Watershed Group Launches Major ‘Streamway’ Initiative

With the scheduling of three upcoming meetings for area property owners, a local environmental group is launching a major initiative to establish up to 40 miles of "streamways" – contiguous ribbons of sensitive land – along two streams that feed into, and nourish, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

"The streams we’re targeting – the Upper Passaic River and Primrose Brook – are among the purest in New Jersey, and we’re working to keep them that way," according to Julia M. Somers, executive director of the Great Swamp Watershed Association, the environmental group leading the initiative.

The meetings are being held to acquaint residents whose properties abut the two streams with steps they can take to ensure the streams’ future purity. The two streams have been given the highest quality rating possible ("Class One – Trout Production Waters") by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

Residents and other landowners whose properties abut the two streams have been invited by personal letter to attend one or more of the following meetings, which are also open to the public:

Wednesday, March 14: Mendham Township Town Hall, 7 pm;

Wednesday, April 4: Bernards Township Library, 7 pm; and

Wednesday, April 11th, at Harding Township Town Hall, 7 pm.

In preparation for the meetings, invitees have also been sent copies of a new Watershed Association brochure entitled "A Landowner’s Guide to Saving Streamways." Prepared by local environmental planner and writer Harriet Honigfeld, the brochure contains a rationale for the project, a statement of the Watershed Association’s qualifications for heading it up, a detailed map of the area, a list of land-protection methods, a frequently-asked-questions section, the endorsements of several local environmental leaders and residents, and a bibliography. Copies may be obtained at no charge by calling 973.966.1900. 

Among the land-protection methods that the Watershed Association will be asking landowners to consider are these: outright donation; donation of conservation easement; bargain sale; full market value sale; installment sale; life estate transfer; bequest; sale to a conservation buyer; mutual covenant; management agreements; registry; limited development; like-kind exchange; lease; restricted auction; charitable gift annuity; and right of first refusal.

Property owners will also be able to register in a program the Watershed Association will begin for those who agree to manage their land according to "best management practices."

The Upper Passaic River and Primrose Brook pass through Mendham Borough and Township, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, and Harding Township before joining three other streams in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Water from the swamp then exits through Millington Gorge as the Passaic River.

Though the two targeted streams are pristine, "their quality could very quickly decline," according to Somers, "if deforestation and insensitive land development occur. These activities will rapidly increase stormwater runoff, accelerating stream bank erosion and downstream sedimentation, and delivering higher levels of pollutants coming from sources such as car traffic and lawn maintenance. The creation of streamways will help prevent these negative consequences while still permitting reasonable development in the watershed."

Another reason for streamway development, she said, is that the ribbons of land will connect two large areas of already-protected land (Great Swamp and Jockey Hollow), thus preserving animal habitats that could become isolated "habitat islands." Extended habitats should help watershed wildlife thrive – birds, fish, and small mammals in particular.

Finally, Somers pointed out, streamway creation offers economical incentives both for the communities involved (through reduced costs of flood control and less need for drinking-water treatment) and for individuals (through enhanced property values and tax benefits).

The streamway initiative, expected to span more than a year, will implement a key recommendation of the 1997 Watershed Association publication Saving Space: The Great Swamp Watershed Greenway and Open Space Plan.. The recommendations in that plan were endorsed by virtually every environmental organization and governmental body in the watershed.

The Watershed Association will be working on the streamway initiative with a number of local groups involved in land conservation and preservation, as well as representatives of the five towns through which the streams flow. Major support for the project has been received from the Town Creek Foundation and the Environmental Endowment of New Jersey.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association was formed in 1981 to encourage good management policies and practices on behalf of the 12,000 acres of exceptional public lands in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and its surrounding watershed. With a membership of 2,500, it conducts programs and projects in three areas: technical services, educational services and community services. For additional information, or to join the Association, call 973-966-1900, or visit http://www.greatswamp.org on the World Wide Web.

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