Ocean Township Green Team

10/05/2026

06/05/2026

The mess in your yard this month wasn't mess. It was habitat with tenants.

The orb weaver's web on the porch railing — trapped flies and gnats all month. The paper wasp nest on the far eave — the colony picked hornworms off your tomatoes before you noticed them. The rock pile by the shed — a garter snake moved into the gaps and started hunting slugs.

🌿 The parsley and dill you let go leggy — black swallowtail caterpillars striped every stem. You would have pulled the plants a week before the butterflies emerged.

The windfall apples you didn't rake — red admirals landed and drank from the fermenting fruit. The bee balm you didn't deadhead — a hummingbird kept returning to the spent flowers long after you'd written them off.

The slug pellets you skipped — a toad showed up and handled it.

Every messy corner had something living in it. The web you didn't sweep. The fruit you didn't clear. The stems you didn't cut.

The yard knew what to do with all of it 🐾

05/21/2026

“Skip the Stuff” NJ law prohibiting single-use utensils and condiments begins August 1, 2026.
-> https://dep.nj.gov/get-past-plastic/

Here are 6 Tips for hosting a plastic-free event:
1) Promote reusable water bottles and partner with local water companies to bring in mobile water stations. Request vendors to not sell single use plastic water bottles
2) Partner with R.Cup
3) Promote Reusable utensils
4) Use dispensers for bulk condiments
(e.g., ketchup, mayo, mustard)
5) Promote proper recycling and partner with local composting company
6) NO outdoor balloon releases for celebration

More tips for hosting a plastic-free event:
-> https://www.beyondplastics.org/tools/host-a-plastic-free-event

05/13/2026

*POSTPONED to June 6* First guided kayak paddle of the year! May 23, 9am. To rent or rsvp, contact https://www.paddletimekayaks.com/services/dlwa. Msg us with questions!

04/28/2026

Join Deal Lake Watershed Alliance for their spring bird walk. Saturday May 2 at 8:30am. Meet at the Wanamassa fire dept parking lot by Nick’s Pizza.