Activity Report
October and November 2002

• The Musconetcong Mountain 90-acre proposed development in Holland Township received conditional pre-approval from the Holland Planning Board in October, despite massive citizen's opposition and excellent media coverage.

  However, there are numerous conditions which may not be met, and legal irregularities in the approval process. Friends of Holland Highlands is mounting a legal challenge to the approval, and we continue to aid them.

  In further opposition to this proposed development, representatives of the SC Hunterdon Group and Chapter, in concert with Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic, held a meeting with DEP in October regarding their practice of issuing stream encroachment permits for detention basins discharging to C1 streams. We have made it clear that if DEP issues a stream encroachment permit for this development, we will challenge it.

• We provided testimony at the Hunterdon County October DEP hearing on the draft NJPDES permit for the Milligan Farms development. Since Sydney Brook has received a C1 designation in a DEP proposed rule entering the state register on November 18, 2002, we stated that discharge permits affecting this and other newly designated surface waters should be frozen until final rule-making.

• During October, we provided support to our endorsed political candidate.

• We continue to provide advice to numerous citizen inquiries regarding a broad range of environmental issues.

• We will be paying close attention to the Hunterdon County Master Plan revision process, and will be involved with a county effort to design technically sound draft ordinances for our municipalities to adopt as desired.