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

Although the pandemic kept the WRWMG from hosting its typical in-person community outreach events, it didn’t stop our staff from working hard to complete projects that improve the health of our local rivers and streams! Here’s a look back at what we accomplished in 2020: 

All of us at the Wallkill River Watershed Management Group hope that you have a joyous holiday season and happy and healthy start to the new year!

The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group, working in partnership with the Newton Public School District and C&V Paving, recently completed on a porous asphalt project at Halsted Middle School in Newton. The project is being funded by the NJ Department of Environmental

The AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador litter clean-up at Memory Park in Newton was a big success. 8 volunteers (socially-distanced and clad in masks) participated in the event over Thanksgiving weekend. The volunteers collected a total of 6 bags of garbage and 5 bags

Students in Professor Erin Collins’ Introduction to Soil Science lab class recently began planting trees and shrubs within one of the large stormwater detention basins at SCCC. The detention basin planting took place as a phytoremediation strategy. Phytoremediation is the process of using

Visit the NJ Highlands Coalition's YouTube Channel to watch all of the presentations from the Northwest NJ Rivers Conference: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjQddUmUc_HE6G2wtNA6C1Q/videos

Kristine Rogers, of the WRWMG, facilitated a workshop about volunteer monitoring. Watch the video to le

Show how thankful you are for clean water and open space by participating in the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador litter clean-up at Memory Park in Newton, NJ on November 27th. All supplies are provided, but pre-registration is required via this website: https:

New Jersey is home to 12 National Park sites. Find which ones you haven’t been to and #GetOutside! #TakeAHikeDay 🌳🥾 #DelRiverWatershed

Click here to see the list of national parks in NJ!

Construction is underway to complete a covered heavy use area at a local Wantage farm. The project, being completed with both federal and state funding, is designed to capture all animal waste from the farm. This will prevent the animal waste from flowing into the nearby wet

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic, make their way into our tap water and even bottled water. What can we do to stop this? Make sure our waterways remain free from trash by recycling! ♻️ #BeRecycled #DelRiverWatershed

The WRWMG worked with Swartswood State Park to enhance the multiple rain gardens installed around the state park's parking lot. Each basin was planted with native shrubs and flowering plants (like blue flag iris, buttonbush, and winterberry holly) in order to help naturally treat the polluted water that runs off of the paved parking lot after a rainstorm. This will prevent poll

Even though COVID-19 has prevented the usual fall volunteer events from taking place this year, the Wallkill River Watershed Management Group staff has been planting and protecting 250 trees along the West Branch of Papakating Creek in Wantage Township in order to complete the de

The Wallkill River Watershed Management Group is proud to be a part of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), a collaborative effort to protect and restore the water and natural resources in the Delaware River Watershed. As part of this collaboration, we are thrilled to ann

On Sunday, October 18, organizations within the Delaware River Basin are coming together for a social media day of action around the Clean Water Act anniversary in order to raise awareness about the essential resources and services the Delaware River and its tributaries provide for the reg

Today, the staff of the Wallkill River Watershed Management Group along with their new AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador joined Cerbo’s Nursery to plant native trees and shrubs on a piece of lakefront property that was recently purchased by the Normanoch Association. The property