The Newton High School environmental science classes are working with the SCMUA-WRWMG to install a pollinator garden in the school’s courtyard. The classes will use the area as an outdoor classroom and plan to monitor the different species that begin to use the garden over time. The pollinator garden was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

This week, the SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group welcomed the arrival of its new AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador, Ian Keebler. Ian will be serving as the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for the Wallkill River Watershed and will be working with local schools and

The SCMUA-WRWMG and their summer intern worked to prep the Newton High pollinator garden for planting by environ

The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group and their high school intern conducted a work day at the McKeown Elementary School rain garden in preparation for the start of the new school year. The WRWMG plans to bring McKeown students out this fall for a student work

Did you know that only 1% of freshwater on earth is accessible – and 13 million people rely on the Delaware River for clean drinking water - even people right here in New Jersey? #WaterQualityMonth is the perfect time to find out where your water comes from and how to protect i

Students in the Halsted Middle School summer STEAM program worked with the WRWMG to spruce up the rain garden that was installed at the school in July 2019. The students mulched around every plant to help suppress weed growth and make the rain garden look neat for the start of

The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group is working with a number of other environmental organizations in northern New Jersey to host the 3rd annual Northwest NJ Rivers Conference on November 9th and 10th. The conference will be held 100% virtually this year and will bring to

Come to the Kosa County Building at the NJ State Fair to see the joint Wallkill River Watershed Management Group and Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority display.

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority. The SCMUA put together an outdoor BBQ for all employees to celebrate.

Members of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension-Water Resources Program, the Wallkill River Watershed Management Group, and the Sparta Environmental Commission met to examine the logistics of constructing a rain garden in town. Rain gardens help to temporarily hold stormwater runoff and to filter/purify th

The Groundwork Hudson Valley Green Team worked with the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge and the Wallkill River Watershed Management Group staff to plant 200 native trees and shrubs along the Wallkill River near Route 565.

This planting is a continuation of other volunteer plan

Students from Halsted Middle School’s Summer STEAM program recently helped provide maintenance to the rain garden that the SCMUA-WRWMG installed at the school in 2019. The garden was planted with a number of native species that are attracting pollinators to the campus while also managing stormwater runoff flowing from the school’s parking lot area.

Students from Montclair High School, Kittatinny Regional High School, and Jefferson Township High School assisted the WRWMG with rain garden maintenance at Kemah Lake and Culver Lake.

After a week of moving sod and soil through the school’s hallway to create a rain garden in the landlocked courtyard, the Newton High School rain garden is now complete! Rainwater will flow via pipe from the school’s rooftop into the rain garden, helping to reduce pol

The SCMUA-WRWMG’s new high school student intern, Owen Helfand, from the Morris Technical School Academy for Environmental Science (housed at Jefferson Township High) hit the ground running on June 25th by joining the WRWMG for a full day of maintenance work at the Town of Newton’s Memory P

The Newton Board of Education has approved the installation of a rain garden in the Newton High School courtyard. The project is being completed as part of a K-college initiative being led by the SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group that aims to install green infrastructure projects like rain gardens, porous asphalt, and tree trenches at Newton’s elementary scho

Attend the next meeting of the Sparta Township Environmental Commission tonight (Thursday, May 27th) to learn about impervious land coverage in Sparta and a rain garden to be built in town. This will be a virtual (Zoom) meeting starting at 6:00pm.

Dr. Christopher Obropta, a specialist from Rutgers University, will be discussing impervious land coverage and potential loca

Nathaniel Sajdak and Kristine Rogers of the SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group, along with the staff of Hopatcong State Park, the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, and many local and state politicians, met with the new NJDEP Commissioner at Hopatcong State Park to celebrate the compl

The SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group worked with the Lake Hopatcong Foundation and Hopatcong State Park staff to rehabilitate a rain garden project that was installed in 2012. As part of this effort, the team planted flowers and shrubs throughout the basin so that th

The WRWMG conducted spring maintenance at the Heater's Pond tree planting in Ogdensburg by re-setting tree tubes so that deer cannot eat the native trees and shrubs that were planted.  After the trees grow large enough, the plastic tree shelters will be removed and recycled.

All of the tree shelters have been removed from the Sparta Glen site, signifying that the reforestation buffer is ready to take off and grow into a mature forest on its own! The project was initiated by the North Jersey chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the WRWMG completed all of the

The Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge hosted a tree planting event along the Wallkill River at Bassetts Bridge on Saturday. Students from High Point High School in Sussex County, NJ planted trees alongside students from Groundwork Hudson Valley in Yonkers, NJ. Despite the very diffe

TRENTON – To enhance ecosystems and water quality in the Paulins Kill and Pequest River watersheds of northwestern New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $7.3 million in grants to nonprofits and local government agencies Acting Commissioner Shawn LaTourette announced today.

The grants are funded through DEP’s Office of Na

The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group is proud to have partnered with ANJEC and the Jefferson Township Mayor to bring you a septic system maintenance webinar. In case you missed the presentation, you can view the recording here:https://zoom.us/rec/share/fh

Watch this video from our AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador to learn how trees help to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce the worst effects of climate change!

https://drive

Kristine Rogers and Nathaniel Sajdak of the SCMUA-Wallkill River Watershed Management Group recently hosted a webinar about the organization's Paulins Kill Watershed stormwater management program. Participants saw a sampling of rain garden and porous asphalt projects that have been insta

Since we can't host large student events this year because of the pandemic, we are bringing Earth Energy Day at the SCMUA to you! Watch this video for Earth Day-themed lessons and crafts for kids! 

Celebrate Earth Day throughout April by participating in our free Lake Stormwater Management and Stewardship webinars. In this 3-part series, you will learn strategies to help keep our lakes and streams clean from pollution. Each workshop will be held from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Friday af

Want to learn more about microplastics? View the webinar recording by clicking on this link: https://zoom.us/rec/share/CX0-SeqlAmcWlC6f4EtxjAbUsT-K1tff

The change from winter to spring means that it’s time for bi-annual maintenance to begin. The WRWMG visits each planted tree, resetting tree tubes that are leaning or have heaved up because of the wintertime freeze/thaw cycle. The tree tubes need to be pushed down into the soil to ensure that rodents (like voles) do not chew the bottom bark of the tree, which would kill t

Join our AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for virtual sustainability presentations. To participate, either pre-register at https://sussexcountylibrary.org/ or just enter the meeting id and password on Zoom at the time

Celebrate Earth Day throughout April by participating in our free Lake Stormwater Management and Stewardship webinars. In this 3-part series, you will learn strategies to help keep our lakes and streams clean from pollution. Each workshop will be held from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Friday

Did you know that each American farmer feeds more than 165 people? Take some time this #AgDay21 to thank and support local farmers in Sussex County!

Storm drains carry trash directly into local rivers and creeks when it rains. Do your part this #WorldWaterDay by vowing to never litter, and pick up a few pieces of trash to keep our waterways clean.

Our forests are a key component to combating climate change and ensuring that we all have a healthy future. Check out this recent picture of our 4-mile reforestation corridor project where over 25,000 trees have been planted along the Paulins Kill River. These trees are not only produ

This Sunday, let’s celebrate the Delaware River Watershed on #DayofActionforRivers! The watershed provides drinking water for 13.3 million people!

Whether you live in NYC, Trenton, Philly, or Wilmington -- you are likely drinking, bathing, and washing with water that comes from the Delawar

Join our AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for virtual sustainability presentations. To participate, either pre-register at https://sussexcountylibrary.org/ or just enter the meeting id and password on Zoom at the time

Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s celebrate women who are making a difference to protect our lands, rivers, and communities in New Jersey and around the world.

Image Source: PR Daily

In celebration of #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek, learn about how to protect and conserve groundwater:

✅Use native plants in your landscape

✅Reduce chemical use

✅Properly dispose of potentially toxic substances at the SCMUA Household Hazardous Waste Day on June 5

Imag

Source: 4ocean.com 

Did you know that microplastics are not only found in the ocean but also in our local rivers, streams, and lakes? Participate in this virtual workshop to learn about microplastic pollution from our AmeriCorps NJ Watershe

DEP’s New Stormwater Rules Take Effect on March 2, 2021

Requiring the Use of Cleaner, Less Costly Green Infrastructure 

TRENTON – On March

Join our AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for a composting webinar this Friday 2/19. To participate, either pre-register at https://sussexcountylibrary.org/ or just enter the meeting id and password on Zoom at the time of the event.

This Valentine's Day, here are 3 things we love about the #DelawareRiver:

✅clean drinking water for 13 million people

✅habitats for birds, fish & other wildlife

✅ creeks & streams to kayak & canoe 

We might not live by the shore, but we can still celebrate #iheartestuaries day! Protecting the #DelawareEstuary makes good economic sense: estuaries make up only 13% of the land area in the continental US, but are responsible for nearly 50% of the economic output!  Did you know, the Paulins

A River Runs By It: The Environmental and Societal Benefits of Riparian Buffers live online with Dr. Stephen Souza

Join us for a special presentation by Dr. Stephen Souza to learn about riparian buffers; what they are, why they exist, and h

Join our AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador for virtual presentations about how you can green your backyard. To participate, either pre-register at https://sussexcountylibrary.org/ or just enter the meeting id and password on Zo

Kristine Rogers of the SCMUA-WRWMG gave a virtual presentation to the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee last night. The presentation focused on the 3 programs that the WRWMG facilitates to improve local water quality (agricultural outreach and assistance, stormwater management, and riparian r

Kristine Rogers of the WRWMG recently gave a presentation at Stroud Water Research Center’s EnviroDIY monthly meeting to water quality monitoring sensor station managers. The presentation described the current trends in the