It's Official. It's Ours! / Coles Brook Restoration Commences

IT'S OFFICIAL! IT'S OURS!

231 Main Street, Hackensack

By Cathe Morrow

It's time for the next installment in the saga of finding a new home for Hackensack Riverkeeper. We are very happy to announce that on Thursday, April 4, we closed on the property at 231 Main Street in Hackensack. We are now the proud owners of a storefront that needs work.

The bad news is we are going to have to change our phone number as well as the address, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we get the new line set up.

If you are one of the wonderful people who has volunteered to help us out with the conversion from retail space into office space, you've either already gotten a call for assistance, or you will soon. If you want to join us in the renovation work, or just moving, and you haven't let us know yet, please call the office. The fun is just beginning.

Coles Brook Restoration Commences

By Kathy Urffer

Photo by Jared Eudell

Jeremiah Bergstrom from TRC Omni Environmental and project manager Kathy Urffer (far left) explain the two-year restoration strategy to nearly 50 people during part of the Kick-Off Picnic and clean-up on March 23 at Staib Park.

It was a somewhat chilly day for a picnic but nonetheless on March 23, Hackensack Riverkeeperheld its Coles Brook Restoration Kickoff at Staib Park in Hackensack. In between potato salad and hot apple cider, information was shared regarding work that will soon begin at this city park located at Summit and Coles Avenues. The objective of this project is to restore a 750-foot stretch of habitat along Coles Brook (which runs through the park) and help improve water quality in the lower Hackensack River watershed.

The day's activities included a stream cleanup undertaken in conjunction with the Fairleigh Dickinson University chapter of New Jersey Community Water Watch. Volunteer monitoring in River Assessment (RATs) and Biological Assessment (BATs) was conducted by NJDEP Watershed Ambassador Marianne Butler. Additionally, plans were unveiled displaying the proposed end result of the restoration. We want to thank each of the nearly 50 people that came to the kick-off picnic and we hope we see you again.

Over the next two years, we will need about 15-25 dedicated volunteers for a few weekends to install the bulk of the native plantings and to care for them. Volunteers should be capable of the physical labor required for gardening. Children above the age of 7 are invited to help with adult supervision. The tentative schedule for needed volunteers is:

July or Aug., 2002 - planting of temporary stabilization (rye grass) with approximately 6 volunteers

Sept, 2002 - first round of plantings with 15 to 24 volunteers

Nov, 2002 - second round of planting with 15 to 24 volunteers

April, 2003 - weeding, watering, monitoring of growth, removal of invasive plants, 3rd planting of herbaceous materials

We fully expect that this project will create a stronger sense of stewardship and community in the surrounding area. We are excited about the environmental enhancement that this project will provide to the river and to the city of Hackensack.

People interested in volunteering should contact Kathy Urffer at kathyu@hackensackriverkeeper.org or at 201-692-8440 to be added to the list.

The Coles Brook restoration project is a cooperative venture between Hackensack Riverkeeper, the City of Hackensack and TRC Omni Environmental Services. Funding for the project is provided through a NJDEP grant under Section 319(h) of the federal Clean Water Act to mitigate non-point source pollution.

Photos by Jared Eudell and Kathy Urffer

Left, top and bottom: After the clean-up, coordinated by Hackensack Riverkeeper and NJ Community Water Watch, both banks of Coles Brook were nearly devoid of litter. Right: Watershed Ambassador Marianne Butler and volunteers performed River Assessments and Biological Assessments of the Brook, which will help to evaluate its health over the next few years.

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