected with a mild solution of bleach to reduce the microbial community, which can lead to bad smells and at-tract mosquitoes. The guidelines are recommended by Rutgers Cooperative Extension for the building and mainte-nance of rain barrels

The screen on the top should be securely attached with the screw on lid. The screen is win-

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Mosquitoes… continued

EMERGING ADULT

Mosquito Life Cycle

dow screen available from hardware stores.

Unless the overflow adaptor is sealed, the hose that is attached must be at least 8–10 foot long. A mosquito will travel up a shorter hose in search of water.

During drought it becomes worth the mosquitoes expenditure of energy to travel up the 8 or 10 foot hose in search of water and a place to lay eggs. Therefore because nature will find a way, a small piece of window screen must be attached on the inside of the hose adapter with ¾ inch electrical conduit locknut.

As mentioned above, mosquito larvae require access to air. You can suffocate them by adding several tablespoons of cooking oil that will float on the water surface and prevent their access to air. A 1/8 inch layer will be enough. An alternative and safe way to control mosquitoes inside rain barrels is to add Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) often sold as a Mosquito Dunk. Bti is a natural larvicide because once ingested by the feeding larvae it has a toxin that is activated by the high pH inside a mosquito gut.

Empty the water frequently after a rain event. Standing water is always a lure for mosquitoes. Clean the barrel with a dilute bleach solution occasionally and rinse, this will remove available food to the mosquito larvae and make the barrel less attractive to the females looking for places to lay eggs.

Contacting your local mosquito control agency

The NJDEP Office of Mosquito Control Coordination has set up a hot line for the public to reach their lo-cal mosquito agency. Dial 1-888-666-5968 or 1-888-NO-NJ-WNV. In addition, complete NJ state infor-mation on mosquitoes, including a list of county mosquito control agencies throughout NJ, is available online at http://www.nj.gov/dep/mosquito/index.html.

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Mosquitoes… continued

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Rain Gardens Adapt to Multi-Purpose Design

Irene Sabin, Rutgers Environmental Steward Alumni

Rain gardens are usually

located on sites where

plants are used to capture

stormwater runoff, con-

trol soil erosion and filter

pollutants before the wa-

ter seeps back into the

ground. In addition to

these primary purposes,

rain gardens can be de-

signed for use as outdoor

classrooms, places of

beauty for the senses and

sources of nourishment

for pollinators and birds

as well as the human spir-

it. Rain gardens can fulfill

the passion to garden, to

create a living thing of

beauty from soil, water

and a seed.

“Growing Lives One Seed at a Time” is the garden initiative implemented by The Rotary District 7510

Central NJ and Rutgers University in March, 2012. The Rotary wanted to create enabling gardens for

hands-on club and community service in the five counties where they serve: Somerset, Hunterdon, Un-

ion, Middlesex and Mercer. Enabling gardens are designed for use by people of all ages and abilities. Fea-

tures may include raised beds, vertical wall gardens, hanging baskets which can be raised or lowered,

and gardens which stimulate the five senses. The objective is to enable enjoyment of gardening for peo-

ple with various stages of ability from childhood to old age. The partnership with Rutgers, NJAES Coop-

erative Extension, has resulted in the creation of barrier-free, modified accessible gardens in those five

counties. For more information on Enabling Gardens please read: Rutgers Cooperative Extension Fact

Sheet Enabling Gardens: The Practical Side of Horticultural Therapy (FS120) njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/

fs1208/ .

Rutgers – Rotary Initiative Rain Garden Installation at the Floribunda Greenhouse Horticultural Therapy and Education Space on Cook Campus July 17, 2012. Photo credit Irene Sabin.

Floriculture Greenhouse Rain Garden On July 17, 2014, Rotarians, with Rutgers faculty, staff, students and friends, initiated the planting of a rain garden at the Floricul-ture Greenhouse on Rutgers Uni-versity Cook campus. The Wood-bridge-Perth Amboy Rotary Club had provided seed money through a district grant for the installation of the rain garden to correct a major drainage problem in the undeveloped courtyard of the Horticultural Therapy and Ed-ucation space at the Floriculture Greenhouse. July 17 was the date of the first planting. After com-pletion, the garden will be used to educate Rutgers students and the public about environmental, eco-logical and therapeutic aspects of landscape design. Groups will also be able to use the space for community programs. The rain garden was designed by Rutgers student, Ryan Goodstein, under supervision by his advisor, Richard Alomar, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Extension Specialist at Rutgers Uni-versity. Prior to the garden planting, Professor Alomar gave a presentation on “Community Engagement to Improve Urban Ecological Systems.” Tobiah Horton, also an Assistant Professor and Extension Spe-cialist in Landscape Architecture at Rutgers, followed with a talk on “Transforming Waste to Resource and Problem to Opportunity: Utilizing Stormwater in the Garden.” “Landscapes are man-made and are in a constant state of flux,” said Professor Alomar. He feels that it is important to build a community around a garden by adding educational components in the design to

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Enabling rain garden... continued

Rutgers – Rotary Initiative Rain Garden Installation at the Floribunda Greenhouse Horticultural Therapy and Education Space on Cook Campus July 17, 2012. Photo credit Irene Sabin.

Page 12

Page 13

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

maintain interest and active participation. To involve children in a project, he suggests asking them to sketch a picture, write a story or talk about how they feel in the garden. Rain garden plants that have dif-ferent qualities such as fragrance, color and texture can be chosen to stimulate the imagination. In one installation, an easily accessible perforated steel roof was constructed over a rain garden, planted on a lower level, so that visitors could view the garden design from a different perspective. Professor Horton repurposes construction waste, such as blocks of torn up sidewalk cement, as hard-scaping in the garden. He has recycled such materials as sculptural and safety elements in a highway project. Instead of paying to import new materials, pre-used asphalt, concrete, crushed glass, tumbled glass and rubber can be reused in various ways. Cultural, physical and historical values are embedded in deconstructed materials, according to Professor Horton. Designing them into new construction pro-vides a familiar sense of the past as people adjust to a changing environment. Professor Horton believes in “opportunistic design which brings people and objects into a project” or a learning experience. For example, a basket from Willow Patch, an historic wetland constructed in the 19th Century for the production of baskets, provides an opportunity to talk about wetlands and how they function. “Rock and Rain” is a rain garden created to teach geology to elementary students. The five zones of New Jersey geology are represented by rocks from each region obtained at a quarry and placed according to their zone location on the map of New Jersey. Plants that grow in the soil of each region complete the rain garden. Pieces of concrete are part of the hardscaping which give teachers the oppor-tunity to talk about the ingredients of concrete. A quote from Professor Horton’s personal website says: “Good karma and LEED points are available for reuse of materials.” Faculty information for Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture :

( http://landarch.rutgers.edu/fac_staff/fac_staff.htm )

Alomar, Richard; Assistant Professor Blake Hall, Room 226 848-932-5266, Richard.Alomar@rutgers.edu Read my CV Horton, Tobiah; Assistant Professor Blake Hall, Room 225 Read my CV, Personal Website 848-932-9344, Tobiah.Horton@rutgers.edu

Article in ASLA’s “The Dirt” about highway project using repurposed concrete in Queens: http://dirt.asla.org/2011/03/09/new-queens-plaza-uses-broken-concrete-to-keep-pedestrians-safe/

Enabling rain garden... continued

Page 14

Floating Wetland Islands Installed to Improve Lake Hopatcong Water Quality

Jessica K. Murphy, Lake Hopatcong Foundation President

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Raccoon Island, Halsey Island, and Liffy Island have been a part of the Lake Hopatcong land-scape for past generations, but a pair of new islands have joined the scene in an effort to keep New Jersey’s largest lake healthy for generations into the future. Two floating wetland islands—each covering 250 square feet—have been installed in Ash-ley Cove in the northeast part of Lake Hopatcong as part of a non-point source 319(h) grant that was awarded to the Lake Hopatcong Commission by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and has been recently administered by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. The islands were installed on July 2 with help from employees of Princeton Hydro LLC (an environ-mental consulting firm that has worked on numerous Lake Hopatcong water quality projects), Jeffer-son Township Department of Public Works, and the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. Also on hand to ob-serve and help with the installation were Ken Klipstein and Bob O’Neil from the New Jersey Water Sup-ply Authority -Watershed Protection Program. Floating wetland islands are made up of woven recy-cled plastic material that floats, with vegetation planted directly into the material with peat and mulch. They must be planted near shore in a no-wake zone on the lake, which is why Ashley Cove in Jefferson Township, a quiet corner of the lake with no through traffic or lakefront structures, was chosen for the project. The plants then grow on the island, rooting through the plastic material. According to Dr. Fred Lubnow, a limnologist with Princeton Hydro, these floating wetland island cells will divert some of the existing nutrients in the cove away from the nuisance mat algae and weed and into the plants on the island, creating an excellent habitat for phosphorus removal. As the island plants remove phosphorus from the lake, less phosphorus is available for nuisance aquatic plant growth and algae. As a side benefit, they provide an excellent refuge habitat that attracts beneficial forage fish and can provide shoreline protection. The islands in Ashley Cove were planted with attractive native vegetation, including sweet- scented joe-pye weed, hibiscus moscheutos, common rush, New England aster, broadleaf arrowhead, great blue lobelia, and golden zizia. According to Donna Macalle-Holly, LHF Grant and Pro-gram Coordinator, “This is the first of a kind water quality improvement project for Lake Hopatcong.

Princeton Hydro, LLC employees and floating wetlands island team members planting native plants on island. Photo credit Lake Hopatcong News.

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Floating wetlands… continued

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Each of the islands should remove about ten pounds of phosphorus annually. It has been well documented in the Lake Hopatcong Water Quality Monitoring report that one pound of phosphorus can generate as much as 1,100 pounds of wet algae biomass. The islands will require very little maintenance once they are established and should last for 15 years.” Lake Hopatcong Foundation president Jessica K. Murphy said that the islands are a project that gets right to the heart of the LHF purpose. “We focus a lot on the Lake Hopatcong commu-nity and experience, but none of that will mat-ter if the lake itself isn’t healthy,” Murphy said. “Improving the water quality of the lake is tru-ly the centerpiece of our mission, and this is a new and exciting way to do that.” The Lake Hopatcong Foundation is a 501(c)(3) regis-tered nonprofit organization that was estab-lished in 2012 with a mission of improving Lake Hopatcong for all, now and in the years to come. It is based at 37 Nolan’s Point Park Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, and more information can be found at www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org .

Floating wetland island team members moving island into Lake Hopatcong. Photo credit Lake Hopatcong News.

Page 16

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

In an effort to gather and disseminate information on stormwater best management practices (BMPs), the New Jersey Section of the American Water Resources Association (NJ-AWRA) developed a template for stormwater BMP project fact sheets that can be used to summarize information on constructed stormwater BMP facilities. In our initial call for fact sheets, we received a number of submissions that spanned a wide variety of BMP types, from large wet ponds to small rain gar-dens. The accepted stormwater BMP fact sheets (nsawra.onefireplace.org/factsheets) have been published on the NJ-AWRA website. Moving forward, we will be accepting submissions of project fact sheets on a rolling basis. The fact sheets are intended to provide the membership and public with a wide-range of real-world examples of implemented stormwater management facilities. The following is a list of typical stormwater BMPs that have been constructed in New Jersey:

• Detention Basins • Wet Ponds • Dry Wells • Infiltration Basins • Bioretention Systems • Constructed Stormwater Wetlands • Pervious Paving • Green Roofs • Sand Filters • Vegetative Filters/Filter Strips • Water Quality Swales • Stormwater Harvesting (Cisterns and Rain Barrels) • Underground Detention and Infiltration

This list should not be considered all-inclusive, and other types of BMPs are encouraged to be sub-mitted. The project fact sheet should be submitted using the provided template in MS Word or a compatible format. Photographs (both during and post-construction) are encouraged and should be inserted in the locations indicated on the template. Only contact information for the project team and partners should be entered in the “Contact Information” box. Submission procedure: Please email all fact sheets and any questions or comments to Brian Friedlich, NJ-AWRA Stormwater Committee Chair at bfriedlich@kleinfelder.com. Please see the example of a Fact Sheet on the following page.

NJ Chapter of American Water Resources Association Introduces Stormwater Best Management Practices Fact Sheets Template

Amy Soli, Director of Science, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association

Page 17

NJ-AWRA… continued

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Rutgers Environmental Stewards Alumni 2014 Forum at NJDEP

Pat Rector, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental and Resource Management Agent

Page 18

The Rutgers Environmental Stewards Alumni had their annual Fo-rum at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP’s) Public Hearing Room in Trenton on July 29, 2014. This annual forum provides an opportunity for alumni to come together and see old classmates, meet new friends while learning about NJDEP’s new initiatives. This year’s agenda included an introduction from Dan Kluchinski, the Department Chair of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Department of Agricultural and Resource Management Agents where the Rutgers Environmental Steward Program resides. Cindy Randazzo, the NJDEP liaison to Local Government provided opening remarks. and Bruce Barbour discussed the program and the new coordinators: Amy Rowe, Pat Rector, and Michele Bakacs. During lunch the alumni were happy to have a brief talk from Dr. Larry Katz, Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. NJDEP has a new illegal dumping campaign and Katie Barnett and Arthur Zanfini provided an excellent presentation on this program. James Oxley discussed the improvement in ozone concentrations even during the 8-hour standard. Tanya Oznowich, NJDEP dis-

cussed Greening and Sus-

tainabilizing New Jersey Schools. There was a presentation by Karl Muessig, the NJ State Geolo-gist on NJ Water Supply and hydraulic fracturing and Adriana Caldarelli, an Environmental Scientist with the Division of Water Quality provided a presentation on Green Infrastructure and Storm-water Basics. The day finished with a presentation by Susan Brookman, Executive Director of New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team titled “Invasive Species: Map’Em and Zap’Em” These forums are a valuable way to learn of NJDEP initiatives. Rarely can citizens keep up

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Daniel Kluchinski, Chair of the Rutgers Coop-erative Extension Department of Agricultural and Resource Management Agents, (the Rut-gers Department that is home to the Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program) provides the opening remarks. Photo credit Pat Rec-tor.

Cindy Randazzo, NJDEP liaison to Municipalities describes her job

and the type of assistance she provides to both municipalities

and counties. Cindy says she needs to be on the road four days

out of five meeting with municipalities. Photo credit Amy Rowe.

Rutgers Environmental Stewards Alumni… continued

Page 19

with all the new initiatives and complex programs within the NJDEP, and this forum that NJDEP of-fers provides the alumni with an unparalleled op-portunity to deep abreast of what is new and excit-ing within the NJDEP . As importantly, or perhaps more importantly, these meetings provide an op-portunity for alumni to spend time together discuss issues that they are concerned about and begin to discuss actions that they would like to see happen from their efforts.

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Dr. Larry Katz, Director of Cooperative Extension provides the

lunch time speech to the Rutgers Environmental Stewards.

Photo credit Amy Rowe.

Rutgers Environmental Stewards work in groups to identify

issues and actions on a variety of topics they are interested

in during the work session after lunch.

Page 20

******** NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS ********

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Page 21

******** NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS ********

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

For more information, contact Mary O’Keefe

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USDA Researchers Identify Stink Bug Attractant

sustainablenursery:

www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2014/140716.htm

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Invasive Emerald Ash Borer Insect Detected in New Jersey (NJ Dept. of Agriculture Press Release)

www.state.nj.us/agriculture/news/press/2014/approved/press140521a.html

New Jersey Department of Agriculture officials today confirmed that the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive beetle that attacks and kills ash trees, has been found in Somerset County.

The adult emerald ash borer is a metallic green insect about one-half inch long and one-eighth inch wide mak-ing it hard to detect in the wild. The female beetles lay eggs on the bark of ash trees. The eggs hatch and the larvae bore into the bark to the fluid-conducting vessels underneath. The larvae feed and develop, cutting off the flow of nutrients and, eventually killing the tree. EAB attacks and kills North American species of true ash, and tree death occurs three to five years following initial infestation. EAB is native to Asia.

See also:

www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/forest/community/Emerald_Ash_Borer.htm

(Photo: Howard Russell, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org, Creative Commons Attribution license, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emerald_ash_borer_05.jpg )

******** NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS ********

Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014

Green Knight newsletter

Editors: Pat Rector Sal Mangiafico

(Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental and Resource Management Agents)

P.O. Box 900, Morristown, NJ 07963-0900

973-285-8300 ext. 225

http://salem.rutgers.edu/greenknight/

rector@njaes.rutgers.edu

Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey

Agricultural Experiment Station, is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, military

service, veteran status, and any other category protected by law.

Rutgers Cooperative Exten-sion Environmental and Resource Management

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Volume 5 Issue 3 Aug. 2014