Happy National Sea Monkey Day (May 16)! Did you know that New Jersey has it's own version of sea monkeys, Eubranchipus vernalis or "fairy shrimp," that hatch in vernal pools this time of year? Read about them and their truly remarkable reproductive strategy (which includes an ability to "reconstitute" with spring rains) in this blog post.
National Sea Monkey Day coincides with the start of LRWP's water quality monitoring season. We need volunteers (YOU) to help grow our monitoring program. Can you adopt an area stream for assessments? Then sign up for our visual habitat assessment training on May 8 in Highland Park - RSVP required. Interested in pathogens monitoring of the Raritan River? Please join us at a May 10 information session in Perth Amboy. Would you prefer to help out with data entry? Let us know!
Heather Fenyk, President
Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership
Transportation Assets Mapping
On April 19 we discussed transportation and mobility assets in the Lower Raritan Watershed. Devin Gargan from AECOM spoke about the NEC Future Joint Venture rail investment plan for the Northeast Corridor and Nick Tufaro from Middlesex County Office of Planning highlighted NJTransit's “Planning Transit Friendly Places” projects. Read more in our blog post here.
Earth Day Clean-Ups - Thank you!
TY to the New Brunswick Environmental Commission, NBDPW and the 30 people who helped remove 2,200 pounds of trash & recyclables from the New Brunswick Conservation Zone on April 17. And on April 28 the LRWP, coLAB Arts and 52 Highland Park High School biology & sculpture students cleaned up the Highland Park Meadows as part of the "Sculpture Project in the Schools."
Check out "Squaring the Circle" a fabulous choreographed environmental outreach piece about the LRW that premiered at Crossroads Theater on April 28. Many thanks to Joe Monteleone, Monteleone Dance and CoLAB Arts.
Water Quality Monitors Needed!
Water quality monitoring season is almost here and want YOU to volunteer! Ready to adopt a stream for regular monitoring? Join us May 8 as we kick-off our 2016 visual habitat assessments with a training for new volunteers (RSVP required). Or perhaps pathogens monitoring is more your speed? This summer the LRWP is part of a team working under a NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program grant to conduct pathogens monitoring at multiple sites along the Raritan River. Can you help with regular summer monitoring? E-mail hfenyk AT lowerraritanwatershed DOT org Training will be provided.
