South Mountain Conservancy Springs Into the Reservation

The South Mountain Reservation group schedules hikes and work days to kick off the new season for Millburn-Short Hills residents.

It may not look like spring— yet, but a certain sign of the season is the South Mountain Conservancy's Spring schedule. The events include free family hikes, an open meeting, and work days for Millburn-Short Hills residents. See the full schedule below:  Annual Meeting, Thursday, April 4, 7 - 9:15 p.m. Maplewood Memorial Library, 51 Baker St., Maplewood.   Come and meet other community members concerned with the environment and restoring the Reservation at the Conservancy's Annual Public Meeting.   Hear about – and join – Conservancy programs for forest regeneration planting, building new trails, Trash Tacklers, Trailkeepers, new trails and  free hikes.  Featured speaker:  Michael Van Clef, Ph.D., Ecological Solutions,  Wide experience …

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Girl Scouts Clean Up South Mountain Reservation

Troop from Seth Boyden School tackles trash in the reservation.

Junior GS Troop 20648 from Seth Boyden Demonstration School, led by Tracey Woods - Trash Tackler Coordinator for the South Mountain Conservancy- spent Saturday morning spring cleaning at the South Mountain reservation.  They worked for an hour and a half clearing garbage and debris from the entry drive off of South Orange Avenue.  In that time the girls collected about four cubic yards of trash.  The troop was amazed at the amount of garbage they were able to collect in such a short period of time.  Bottles, cans, plastic bags, wheels, boots and even a stereo system were removed from the side of the road.  Maura Donnelly remarked, "I can't believe people just throw this stuff out of their car windows". "Why don't people just throw their …

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'Olmsted Parks in New Jersey' Author To Speak In Essex

Author of book on Olmsted Parks will discuss Essex County Parks at West Caldwell Public Library Sunday.

Jeanne Kolva, author of Olmsted Parks in New Jersey, will speak at the West Caldwell Public Library on Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Kolva will discuss South Mountain Reservation along with other Essex County Parks, which were designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm founded by the son and stepson of the creator of New York's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted.  The Essex County Parks System became the first county park system in the country with the creation of Branch Brook Park in Newark in 1895, according to Essex County Parks. The county now owns more than 20 parks, multiple reservations and three golf courses. Kolva has a master’s in art history and is a graduate of Drew University’s Historic Preservation Certificate…

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County Razes Building, Moves Pavilion, Paddle Boat Plans Forward

South Mountain Reservation gets a facelift as Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. moves the county closer to its vision.

  With the movement of a giant earth-moving machine, Essex County took a step forward on Monday morning. Just days after the county leased the reservoir land adjacent to the South Mountain recreation complex from the City of Orange, work began. County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. removed the first shingles and boards from the dilapidated superintendent’s house facing Cherry Lane. By Tuesday, said DiVincenzo, passers-by will have an unobstructed view of the water. The removal of a building and an shed is part of the county plan to upgrade the area's attractions.  The 115-acre reservoir will be redeveloped into recreational grounds where people can rent paddle boats, walk, bike, fish and ice skate, among other things. “For a number of …

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How to Keep Bears Away: State Issues Guidelines

Bears have been seen in every county of the state and any Millburn resident that plans to hike the South Mountain Reservation should check this out.

Black bears are preparing for winter and are now actively foraging for food as they prepare for the denning season, say state officials. Bears have been seen in every county in the state including, recently, in the Caldwells and in Cedar Grove. The Department of Environmental Protection advises residents to eliminate or secure food sources to reduce potential problem encounters with bears this fall, says Commissioner Bob Martin. Feeding bears is illegal in New Jersey. Guidelines for securing against bears include: ·         Invest in bear-proof garbage containers. If not using bear-proof garbage containers, store all garbage in containers with tight fitting lids in a secure area such as a basement, the inside wall of a garage, or a shed…

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Plea to County: Continue Deer Culling in Reservations

The letter writers represent Hilltop and South Mountain reservations in Essex County.

The South Mountain and Hilltop Conservancies are mobilizing a petition drive for supporters of the Hilltop, South Mountain and Eagle Rock Reservations to counter a possible end to the County's deer management program.  After several years of culling deer densities in our area have been reduced somewhat, but are nowhere near the 10-per-square-mile number needed to allow the forests and their ecosystems to regenerate. We believe that stopping the culling, even for a year, is extremely ill-advised. With no natural predators in our area (wolves, mountain lions, black bears), deer populations will continue to expand unless the County actively reduces the herds.  We've set up an online petition for voting-age residents to tell Essex County …

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James Lawson

8:20 pm on Friday, September 14, 2012

The most affordable happens to be salt licks that have a large amount of birth control in them the only problems with these licks is that they also affect other animals that lick them. Some animals it works like it does with the deer, but it can be detrimental to other animals   more ›

15 Summer Things to Do Before School Begins

Are there some fun, relaxing things you planned to do this summer but never quite got around to?

  It’s amazing how quickly summer vacation flies by, isn’t it?  In mid-June, 10 unscheduled weeks sounds like forever.  Many of us have grandiose plans of how we will soak up the glorious sun, kick back and drink ice-cold lemonade, or finally get to visit friends, family and places that we can’t seem to fit into our winter schedules.  Newsflash: Schools and will be back in session before we know it.  And we still haven’t done half of what we planned to do this summer! Well, here is a list of things to do before those school bells ring.    1.  Go to the drive-in.  Believe it or not, there is still a Drive-In here in New Jersey—the Delsea Drive-In in Vineland.  It’s a nostalgic favorite -- with up-to-the-minute movies! 2.    Play mini golf…

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What To Do This Weekend in Millburn and Around

Entertaining local events for a summer weekend with musicals, concerts and a sing along with ice cream.

Summer and music seem to go together, with free concerts, musical comedies, and even an old-fashioned ice cream social featuring a live band and a sing-along.  Read on for the details of these events and others, and be sure to check the Patch calendar for even more local happenings.  Enjoy! Trail Work Day at South Mountain Reservation Trail maintenance is hard work, but the rewards are worth the effort.  Join the folks at the South Mountain Conservancy as they clean up trails on the Reservation.  Work gloves, tools and water are supplied.  Sturdy footware is recommended.  Sorry, all volunteers must be 15 years or older to participate. Free; Sunday 9 a.m. to noon; South Mountain Reservation   Summer Concert Series in Taylor Park This …

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Towns Along Watershed Join Together To Fund Flood Control Project

Cranford, Millburn and other towns along the Rahway River have entered into an interlocal agreement to fund early stages of the project.

Governing bodies from the communities that are represented on the Mayors Council on Rahway River Watershed Flood Control agreed last week to enter into an interlocal agreement to fund the legal analysis on the development of the South Mountain Reservation detention dam. The project, once constructed, is expected to detain storm water at peak flow conditions that will reduce water elevations in communities such as Millburn, Springfield, Union, Kenilworth, Cranford and Rahway. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's hydrology assessment indicated the project could reduce water elevations by almost 3 feet at the Route 78 confluence of the Rahway River. Cranford officials discussed the interlocal agreement during a recent Township Committee workshop …

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A Forest Amid the Suburbs: The South Mountain Reservation

A look at the Reservation, past and present, and how to get there