Clinton Township Newsletter

2 0 a p r i l 2 0 2 2 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M Happy easter! Things are getting greener out there, and not just for spring! This month, C3Q spoke to three environmentally-focused people in our community, to talk about efforts to go greener in Clinton Township! C3Q: Hello, Councilwoman Amy Switlyk! You're known for doing a lot of trail work and other green things in the Township! How long have you been on the Town Council? AS: Would you believe I'm going on my ninth year?! I've found my niche with trail-building and the environmental aspect of Open Space properties, and I really want to embrace that and educate the community and raise awareness. Trail building is great exercise; you are outside, and learn so much about the environment, it's very satisfying. I've met some great volunteers and new friends, who have been v e r y a c t i v e a t h e l p i n g w i t h trail projects. My first trail project was the 5k trail n e x t t o N o r t h H u n t e r d o n H i g h S c h o o l . Sean Walsh, the N H H S C r o s s Country coach, h e l p e d u s t o develop it and it's often used by students and parents to train. Now the Windy Acres property is starting to be used by residents, and there are six miles of trails. The new Township Website Open Space page, www.clintontwpnj.gov/community- services/clinton-township-hiking, has great hiking trail maps of every property in Clinton Township, with maps, pictures, and history, new and improved for 2022! I hope residents check it out. The Open Space Committee is really focused on doing forestry management this year, which is important because good management increases the water and soil protection and wildlife habitats and reduces negative impacts like insect infestation and disease outbreak; the ash tree issue needs to be addressed on trails, and we're developing a plan to work on it. It's important; we bought these Open Space properties and we need to maintain and improve them. I would love to see more Township residents getting out and learning more about our area; especially in terms of stewardship and tackling invasive species issues. There is so much to appreciate and learn, and so many great environmental educational programs, hikes, and volunteer opportunities. C3Q: You mentioned insects and habitats, and I know that this season, the Monarch Egg project is close to your heart, can you talk about that? AS: I grew up in High Bridge, and I'm enjoying the recent connections Clinton Township is making with the High Bridge Environmental Commission; it's very exciting! One of their members taught me how to look for monarch butterfly eggs. The monarch butterfly is a pollinator for plants, and milkweed plants have deep roots that prevent erosion and improve water quality and filtration. We sectioned off a portion of Windy Acres for milkweed plants, and are counting and submitting our butterfly numbers, and aiding in the conservation and protection of this migratory species. You'll be able to see our results on the Open Space website, and we hope to engage Township students in the project. I've always enjoyed the outdoors, and going camping and hiking, and recently have gotten into birding with my mom. The pileated woodpecker is my favorite, they are so large! I've seen bald eagles at Cushetunk, barn owls and goldfinches at Windy Acres (www.clintontwpnj.com/windy-acres). My goals as a birder are to identify all woodpecker by their sounds, and see an owl at dusk. I hope people come out and really experience these properties, and learn more in depth about them. C3Q: Thank you, Councilwoman Switlyk! Looking forward to seeing you on the trail! C3Q continues its green discussion, talking to Principal Park Naturalist at Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation, Laura Bush. C3Q: Laura, what are some of the things Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation is doing this Spring? LB: I grew up in Readington Township, studied ecology and biology at Cornell, and returned to work here for 13 years. My main job is nature and environmental education, and HCP&R runs a lot of public programs on different topics for school, scouts, family groups, etc. We do things like nature walks, classes about plants, nature crafts, and more. We have three naturalists and two recreation leaders, who lead hikes with both an educational and a fun perspective, as well as crafts, van trips, and first aid classes. We have 16 staff in total; five staff members creating programs, a division head and two office staff, and six rangers who oversee law enforcement and safety in the parks, and some gardeners. We have a Trail Ambassador program in the summer – a seasonal position for people 18 years or older – who helps to give out information to visitors about parks and trails and also helps with the summer programs and trail maintenance. It's a great summer position! There's a lot of variety – I just did a virtual program on Hiking on the Appalachian Trail, and we created a lot of virtual programs these past two years. One interesting program lately was on wildflower folklore and medicinal uses for flowers, and we also have stream studies where we get into a stream and explore. The nature walks are always a lot of fun, as are the bird walks, and we also have a live-reptiles program, which features snakes and turtles from our area. Our Tot Walks at Echo Hill are a very popular program, and we hope to open up another session. One of my favorite things about this job is that it changes throughout the year. There are indoor programs during the winter, maple sugaring in March, we have week-long programs for kids and families this summer, and we do fall hikes and foliage walks, along with Touch-a-Truck in November; there is so much going on! I have a new program in April, Wheelchair Walks, geared towards using a walker or wheelchair on the Landsdowne Trial; it's a guided hike for the mobility impaired. On April 29, we also have a bluebells hike, which is on the Uplands Reserve in the Raritan Township area, where bluebells were planted on the Judge George Large homestead. For Earth Day this year we have an Earth Day cleanup on April 23 at five locations around the county. It'll be exciting to see people returning to the parks and programs this spring! More people are getting out into the parks than ever before, and it's been great to see people discovering new parks. We purchased some new acreage in 2021, and added connections onto existing parks. My personal favorite is Pointe Mountain in Lebanon Township; there is a loop trail which is a strenuous four miles, and offers a lovely view northwest over the Musconetcong River. C3Q: What are your favorite local animals or natural encounters? LB: I really like beavers, they're really cute and fun to watch! They come out at dusk in the water, and have such neat adaptations. They can hold their breath for 15 minutes, they have clear eyelids, and can see underwater! They are around our area, but you don't see them a lot unless you are out at dusk or dawn. C3Q: Thank you Laura, we hope to take advantage of these great programs and learn from you! Last but not least, C3Q checks in with Mario Caballero, new Vice Chair of the Clinton Township Environmental Commission, and head of the Clinton Township Green Team, working on sustainability measures in Clinton Township. MC: The Green Team is composed of a group of volunteers from the Environmental Commission, the Township Council, and Community members who are interested in improving the sustainability aspects of the Township. Even with all of the Open Space set aside for conservation and recreation (which is one of the things we love the most about Clinton Township), there is a lot that can be done to improve our corner of New Jersey. In Clinton Township the air quality is a concern; I used to send out air quality alerts to a rec volleyball league at my job before play on some days, (the Breezometer is a great app to track air quality in your area). Personally, I just want to leave this area better for my kids than how I found it. The Green Team's goal is to get credit for all of the sustainable practices that the Township has already been doing for years, and to identify additional sustainable practices that we can implement, and to bring awareness to residents on how to improve sustainability in our area. C3Q: What are some green practices that residents might want to consider? MC: There are things residents can do if they want to be more environmentally friendly, such as reducing their plastic use, replacing their heat or AC units with heat pumps, which are much more efficient and are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also purchase carbon offsets; I buy some to offset my stove and furnace; and to consider an EV vehicle in the future. After one year of use, an EV nets a better carbon footprint, and creates no carbon emissions. Education and awareness are important, and there are many volunteer opportunities where people can help on different projects. We have exciting things coming up this year, like well-testing programs, more environmental education opportunities, and events such as a green fair featuring EV cars. Thank you Mario Cabellero, Laura Bush, and Amy Switlyk! Happy Earth Day, and looking forward to a very green spring! Rachel Sprague, a resident of Clinton Township, has a degree in journalism from Rutgers. With her husband Russell, Rachel is raising two young children in the Clinton Township School District. She thinks that Clinton Township is a delightful place to live. Councilwoman Amy Switlyk – Clinton Township's trailblazer! Welcome to with Rachel Sprague * C linton ree Questions *

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