We met at Wells Mills County Park in Waretown, NJ at around 9 am and headed out into the woods. There were over a dozen of us, some familiar faces and a few new ones. The skies were threatening, but the weather cooperated so that we were able to complete all the important work we had set out to do. We broke into two groups. One group, some hunters from one of the local sportsmen’s clubs, posted a boundary of one of the protected parcels that has experienced some recent vandalism. The other group set out to cut brush back on a trail that will be cleaned up during this year’s cleanup. We also planted about 200 pitch pine seedlings; this is a very popular activity. We wrapped things up just as it started to rain and boy did it rain! Despite the weather, the event was very successful and we all had a great time.
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Over 120 volunteers braved the threatening weather to help clean up that mysterious place known as the Forked River Mountains. We met at Wells Mills County Park but drove through Forked River to reach this year’s cleanup sites. Three dumpsters were strategically placed a few days before as close to the cleanup sites as possible. Some debris had been there for years, and some made its way there during the past year. Young and old worked side by side and by noon all three dumpsters were full, more than 23 tons of debris had been collected. Over the past seven years volunteers have helped remove more than 190 tons of debris from the woods around the Forked River Mountains. Afterwards, we all made our way up to the top of the mountain for some fun and refreshments. Plans are already underway for next year’s cleanup.
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2000 BARNEGAT BAY FESTIVAL SUMMARY
Our morning hike was cancelled due to the inclement weather. Later in the day, we all made the best of it at Berkeley Island County Park, the main festival site, where there were games, crafts, music and food for everyone who braved the weather.
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2000 ANNUAL MEETING & ELECTION SUMMARY
The Annual Meeting was called to order shortly after 7:00 pm. A brief update was given to members that highlighted the Coalition’s major accomplishments during the past year including: receiving two grants to conduct a threatened and endangered species inventory as well as a grant to begin the planning and development of a comprehensive trails system for the area. We now have more than 100 dues paying members and we collected over 23 tons of trash during this year’s cleanup, bringing the seven-year total to over 190 tons. Our bluebird nest box trail had fantastic results; we fledged a total of twelve bluebirds during the first year. A slide show was presented on last year’s threatened and endangered species project. The annual election of members to the Board of Trustees was then conducted. For a complete list of Trustees and Officers of the Coalition click here.
2000 CEDAR CREEK CANOE TRIP SUMMARY
More than a dozen of us started out from Dover Forge shortly after 10am. The weather appeared to be on our side once again this year. It soon became apparent that some of us were more experienced than others or maybe some folks just wanted to go swimming in their jeans. We saw some wildlife along our way down the creek. About five hours later we ended up at the White Bridge inside Double Trouble State Park. It was a more difficult trip than last year, but what a great way to learn about the flora and fauna of the Pine Barrens.
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It was a perfect evening, warm and humid. Before we went to hunt for frogs, we had a chance to see some really cool plants--sundews and pitcher plants, both carnivorous, and the endangered curly-grass fern. With the help and coaxing of our expert treefrog caller and Trustee Dawn Jennings, we were able to zero in on not one, but three frogs. It was a great experience for the handful of people who went on the hike this year. We all had a great time learning about the Pine Barrens and the bugs were not bad at all. Qwonk!
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