Action shot of Mount Olive 6th graders during their 2012 Stream Clean Up
Our annual Stream Clean Up is around the corner on Saturday, April 20th from 9 am until 12 pm. We look forward to seeing you at one of our sites located across the headwaters region of the Raritan River! As we prepare for this event, the Raritan Headwaters Association wanted to take a moment to thank all of the conservation-minded artists who submitted their original artwork for our t-shirt design contest.
This time of year we begin looking (hoping) for signs of spring – purple crocus peeking out from under early spring snow, the conk-a-lee! of red-winged blackbirds at the feeders. New to my list of spring heralds this year is a pool full of quacking wood frogs!
Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)
A neighbor’s abandoned backyard pool has turned into a man-made vernal pool (an ephemeral body of water replenished by rain and snowmelt). This type of habitat is perfect for development of young amphibians and insects because of the lack of competition or predation by fish; frogs and salamanders are free to look around for these habitats because of their amphibious nature – you can even help these little ones cross the road in the spring, if you feel so inclined! Note: uprooted trees (thank you, Sandy!) may create vernal pools in the empty space left by their root mass, so check it out next time you see one! Read More »
RHA has an ambitious agenda this year, and we’d like to share our exciting news and plans with you. Please join us on Friday, February 22 for our 2013 Membership Meeting at The Oldwick Manor, 163 Oldwick Road (County Road 523) in Oldwick. A cocktail reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. and a buffet dinner and program will follow.
The evening promises to be enjoyable and informative. Dinner will be catered by The Food Architects, and you’ll get to speak with our Staff members and Trustees about the major initiatives we are pursuing this year, which are highlighted below. In addition, you’ll hear from Tim Dillingham of the American Littoral Society. Tim will talk with us about how Hurricane Sandy reshaped more than just New Jersey’s coastline – he’ll delve into how the storm modified discussions about climate change, the issues that surround rebuilding the Jersey shore, the policies that have been implemented in the wake of the storm and implications for inland communities.
The major issues and projects that RHA is focusing on in 2013 are outlined below. Our agenda is ambitious, but with your continued support we’ll be an effective voice for watershed protection! We hope to see you on February 22nd, and look forward to talking with you whenever RHA can be of assistance to you. Read More »
Green Table
Wednesday, February 6, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Clarence Dillon Public Library, 2336 Lamington Road, Bedminster
Join us for muffins and coffee and learn about how managers of farmlands can use best management practices to improve water quality. Grace Messinger, Executive Director of the North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development Council will share information about the River-Friendly Farm Certification Program. This program addresses water quality concerns within the Raritan Basin and promotes environmentally friendly practices by recognizing farmers who help to protect water resources.
RHA’s Green Table forums consist of a series of morning gatherings that are held throughout the year at locations in Somerset, Hunterdon and Morris counties. For more information or if you would like to attend, please contact Kate Deans by phone at 908-234-1852, ext. 316 or via Email.
This is the time of year when non-profit organizations reach out to their donors to ask for one more gift, one more contribution above and beyond the support they have already shown for their favorite causes during the year. RHA is no exception. Our 2012 Annual Giving Campaign is underway, and we hope that you will consider making a year-end donation to support our important work.
Why do we ask now? Read More »
Hey there! My name is Kelsey Barbella, and I am so excited to announce that I am the new AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassador for the North and South Branch Raritan watershed (WMA 8). My host agency is located in Bedminster at the Raritan Headwaters Association, which is the largest watershed organization in New Jersey! I feel so privileged to serve alongside such a dynamic group of individuals. During my term of service, I will be educating members of the community about water quality issues. My main priority is to get the community together and contribute to a bright, clean future in the beautiful state of New Jersey.
One of my favorite projects at the University of Connecticut included my thesis paper which examined the effects of road salt on dissolved organic carbon in forested and roadside ponds.
We were thrilled to participate in the 2012 Somerset Hills YMCA Volunteer Recognition Event last week. This annual dinner is held to celebrate the tremendous spirit of volunteerism that is thriving in our community. The YMCA invites selected organizations to honor outstanding volunteers, and we are delighted to introduce you to our honoree, Mr. Bob Morris. Read More »
We are sad to report that volunteer Wayne T. Hally passed away on Friday, October 12th. Wayne was a valued member of our Stream Monitoring program. He began volunteering as a site coordinator for the 
South Branch Watershed Association in 2009 when the Arches site in High Bridge was initially adopted into the program, and he also served on the team which monitors the Mulhockaway Creek site in Union Township.
Greetings from your friends at RHA! We hope that any damage you suffered from the storm last week was minimal and that you are surely, if slowly, putting all the pieces of your world back together. Like many of our members, the storm disrupted our lives at home and at work. Most of our staff members still lack power at home, as does our office at Fairview Farm. We are happy to report that the buildings at Fairview Farm were not damaged, but they will remain closed until power is restored to the area (we have been told that we should expect to be out through this work week).
Our web site is up to date, but we are unable to send or receive emails through our raritanheadwaters addresses. If you need to reach us, please use one of the following temporary addresses that we have established:
For general inquiries, our address is raritanheadwaters@gmail.com.
For inquiries about our Community Well Testing program, the address is rhawater@gmail.com
Our Community Well Testing program has been disrupted by the storm. If you participated in a program and have not received an email message from us about your test results, please bear with us. We are prioritizing our communications to notify well owners whose tests indicated problems. Well owners whose tests results indicated no problems will be notified as soon as possible.
Join us for bagels and coffee and learn about how managers of farmlands can use best management practices to improve water quality.
RHA will launch its 2012 Green Table series with a program at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7th at the Clarence Dillon Library in Bedminster. Guest speaker Grace Messinger, Executive Director of the North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development Council, will share information about New Jersey’s River-Friendly Farm Certification Program. Read More »
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