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Save the Date: Next LDWS Council Meeting, Thursday, June 30th at 10:00 AM.
Funding up to $5,000 Eligible PA or NJ Groups Invited to Apply 2022 Key Dates Requirements We must act now to keep the waters of the Highlands great. Adopt the municipal resolution here. See the Municipal Action Guide here. Learn more about the Great Waters New Jersey Partnership here. Water levels on the Delaware are constantly changing. The USGS provides online tools to monitor the flow of the Delaware River and its tributaries, helping us to safely enjoy our river. NJDOT repairs and studies of the safety and integrity of Route 80 in the Delaware Water Gap area continue. An engineering study will take a look at the retaining wall issues that were discovered by crews making repairs to a nearby section of the wall that had been scoured or eroded by water coming down from Mount Tammany. The mountain is located on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap and is maintained by the NJDOT. Read more below: The sprawl of warehouses across the region is a growing serious issue, with each new development threatening to convert hundreds and hundreds of acres of pristine farmland and open space into giant warehousing complexes, transforming the landscape in the process and introducing a variety of problems including stormwater management and truck traffic. Trout Unlimited worked with Musconetcong Watershed Association and several partners to improve Water Quality in West Portal Creek. The cows had an effect on the brook and changes were made to improve the water quality. Rockface To Radically Change, Plans Unveiled by NJDOT: The Hunterdon Land Trust teamed up with Holland Township and Hunterdon County to preserve a 70-acre tract off Riegelsville-Milford Road near Dogwood Drive. The Lower Delaware recently submitted these comment letters: The 2021 Cleanup was another huge success with 18 cleanup locations spanning over 40 miles of the Delaware River from Holland Township (Hunterdon County) to Hamilton Township (Mercer County) along with Raubs Island in the Delaware. 2022 Padding & Educational Event The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania is planning the next quadrennial Rising Nation River Journey and signing of the Treaty of Renewed Friendship to foster awareness of the Lenape people and encourage environmental stewardship. During the Summer of 2022, the Nation will take a three-week paddling trip down the Delaware River from Hancock, NY. to Cape May, NJ., stopping along the way to hold treaty signings and offer programs. Members of the public are invited to paddle at any point during the event and/or sign the treaty. Organizations that would like to be involved in planning, programming, or fundraising can contact Adam Waterbear DePaul (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). To learn more about the Journey and Treaty, go here. To read a story about the River Rising Journey, go here. The Council commissioned a river use capacity study in 2020. Risa Shimoda, consultant, presented these slides at the March 2021 meeting of the Council. The National Park Service/Wild & Scenic Rivers Newsletter featured the Wild & Scenic Lower Delaware in the November issue. Care About PA's Tohickon Creek? Seventy-five years ago, the Delaware River was choked with sewage and industrial pollution. The Lower Delaware was designated in 2000 as a Wild and Scenic River Additionally some of the tributaries in the Lower Delaware were also designated including Tinicum Creek, (headwaters of two upper branches to the Delaware River confluence), Tohickon Creek, (downstream of Lake Nockamixon to the Delaware River confluence), and Paunacussing Creek, (portions passing through Solebury Township to the Delaware River). The Musconetcong River, (3.5 mile stretch from Saxton Falls to Route 46 and the 20.7 mile stretch from King’s Highway Bridget to railroad tunnels at Musconetcong Gorge), was designated in 2006. Read more about about the Lower Delaware's Wild and Scenic Designation..... Checkout water monitoring by the Lehigh River Stocking Association, dedicated to the continuous improvement of this waterway and its tributaries. Their objectives are to ensure clean water, public access, and an abundant trout fishery for everyone to enjoy. Educate yourself on what the Wild & Scenic Designation means and hear from leading experts in the region including Lower Delaware’s NPS Liaison, Sarah Bursky. Video courtesy of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. (Runs 1.5 hours.)
Join thousands of New Jersey residents and local leaders just like you who cherish the natural legacy of the Highlands. Tell our chief water caretaker, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that they need to recognize the true recreational value of our waters, helping our towns and boroughs go the extra mile to save our way of life for generations to come.
Please sign the petition for residents/individuals here.
Learn more here...
Aesthetics are expected to change at Devil’s Tea Table in Hunterdon County, NJ as a result of NJDOT plans for rockfall mitigation to improve Rt. 29 roadway safety in Kingwood Twp.
Two hundred and twenty volunteers including AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors, Boy Scout Troops 186 B&G (Boy and Girl), Sustainable Frenchtown, and the Ruff Riders participated.
Articles in the newsletter focused on:
We continue to track a potential downgrade of the Tohickon Creek’s water quality and fully support redesignating the waterway as Exceptional Value Waters (EV). Longtime Wild & Scenic Steering Committee Member Val Sigstedt wrote, “It is wrong, arbitrary, sudden, and with no scientific reason, to lower the Tohickon’s purity designation.” The Lower Tohickon Creek below Lake Nockamixon is a stream enjoyed by kayakers, anglers, and people who love the outdoors. The clean water in this stretch provided important habitat for wildlife. Many organizations, including the Lower Delaware, are calling for Pennsylvania officials to release more water into the stream to help improve conditions. Learn more about the issue by watching this LDWS 2021 mini-grant funded video. 
Thanks to a combination of federal and state safeguards and local innovation, the Delaware is a river reborn – and a model for other river restoration efforts across the country!
