On Sunday, April 1, 2001, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., join dignitaries, feathered friends, and representatives from environmental organizations throughout the region in the first event in this month-long Earth Month celebration, Do the Swamp Thing. The festivities will be held at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters at 152 Pleasant Plains Road in Harding Township. Call (973) 425-1222 for directions.

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R – 11) and NJ State Senator Anthony Bucco (R – 25) will join other local dignitaries, including William Koch, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Michael Henderson, Morristown National Historical Park; Paul Becker, Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center; Robert Jennings, Morris County Outdoor Education Center; Len Soucy, Raptor Trust; and Peter Messina, Ten Town Great Swamp Watershed Committee. They will open the month-long celebration of the earth and local environmental treasures.

Tom McFadden, Outdoor Recreation Planner at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, host of this event, promises to bring out their heavy equipment for people to see. McFadden says, "This is a wonderful opportunity for families to explore the Great Swamp and discover (or rediscover) the unique environmental wonders right here, in their own back yard. For heavy equipment fans, we’re going to have our Bombardier, a track vehicle that goes through water up to two feet deep and is used in heavy snow and our Hydro-axe, which we use to cut down trees from 6-30 inches in diameter. There will also be about a dozen other pieces of equipment on display." McFadden also says that they’re gearing up for the 100^th Anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, established by Teddy Roosevelt on March 14, 1903.

Do the Swamp Thing is sponsored by The Great Swamp Watershed Association, Kings Super Markets, and Recorder Community Newspapers. Visit www.greatswamp.org for more information about the many exciting Earth Month Activities.

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