Environmental Insights Program on Invasive Species June 24th

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The latest entry in the Environmental Insights Series is set for next Wednesday, June 24th at 7 pm  – Invasive Species in the Landscape: Together, We Can Nip Them in the Bud, a presentation and discussion led by Susan Brookman, Executive Director of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team. (Click to see event flyer)

butterfly_bushWhat is an invasive species? Do I have them in my home landscape? And why is it so important that they be eradicated? These are questions that will be answered during this informative presentation.   Susan Brookman, Executive Director of the Strike Team says that invasive species cost an estimated $140 billion in annual loses in the US.  They cause great damage to the local ecosystem, crowding out natives and are considered the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide.  Despite the damage they cause, they are still readily available at nurseries in New Jersey.

According to Brookman, detecting invasive species early is the key to successful control.  “If we can catch an invasive species soon after it arrives, we have a chance to nip it in the bud and keep it from establishing a viable population in New Jersey.  It’s easy to see the damage done by widespread invasive species like Dutch elm disease, the European gypsy moth and Japanese knotweed.  It makes a lot of sense to spend a little effort figuring out which non-native species have the potential to wreak havoc, and then spend a little more effort to eradicate them.  The alternative – letting them spread and then dealing with their impacts – costs so much, both to our pocketbooks and to our state’s agricultural and natural heritage.

And, if you have a smartphone and spend time outdoors, the Strike Team would like your help.  Thanks to a grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, it has developed a NewJersey Invasives app to enable people with smartphones learn about, identify and report invasive species.  With the app, a user who sees something they suspect may be an invasive species can scroll through photos to identify what they see, read information about it, then take a picture and submit a report – it’s that simple!  Members of the Strike Team’s Technical Advisory Committee (experts in the fields of botany, entomology, aquatic biology and the like) verify each sighting and add the information to the on-line database the Strike Team uses to track the spread of problem species.

About the Strike Team

striketeamThe New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team, http://njisst.org/, works to stop the spread of new invasive species – plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are not native to New Jersey whose presence is likely to damage the health of our environment, economy or our citizens.  It works with counterparts across the mid-Atlantic to catalog non-native species and assess their threat levels.  It creates an annual list of target species and then encourages conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout for them.  When invasive species are detected, the Strike Team offers guidance to property owners to help them eradicate the problem species.

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Time: 7 pm
Location: Ewing Senior and Community Center (Community Room), 999 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ
Details:  All are welcome

Direct Install – Energy Savings for Small Businesses

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Did you know that the State of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program has a program called Direct Install that allows business owners tap into state funds allocated for improving the environment, while at the same time offering quick investment paybacks?  The program offers grants of up to 70% of the costs for energy saving building upgrades for small and medium size businesses.  The program usually pays for itself and becomes a net revenue generator in 1-3 years, with savings lasting for decades.

Small business owners in Ewing should have received a letter from Mayor Bert Steinmann highlighting the both financial and environmental benefits of your benefits in this program.  Be sure to check it out below if you haven’t received yours.

Letter from Mayor Bert Steinmann about Direct Install program.

The Ewing Green Team also recently ran an energy seminar to educate local businesses about program details which featured Sandra Torres, Outreach Director from the approved Direct Install contractor for Mercer County, Tri-State Light and Energy  and a representative from the BPU, Mike Winka.    Attendees were most impressed with the program – the simplified paperwork, ease of participation and the savings available to fund these important energy upgrades that they did not know were available.  Participation in the program makes it financially easier to not only do your bit to help the environment but also improve your bottom line with long term energy savings.

You may have missed the seminar, but it is not too late to learn more about how to take advantage of this program and improve your bottom line at the same time.  Contact the EGT or the Tri-State Representative, Sandra Torres for more information.  Our Direct Install page also has more information about the program.  Become the next Sustainability Hero in our town.

June Tree of the Month – Flowering Dogwood

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by  Ann Farnham, LLA

Ewing Township’s Environmental Commission recognizes the beautiful Flowering Dogwood, Cornus Florida, as the Tree of the Month.

This lovely tree, a native to the eastern and central United States, is hardy from USDA zones 5-9 (Ewing is zone 6b), from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Texas.

Among the first trees to bloom in April or May, the Flowering Dogwood becomes covered in greenish-white, bloom-like bracts, four in number, which are usually 3-4” wide.  The bloom period lasts up to two weeks and is followed by clusters of red, berry-like, drupes which turn scarlet in September.  Birds love them.

These trees reach 20-30 feet in height, are beautiful in flower and have outstanding summer and fall foliage.  This species produces brilliant white flowers, but there are varieties ranging from pale pink to warm red.

Flowering Dogwoods do best in acid, well-drained soil, and partial shade, although they will tolerate full sun with appropriate care.  They are, unfortunately, subject to insect and disease problems.  In the Northeast the most widely recognized scourge is a fungus, Anthracnose, which is difficult to control and slowly kills the tree.  Fungicides may be effective.

Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University has developed hybrids of Cornus Florida and Cornus kousa (Japanese dogwood), which are disease resistant and now commercially available.

Some straight species of Flowering Dogwoods which have shown resistance to Anthracnose have been selected and bred and are also now available at nurseries and garden centers.

 The Ewing Environmental Commission (eec@ewingnj.org) welcomes suggestions for the Tree of the Month from all Ewing residents.

Save the Date for EGT Upcoming Energy Seminar

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Ewing Businesses – Learn How To Go Greener and Improve Your Bottom Line!

The Ewing Township Green Team will be hosting an energy seminar on June 3rd designed to help the local Ewing business community tap into state funds for energy upgrades while improving their bottom lines and helping the environment.  Ewing small business owners will learn about grants of 70% of the costs for energy saving building upgrades for small and medium size buildings that are available from the State of NJ through its “Direct Install” program.  “Direct Install” is sponsored by the NJ Board of Public Utilities [http://www.state.nj.us/bpu] and Clean Energy Program [http://www.njcleanenergy.com] and helps business owners tap into state funds allocated for improving the environment, while at the same time offering quick investment paybacks.

Tristate Light and Electric Company [http://tsle.com] is the exclusive contractor for “Direct Install” in Mercer County.   Ms. Sandra Torres of Tristate, who has years of experience working with business owners in other townships, will give the presentation. Ms. Torres will provide detailed information on how to save money by taking advantage of this funding.

The seminar is scheduled for Wednesday June 3 at 7pm at the Ewing Senior Center at 999 Lower Ferry Road.  For more information call Pete Boughton at 609-313-5021.