GSWA continues its series of monthly breakfast meetings this fall. Covering a range of environmental topics, this is your opportunity to learn more from guest speakers and environmental specialists. Each briefing is from 8:00-9:30 a.m. at GSWA Headquarters, 568 Tempe Wick Rd., Harding Township (next to Jockey Hollow). A hot breakfast buffet is included.
Seating is open to the public and limited to 50 people so advance reservations are requested. Donations are appreciated. Register by calling our Event Info Line at 973-538-3500 x22, or visit www.greatswamp.org.
Tuesday, September 14: Fall Gardening Tips
Presented by: Mike Bucek, Green Path LandCare
As Fall approaches, learn how to put your garden safely to bed for the winter. Green Path LandCare, a Chatham-based family-owned and operated business, helps beautify landscapes, reduce chemical pollution and simply lives.
Tuesday, October 12: Social & Physical Landscapes of the Great Swamp Watershed
Presented by: David Tulloch, Rutgers University
The Rutgers University junior class in landscape architecture will present initial findings from their recent inventory of the social and physical landscapes of the Great Swamp watershed. Their report will be a creative reflection on both existing knowledge of the watershed as well as their own perceptions. They will be conducting further analysis and exploring regional design strategies for the area, so your input and response to their presentation will be invaluable to their progress.
Tuesday, November 9: The State of the Passaic River
Presented by: Kirk R. Barrett, Director, Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University
The watershed’s five streams flow through the Great Swamp and exit as the Passaic River. So what happens downstream of the Great Swamp watershed? Come and learn about issues facing the Passaic River, a source of drinking water for more than a million people.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Gala Auction Items
We hope you are all getting excited for our upcoming gala on October 14th! Just as a reminder, it will be at the Basking Ridge Country Club. The invitations will be coming soon, and we hope to see all of you there! We are getting plenty of new auction items each week and want to give you a taste of what you will see at the event! We have 2 certificates for Deep Root Fertilizers from Tree Tech, an overnight stay at the Sheraton Parsippany with breakfast, a gift certificate to Copeland Restaurant, an overnight stay at the Westin Governor Morris, and tickets to the Discovery Orchestra! Stay tuned for more items next week!
For more gala information please email Amy at amaddaluna@greatswamp.org or check out our website at www.greatswamp.org
For more gala information please email Amy at amaddaluna@greatswamp.org or check out our website at www.greatswamp.org
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Chris Daggett to Speak at Green Acres Gala 2010
Great Swamp Watershed Association is pleased to welcome Chris Daggett as the keynote speaker at this year’s Green Acres Gala. Mr. Daggett, president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, was the 2009 independent candidate for governor of New Jersey and former Commissioner of the NJDEP.
GSWA's 2010 Green Acres Gala will be held on Thursday, October 14th at the Basking Ridge Country Club, beginning at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by a seated dinner. GSWA's Annual Meeting will be held prior to the gala beginning at 5:30.
If you'd like to purchase tickets, donate to the silent auction or place an ad in our commemorative ad journal, visit http://www.greatswamp.org/ or contact Amy Maddaluna at 973-538-3500 x14 or amaddaluna@greatswamp.org.
GSWA's 2010 Green Acres Gala will be held on Thursday, October 14th at the Basking Ridge Country Club, beginning at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by a seated dinner. GSWA's Annual Meeting will be held prior to the gala beginning at 5:30.
If you'd like to purchase tickets, donate to the silent auction or place an ad in our commemorative ad journal, visit http://www.greatswamp.org/ or contact Amy Maddaluna at 973-538-3500 x14 or amaddaluna@greatswamp.org.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Team Workdays at the CMA
The Great Swamp Watershed Association greatly appreciates the help of corporations and other businesses whose volunteers have assisted in the removal of invasive species, the construction of trails, and the planting of native species at our Conservation Management Area (CMA). Not only is this an effective way to improve the watershed and volunteer time to a great cause, but it also provides a team building experience between the workers, and it's a fun way to spend the day!
Last spring and summer, over 200 employees from Pfizer, Ethicon, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, Mars, and Eisner pitched in at the CMA to help clear invasive plants, replant native plant species, erect fencing, build boardwalks and mulch the trail system. This spring/summer, nearly 300 employees from Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Ethicon and Royal Bank of Canada, through 15 corporate workdays (so far!), have signed up to volunteer their time and energy through their employer community give-back programs.
GSWA’s primary goal for the CMA is to restore the property to a diverse ecologically functioning state. Restoration projects undertaken to date have included 15+ acres of invasive plant species control, installation of 23 acres of deer exclosure fencing, enhancement of vernal pool habitat, stream bank stabilization and replenishment, and the replanting of over 2,000 native shrubs and 4,500 live stakes. GSWA wishes to thank all of those hard-working corporate employees who rolled up their sleeves during team workdays to help us move closer to our restoration goals. To learn more about the CMA and the work being done there, visit www.greatswamp.org.
Last spring and summer, over 200 employees from Pfizer, Ethicon, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, Mars, and Eisner pitched in at the CMA to help clear invasive plants, replant native plant species, erect fencing, build boardwalks and mulch the trail system. This spring/summer, nearly 300 employees from Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Ethicon and Royal Bank of Canada, through 15 corporate workdays (so far!), have signed up to volunteer their time and energy through their employer community give-back programs.
GSWA’s primary goal for the CMA is to restore the property to a diverse ecologically functioning state. Restoration projects undertaken to date have included 15+ acres of invasive plant species control, installation of 23 acres of deer exclosure fencing, enhancement of vernal pool habitat, stream bank stabilization and replenishment, and the replanting of over 2,000 native shrubs and 4,500 live stakes. GSWA wishes to thank all of those hard-working corporate employees who rolled up their sleeves during team workdays to help us move closer to our restoration goals. To learn more about the CMA and the work being done there, visit www.greatswamp.org.
Monday, March 22, 2010
How Can We Have Four “100-Year” Floods In 15 Years?
By Jim Northrop, GSWA Member
In Bound Brook, New Jersey, there was a flood in 1996, and in 1999 Hurricane Floyd brought 17 feet of water to downtown Bound Brook. In 2007, there was another flood, followed recently by heavy rainfall which caused more downtown flooding. Some people call these “100-year floods,” but they all occurred over a mere 15 years. How can we have several “100-year” floods in the short span of 15 years?
Some people mistakenly believe that a “100-year” storm or “100-year” flood happens only once every 100 years. The term “100-year” flood is shorthand for a flood that statistically has a 1% (1/100) chance of occurring in any given year. Likewise, the term “100-year” storm is used to define a rainfall event that statistically has this same 1% chance of occurring this year. For a hydrologist studying water flows, “100-year” means an extreme hydrologic event having a 100-year recurrence interval.
Based on historical data about rainfall and stream stage at a given location, a process of frequency analysis is used to determine the probability that an extreme hydrologic event (such as a river cresting at a flood stage of 20 feet) will be equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Ten or more years of data are required to perform a frequency analysis for the determination of recurrence intervals. Of course, the more years of historical data the better -- a hydrologist will have more confidence for an analysis of a river with 30 years of record than one based on 10 years of record.
Thus, the terms “100-year” storm or “100-year” flood, are used merely to simplify the definition of a storm or flood that statistically has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. It is not the promise of a 100-year interval.
In Bound Brook, New Jersey, there was a flood in 1996, and in 1999 Hurricane Floyd brought 17 feet of water to downtown Bound Brook. In 2007, there was another flood, followed recently by heavy rainfall which caused more downtown flooding. Some people call these “100-year floods,” but they all occurred over a mere 15 years. How can we have several “100-year” floods in the short span of 15 years?
Some people mistakenly believe that a “100-year” storm or “100-year” flood happens only once every 100 years. The term “100-year” flood is shorthand for a flood that statistically has a 1% (1/100) chance of occurring in any given year. Likewise, the term “100-year” storm is used to define a rainfall event that statistically has this same 1% chance of occurring this year. For a hydrologist studying water flows, “100-year” means an extreme hydrologic event having a 100-year recurrence interval.
Based on historical data about rainfall and stream stage at a given location, a process of frequency analysis is used to determine the probability that an extreme hydrologic event (such as a river cresting at a flood stage of 20 feet) will be equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Ten or more years of data are required to perform a frequency analysis for the determination of recurrence intervals. Of course, the more years of historical data the better -- a hydrologist will have more confidence for an analysis of a river with 30 years of record than one based on 10 years of record.
Thus, the terms “100-year” storm or “100-year” flood, are used merely to simplify the definition of a storm or flood that statistically has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. It is not the promise of a 100-year interval.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Join GSWA for a Vernal Pool Exporation at the CMA
Pull on your rubber boots, grab a flashlight, and join us for a Spring Peeper Party from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 26, in the vernal pools of GSWA's 50-acre Conservation Management Area. This forested wetland contains many vernal pools that will be jumping with the spring breeding amphibians that rely so heavily upon them. We'll take an evening stroll around the trails, seeking spring peepers, chorus frogs, wood frogs and more.
Visit www.greatswamp.org to register, or to find out more about GSWA's spring educational programs, including our popular monthly Breakfast Briefings.
Visit www.greatswamp.org to register, or to find out more about GSWA's spring educational programs, including our popular monthly Breakfast Briefings.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Are Energy Thieves Lurking Around Your House?
By Jim Northrop, GSWA Member
Electricity use by power-hungry household consumer electronic devices is rising fast. For example, the very popular, new flat-panel televisions have turned out to consume more electricity than some refrigerators. And then there are personal computers (how many do you already have in your house?). What about iPods, cell phones, game consoles and digital clocks? The New York Times reports that Americans now have as many as 25 consumer electronic products in each household, compared with just three in 1980.
Appliances like refrigerators are covered by mandatory efficiency rules specifying how much power each category of appliance may use. The New York Times claims that today's new refrigerators consume only about 55% of the power consumed when the standards took effect. Further, the Times says that a new clothes washer today is nearly 70% lower in energy consumption than a new unit in 1990. But, don't relax -- now we have a growing, off-setting challenge, which may eventually cancel out the energy savings of appliance standards. Makers of consumer electronic devices have been successful in resisting the application of such energy efficiency standards to their products.
Most Consumer Electronic Devices Never Sleep
One way this is a different kind of challenge, is that many modern consumer electronic devices cannot be entirely turned off. Even when not in use, they draw electricity while they wait for a signal from a remote control, or wait to record a television program.
Of course, a single-minded person can find many of these electronic devices around the house, and turn them off when not in use -- but, in most homes there are so many of them! And some family-member users are particularly difficult to "police." There are some ways to let the problem take care of itself, however, if one takes the time to set it up properly. For example, plug the computers and entertainment devices into "smart" power strips. The strips turn off when the electronics are not in use, cutting power consumption to zero.
Another difficulty in controlling power wasted by consumer electronics devices is that many products now require large amounts of power to run. Flat-screen TV is perhaps the biggest offender. As liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies replace the old cathode ray tubes, and as screen sizes increase, the new televisions need more power than older models did. How often is the TV left operating when the viewers have all left the room?
Until energy usage by consumer electronic devices is better regulated, each of us must be more vigilant. While energy waste per device may seem trivial, it adds up fast.
Electricity use by power-hungry household consumer electronic devices is rising fast. For example, the very popular, new flat-panel televisions have turned out to consume more electricity than some refrigerators. And then there are personal computers (how many do you already have in your house?). What about iPods, cell phones, game consoles and digital clocks? The New York Times reports that Americans now have as many as 25 consumer electronic products in each household, compared with just three in 1980.
Appliances like refrigerators are covered by mandatory efficiency rules specifying how much power each category of appliance may use. The New York Times claims that today's new refrigerators consume only about 55% of the power consumed when the standards took effect. Further, the Times says that a new clothes washer today is nearly 70% lower in energy consumption than a new unit in 1990. But, don't relax -- now we have a growing, off-setting challenge, which may eventually cancel out the energy savings of appliance standards. Makers of consumer electronic devices have been successful in resisting the application of such energy efficiency standards to their products.
Most Consumer Electronic Devices Never Sleep
One way this is a different kind of challenge, is that many modern consumer electronic devices cannot be entirely turned off. Even when not in use, they draw electricity while they wait for a signal from a remote control, or wait to record a television program.
Of course, a single-minded person can find many of these electronic devices around the house, and turn them off when not in use -- but, in most homes there are so many of them! And some family-member users are particularly difficult to "police." There are some ways to let the problem take care of itself, however, if one takes the time to set it up properly. For example, plug the computers and entertainment devices into "smart" power strips. The strips turn off when the electronics are not in use, cutting power consumption to zero.
Another difficulty in controlling power wasted by consumer electronics devices is that many products now require large amounts of power to run. Flat-screen TV is perhaps the biggest offender. As liquid crystal displays and plasma technologies replace the old cathode ray tubes, and as screen sizes increase, the new televisions need more power than older models did. How often is the TV left operating when the viewers have all left the room?
Until energy usage by consumer electronic devices is better regulated, each of us must be more vigilant. While energy waste per device may seem trivial, it adds up fast.
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