Sessions
Forests and Headwaters
in the President's Circle Room (1st floor)
Nonprofit Stewardship of Headwaters and Restored Wetlands
Emily Allen: Board Member, Greater Culver Lake Watershed Conservation Foundation
Kathleen Farley: Executive Director, Teaneck Creek Conservancy
Kristine Rogers: Watersheds Program Manager, SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group
In this case study, you’ll hear from representatives of the Greater Culver Lake Watershed Conservation Foundation (GCLWCF) and Teaneck Creek Conservancy about the stewardship work being conducted by their nonprofit organizations in rural versus suburban regions of North Jersey. GCLWCF will highlight its work in Sussex County to permanently preserve and restore a former golf course into a publicly accessible nature preserve while Teaneck Creek Conservancy will discuss its efforts to steward 46 acres of restored wetlands owned by Bergen County. The presentations will also underscore the similarities and differences in management strategies because of the land’s different ownership types (nonprofit versus county government).
Another Fine Mess: Three experts on the emergence of PFAs as a pervasive, dangerous, point source contaminant in drinking water
Doug O'Malley: State Director, Environment New Jersey
Harvey Klein: Laboratory Director, Garden State Labs
Tim Eustace: Deputy Director, North District Water Supply Authority
Harvey Klein, Director of Garden State Labs; Tim Eustace, Deputy Director of North Jersey District Water Supply Commission; and Doug O'Malley, Executive Director of Environment New Jersey, bring the perspectives of a scientist, a water purveyor and an environmental advocate to a discussion of the health risks of forever chemicals bio-accumulating in our bodies, their pervasive presence in our drinking water and the challenges and costs of having them effectively regulated. Our understanding of the health risks, the extent of human exposure and and the amount of contamination in our drinking water supplies is changing as new studies are about to be released and stricter regulations are being contemplated. Following the expert presentations, New Jersey Highlands Coalition Policy Director Elliott Ruga will moderate a Q&A.
Forest Management Best Practices
Ben Spinelli: Executive Director, New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council
Dr. Michael van Clef: Stewardship Director, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS)
This workshop explores innovative best management and stewardship practices for preserving and enhancing ecological resources of New Jersey's forests through two examples. Dr. Michael van Clef discusses development of the Forest Stewardship Plan for the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain in Titusville. Ben Spinelli will discuss the development of Forest Management Best Practices to manage water quality within the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Region.
Research and Innovation
in the Board Room (2nd floor)
Water Quality Challenges of the Future
Skylar Reed: Principal Engineer, Newark Sewer and Water Authority
Tim Eustace: Deputy Director, North Jersey District Water Supply
Recent studies by government and non-government agencies alike have revealed the frightening extent of microplastic, PFAS and PFOA contamination in drinking water supplies throughout the globe, raising questions about the short- and long-term health impacts from these chemicals and regulations for exposure limits for safe drinking water. Increases in both extensive drought and flooding raise further concerns about water supply quality and quantity. In this workshop, learn about current and forecasted challenges to maintaining water quality for New Jersey's 9.5 million residents.
Road Salt and its Impacts on Water Quality
Dave Bressler: Stroud Water Resource Center
Jennifer Latzgo: Founder, PA Road Salt Action Network
Kristine Rogers: Watersheds Program Manager, SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group
Learn about the threats of excessive road salt application to freshwater rivers, streams, and groundwater supplies from Stroud Water Research Center and discuss what steps are being taken in Pennsylvania to combat road salt overapplication. The co-founder of the Pennsylvania Road Salt Action Working Group will share practical recommendations for local governments, Environmental Commission members, and concerned citizens to follow to address the salinization of our freshwater resources. This Pennsylvania case example will provide a template for residents to engage local businesses and municipal staff in road salt reductions to better protect stream health, native wildlife, and community infrastructure.
Innovative Approaches to Water Quality Management
Jaclyn Rhoads, Ph.D: Executive Director, Pinelands Alliance
Kristine Rogers: Watersheds Program Manager, SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group
Nathaniel Sajdak: Watershed Director, SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group
Enhancing water quality is more than just science: it's an art, that combines creative applications of urban planning, landscape architecture, engineering and gardening to build infrastructure that is not only functional, but beautiful. Learn about two distinct innovative approaches to managing water quality through the construction of floating wetland islands and rain gardens in watersheds throughout New Jersey that reduce pollution while improving the usability and aesthetics of public spaces.
Taking Action
in the Sitnick Theatre (1st floor)
Working With Municipalities in Protecting Headwaters
Frank Zammataro: President, Mendham Alliance for Preservation and Conservation (MAPC)
Henry Bayard: Conservation Committee Coordinator, Hacklebarney Chapter Trout Unlimited
Protecting headwaters requires more than recognizing their ecological importance—it requires taking action locally, where land-use decisions are made, restoration occurs, and community partnerships are built. The session will open with a special screening of the award-winning short film Mendham’s Natural Tapestry, a locally produced portrait of the landscapes, waterways and natural resources that make headwaters protection tangible.
Frank Zammataro will discuss the advocacy and land-use side of taking action by drawing upon MAPC's response to three major proposed housing developments in Mendham Borough which collectively would increase the small town's number of households by 1/3. Frank will focus on how residents can engage municipal leaders through science and technical expertise early in the development process, and highlight how these insights inspired the proposed Headwaters guardian Act (A3852/S2468).
Henry Bayard, Conservation Coordinator for Hacklebarney Trout Unlimited, will demonstrate how early engagement, science-informed decisions and advocacy to protect headwaters can lead to local partnerships, mobilize resources and achieve on-the-ground restoration. The multi-year India Brook Restoration Project brings together Mendham Borough, technical experts, grant funders and community volunteers to restore stream habitat, strengthen riparian buffers and build lasting community stewardship.
Aquatic Invasive Species Management at the Grassroots Level
Elizabeth Pongo: Trustee, Highlands Glacial Lakes Initiative (HIGLIN)
Gerry Lauro: Volunteer, Highlands Glacial Lakes Initiative (HIGLIN)
In this workshop, volunteers of the Highlands Glacial Lakes Initiative (HIGLIN) will discuss volunteer-driven efforts at low-impact manual removal of aquatic invasive species without the need for harmful chemical treatments to improve and protect native ecosystems at Green Pond. By using qualified divers, HIGLIN has been able to drastically reduce invasive species within the spring-fed glacial remnant lake Green Pond over a period of several years, allowing precise removal of target species without broad environmental impacts associated with the use of chemical treatments, a model which has been piloted and proven in other regions such as the Adirondaks, but which remains novel in New Jersey.
Acquiring and Stewarding Open Space
Alex Rivera: Board Chair, Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT)
Jeff Everett: Executive Director, Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT)
The vast majority of public lands in the United States are owned by the federal government and in states located west of the 100th meridian. However, an oft-ignored phenomenon is that the Eastern states of New Hampshire and New Jersey have the next highest percentage of public land, at 34% and 31%, respectively. Whereas a sizable portion of New Hampshire’s public land is attributable to White Mountain National Forest, New Jersey’s protected acreage is overwhelmingly through state and local ownership facilitated by the Green Acres and Open Space Trust Fund programs. There are numerous public benefits that accrue to public ownership but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to land conservation and New Jersey must diversify its approach if it wants to have any chance at preserving 50% of its land area by the year 2050. In addition, staff and budget limitations stymie government agencies from properly stewarding the lands so acquired.
This session will posit a new approach that will pivot from a predominantly fee simple ownership paradigm to one of protecting and stewarding private working lands. Examples relevant to conference attendees include the widespread installation of riparian buffers and critical areas plantings as well as funding conservation tillage and precision agriculture equipment to reduce sedimentation and nitrogen and phosphorous loading into waterways. Further, a new state program to preserve privately-owned forestland will be discussed.