Greenway Partnership of South Orange, Inc.

08/05/2020

Despite the heat which set in early, Saturday morning (8/1/2020) was pretty cool along the River Greenway in SO; I saw a young deer walking upstream in the stream by the pool bridge taking sips of water and exploring, along with the usual ducks etc and also a few yellow warblers (I think), they were small like finches almost. I don’t carry my phone or a camera when out for my daily “constitutional” so alas, no pics.

07/12/2020

Lots of opportunities to see turtles swimming and sunning, fish in the shady riffles, oak leaf hydrangea, chestnut and many other blossoms, and birds along the SO River Greenway this morning. Take a hike!

04/14/2019

Watched a turtle lumber just under the surface at the SO Duck Pond today, with fish flipping over like sunnies and what appear to be super-fast line drivers under the accumulated muck (darters?). Later, down the greenway in the vicinity of Waterlands, I saw irredescent common grackles plus many robins, jays, red winged black birds, sparrows etc.

04/14/2019

On my way to recycling at the SO DPW yesterday (4/13/19) I saw a flock of blue jays. Beautiful! I realized I had not seen a flock of blue jays before. Maybe two or three at most. When the trail between Maplewood and South Orange is completed, it will provide even better birding (and other wild life sighting) opportunities through better river and floodplain access.

06/10/2018

A plastic bag ban (and plastic straws, etc) would help keep the Rahway River clean in South Orange and Maplewood and downsteam communities of Rahway, Elizabeth and others-- and help protect fish and other sea life from ingesting plastic and dying.

On June 10 I posted the above para merely as an observation because there's been a bit of a local conversation in SO about bag ban, bag fee etc. I tried to boost the post as I have done often in the past to reach more people, but it was rejected.

Under Facebook's new rules, occasioned by its negligence in allowing Russian military agents and others to influence the 2016 Preside rial election, I had to be cleared to post "political" content. Ok so I did that. FB took three weeks to check my US address and send me a letter via snail mail.

Meanwhile the NJ Legislature passed a bill (S2600) imposing a five cent plastic bag fee, which won't cut bag use much, and will add to the coffers of those who distribute them (one cent per bag). Quite an incentive to keep the status quo. And the rest of the money won't go to environmental preservation-- but to the general fund.

The kicker is that the Legislature prevented municipalities from enacting their own bag bans. Which is why we need a State Constitutional "green" amendment.

Governor Murphy has questions about this ineffective and overreaching bag fee bill. Call him and say you want him to conditionally veto the bill. He has a set of amendments from environmental groups like the Sierra Club which would fix the bill.

Call Gov Murphy (609) 292-6000 and tell him to veto bill S2600.

I'll let you know if this "ad" is rejected too, in my next post.

11/11/2017

Take heed, South Orange and Maplewood peeps-- were losing bike path funds in NJ because our municipalities are not drawing down these funds from DOT. Returned.

https://www.facebook.com/NJbikewalkcoalition/posts/1866853400021726

Safe Routes to School National Partnership reported earlier this month that NJ lost $6.2 million in TAP funds this past October 1. There were four states in the nation who lost these funds, and New Jersey lost the highest amount. The loss is termed a “lapse” and refers to federal funds allocated to…

10/11/2017

Bill Haskins has been watching for birds at Cameron Field (Meadowlands) and at Waterlands Park in South Orange, and he's up to 97 species along the east branch of the Rahway River! He just spotted a
black throated green warbler.

https://www.facebook.com/bill.haskins.39/posts/10212797551961312

09/30/2017

Lauren and Adam, student leaders from Seton Hall, together with Trustee Walter Clarke, Janine Bauer and Joe from DPW, helped 20 students clean out the I invasives from the Rahway river greenway this beautiful morning! Volunteer to help next time on 10/28 and 11/4. They all did a great job!

08/26/2017

Great memory to look upon-- for those of you following the status of construction south and west of Waterlands, we changed the route and design slightly and had to make revisions in the DEP permitting process. Stay tuned!

https://www.facebook.com/walter.clarke.9/posts/871208719628587

08/24/2017

From John Gross, former Village Administrator, Aug. 16, 2014:
"On this morning's walk, for the first time I've realized the significance of the river greenway improvements. I should have been enjoying this for years. Thank you, Janine...."

08/11/2017

This is an anniversary of the first groundbreaking (2009?) for our River Greenway bike and pedestrian path, the phase between Meadowbrook Place and Mead St, in South Orange NJ along the east branch of the Rahway River. Pictured are Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., who provided so much of the money for the construction, along with Rep. Payne, Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Essex County Exec Joe DiVincenzo, Jr., who provided matching funds, yours truly doing the heavy lifting (Janine) and Village President Douglas Newman. Thanks to all!

05/28/2017

Rob Fisch took a photo of this turtle emerging along the River this week.