US Fish & Wildlife Regional Director Will Visit GSWA Conservation Management Area

On Monday, April 17, US Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Director Marvin Moriarty will make a visit to the Watershed Association’s Conservation Management Area on Tiger Lily Lane in Harding Township.

Moriarty is the Director of the Northeast Region, an area extending from Maine to Virginia and covering 13 states and some 70 million people. He leads a staff of almost 1,000 employees running 132 facilities.

The USF&W Service is partnering with the Watershed Association through more than $27, 000 in grants. With these and other funds, the Watershed Association is working to restore the property, by removing non-native species, replanting native species and erecting deer “exclosures,” on 23 acres of riparian forest, one section of the 50-acre total property. This land is part of a developing open space greenway surrounding feeder streams to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and other conserved lands, and is located upstream of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

The proposed project will restore a multi-layered forest and two vernal ponds on the site bounded on two sides by the Silver Brook. The restored area will act as an island of restored habitat, and as a seed source for recruitment of native plants into the surrounding acres. The area will be used to educate landowners about the value of deer control and habitat restoration on nearby public lands. The proposed project will reduce sedimentation into a feeder stream of the Passaic River, which provides water for over a million people. The area is currently home to at least 88 species of bird; 15 species of reptiles and amphibians; and 110 species of plants. These numbers will increase as plant diversity increases, and the reduction of deer browse allows the flowering and fruiting of plants.

Over 200 volunteers will be engaged in this project. Providing labor are such corporate volunteer groups as Goldman Sachs, Aventis and Starbucks as well as Trout Unlimited and groups recruited from the United Way Day of Caring program.

The project is being overseen by Hazel England, GSWA Director of Outreach & Education. According to Ms. England, “The cooperation and financial support of the US Fish & Wildlife Service has been invaluable in the creation of this project. I look forward to showing Mr. Moriarty what we have accomplished already and what we hope to accomplish in the future with the continuing help of his regional organization.”

There will be photo opportunities at the event, as well as naturalists and other experts to explain the details of the project and its impacts on water quality in the region.

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25 Years of Protecting Water & Land In Your Town!

Founded in 1981, the Great Swamp Watershed Association, headquartered in Harding Township, NJ, is committed to protecting drinking water and preserving land to maintain the natural beauty and livability of your town. Celebrating 25 years of service as a non-profit organization, the Association relies on membership and contributions in its advocacy for the ecological health of the 36,000 acres of the watershed. For information on membership and upcoming events, visit the website at www.greatswamp.org. Anyone interested in supporting the Great Swamp Watershed Association may call Ruth Kerkeslager at 973-538-3500.
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