Raritan Valley Contact Directory
Group Chair	Sandi Lowich
Group Vice Chair	Vacant
Conservation Chair	Jane Tousman	(908) 561-5504	jdtous@aol.com
Membership	Sunil Somalwar	(732) 572-7721	sunil123@verizon.net
Outings Chair	Vacant
Political Chair	Randy Gill	(732) 525-2612	ragill@optonline.net
Secretary	Michael Ricketts	(732) 371-9961	ictonyx@gmail.com
Treasurer	Don McBride	(732) 560-0369	dtmcbride@alumni.haas.org
Publicity	vacant
Programs	Vacant
Chapter Delegate	Sunil Somalwar	(732) 572-7721	svsomalwar@sierraactivist.org

Past Chairs: Steve Ember, Sandi Lowich, Don McBride

Join the Sierra Club! - Join Online... it's easy to join the Sierra Club online.
The Sierra Club is America's most effective advocate for the environment and helps you protect the environment locally and globally.

Programs:
Meetings are on hold until the group is reorganized
If you would like to help in reorganizing the group contact Don McBride.

Current Programs

No meetings in July or August.

Mon., March 10, 2008 - at 7:30 PM at The Unitarian Society of New Brunswick, 176 Tices Lane, East Brunswick

The Highlands past, present and future Phil L'Hommedieu - A founding member of the Highlands Coalition has been in an active fight to save the Highlands from 1984 on. He will talk about it's unique geology and ecology and issues, past, present and future.
Highlands forests supply and protect clean drinking water for over 15 million people, including over half of New Jersey's population, and protect major water supply watersheds for New York City.
Congress approved the Highlands Conservation Act in 2004, authorizing $110 million in federal matching funds over 10 years. However there is still conroversy over administration and implementation of the Act.
See: Highlands Coalition (www.highlandscoalition.org)
  Advocacy Campaigns from Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter

Mon., May 12, 2008 - at 7:30 PM at The Unitarian Society of New Brunswick, 176 Tices Lane, East Brunswick

TBD

Mon., June 9, 2008 - at 7:30 PM at The Unitarian Society of New Brunswick, 176 Tices Lane, East Brunswick

TBD

July - Aug: NO MEETING

1 page (Web): Oct. (print 75%/landscape for 2/page)

Green Highland Park

Other Events

Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition
Thursday June 12th: New Brunswick, NJ - George Street Co-op
The coalition will park their 25 foot salmon sculpture outside the George St. Co-op
The big fish has a huge forest mural painted on the inside and both kids and adults can climb in. They will talk about their work to restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia & Snake rivers.
See: wildsalmon.org

Duke Farms:
Hillsborough, NJ (March 2, 2008)- Duke Farms announced today an expansive and bold new vision for the 2,740-acre property. Duke Farms has always been committed to the environment, but we're taking our vision to a whole new level of green.

For the first time since Buck Duke closed the park at Duke Farms nearly 100 years ago, hundreds of acres of trails will be open for visitors to walk, bike and hike on their own.

To serve as a demonstration site for sustainability, Duke Farms also will undertake various renewable energy, habitat restoration and ecological research projects.

See Tours

ISSUES
We are supporting several of the National Sierra Club's major issues at the local level:
* Climate Change - Global Warming - New Page with links from speakers and information about local events.

* Electrical Companies clear-cutting under high-tension electrical power lines - The Raritan Valley group is working with Bridgewater township, local citizens and the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to revise the current vegetation management plan so more trees can be retained without compromising safety and reliability.
See details.

* Rutgers University is planning to put new buildings on Frank Deiner Park. Help us save it. See details.

* Clean Water - The New Jersey Chapter is fighting development along streams, wetlands, flood plains and steep slopes.

* Stop Sprawl - The Raritan Valley Chapter is monitoring/reviewing as many township/regional land use master plans in our area as possible.

Group members are involved in local issues, answering questions for concerned citizens regarding development.
Specific issues we are involved with are:

• Monitor Regional Center part of Bridgewater Master Plan.
• The Pulda farms - one in North and one in South Brunswick - well over 200 acres of prime farmland, with environmentally sensitive and historical features.
• Tamarack Hollow - 56 houses that would be a blatant intrusion into the environmentally sensitive Rural Preservation Zone of East Brunswick.
• DEVCO high-rise apartment complex on the Raritan that would replace old New Brunswick Police Department.
• Energy Efficiency & Work Time Reduction work being done by Prof. Dan Aronson, at Raritan Valley Community College. Energy efficiency enables us to improve quality of life while reducing costs and maintaining productivity.

Links:
Web Resources

Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter Action Center - The easiest way to learn about and take action on pressing issues.

Sierra Club New Jersey Singles Section -

Join Online! MLP - Membership - To join the Sierra Club online.

Garden State EnviroNews - This daily posting of articles, alerts, events is another excellent resource, the work of Phil Reynolds.
To subscribe (free) to receive the GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS, send an e-mail to: gsenet-L-subscribe@topica.com

Save New Jersey Coalition - A coalition of over 50 NJ-based environmental and civic groups working to repeal the Fast Track Bill that gives developers a green light to build in Planning Areas 1 and 2 (metropolitan and suburban areas) through the automatic approval of permits if DEP doesn't meet a 45-day limit.

Office of Legislative Services, New Jersey Legislature - Bills, votes, statutes, information about individual State Senators, Assembly Persons, etc.

Highlands Coalition - Photos, maps and information, and contacts/ resources for anyone interested in the Highlands and Highlands conservation issues.

Members:
There were 1,800 members in Southern Somerset and Middlesex counties and more than 20,000 members in New Jersey and 750,000 total members as of Sept., 2006. Our group membership by community:

Num. Town 20 Bound Brook 26 Branchburg 125 Bridgewater 10 Dayton 10 Dunellen 122 East Brunswick 1 East Millstone 124 Edison 16 Fords 30 Franklin Park 17 Green Brook 1 Helmetta 205 Highland Park 197 Hillsborough 24 Jamesburg

Num. Town 3 Keasbey 25 Kendall Park 6 Manville 28 Martinsville 78 Metuchen 27 Milltown 23 Monmouth Junction 9 Monroe 122 Monroe Township 16 Neshanic Station 50 New Brunswick 50 North Brunswick 36 Old Bridge 20 Parlin

Num. Town 7 Perth Amboy 77 Piscataway 17 Raritan 1 S Bound Brook 20 Sayreville 124 Somerset 63 Somerville 11 South Amboy 4 South Bound Brook 15 South River 12 Spotswood 5 Three Bridges 2 Whitehouse 19 Woodbridge