The South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. (SJRC&D), located in Columbus, New Jersey; was formed in 1974 to address environmental issues in South Jersey.  The Council covers 4,710 sq. miles and includes the eleven southern counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Salem.  The Council is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and is comprised of a County government and a Soil Conservation District representative from each of the eleven counties.  The Council bridges the gap between local resource needs and community development providing a unique partnership between county, local and federal partners. 

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In this Issue:
Jack Sworaski, New SJRC&D Chair
Ken Taaffe clarifies SJRC&D Council new Direction
SJRC&D adopts new logo
Real World. Real Time. Real Weather Data.

Welcome to the sjrcd-eZine, second edition. We’ll distribute this online news vehicle periodically, updating friends and stakeholders who share a passion for conserving our environment and properly utilizing its natural resources. We draw your attention to worthy projects and fascinating developments. And encourage dialog among you and our professional staff and dedicated team of volunteers.

The sjrcd-eZine is a work in progress and will evolve to meet the needs of you, our readers. If you have a great idea for a new eZine name then please send it to us. We welcome any and all constructive comments.

In the January Council Reorganization meeting, Jack Sworaski became chair. Jack represents Camden County on the Council, where he serves as the Director of the Division of Environmental Affairs and Division of Open Space and Farmland Preservation.

In this capacity Jack wears a number of hats. He is the County Solid Waste Coordinator, Administrator to the Camden County Agricultural Development Board, liaison to the Environmental Commission and Camden County Solid Waste Advisory Council, and oversees the County Mosquito Extermination Commission.

Jack has worked for Camden County since graduating from Rutgers in 1980 with a degree in Biology. Jack is a member of the New Jersey Clean communities Council Board of Trustees and the Camden Greenways Inc. Board of Trustees. Jack lives in Pennsauken, with his wife Donna and his children Christopher, Stephen, and Sarah.

by Maura Joan Bohart-O'Toole

After long-time RC&D Coordinator Steve Quesenberry retired in June 2005, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service tapped Kenneth Taaffe as his replacement. With over 27 years of government service, Ken has worked in New Jersey since 1985 when he became Ocean County’s District Conservationist (DC). Subsequently, he served as DC in Burlington County and then filled that role for the combined counties of Burlington, Ocean and Camden. Most recently Ken held a leadership role in special projects, including resource planning for Fort Dix, forestry issues, and helping with the National Resource Inventory.

Ken is a graduate of Duke University, where he received his BA and MF degrees in Botany and Forest Management, respectively. Prior to government service, Ken was a Peace Corps volunteer providing forest management services to Paraguay, South America. Ken and his wife, Miriam, have two children, Jessica and Brian, both college graduates.

As South Jersey RC&D Coordinator, Ken has immersed himself with the challenges facing resource conservation in the state’s southern half. Recently, Ken sat down with sjrcd-eZine to field questions about organizational imperatives and where he sees the focus shifting on his watch.

sjrcd-eZine: Ken, for the past year-and-a-half you’ve been inundated in conservation issues for southern New Jersey and associated RC&D projects. What are the most critical issues and how are you assisting the SJRC&D Council to address them?
Taaffe: One of my first tasks as Coordinator was getting our arms around several disparate programs and developing a more cohesive strategy for using the organization’s resources. To quote Joel Barker, “Vision without Action is just a dream. Action without Vision passes time. Vision with Action changes the future.”

sjrcd-eZine: Does that mean SJRC&D has a new vision?
Taaffe: Well, we’ve developed new mission and vision statements embodying some new thinking. The mission is “South Jersey RC&D assists and promotes wise use of natural and community resources through education and collaborative partnerships for the economic and social well being of the South Jersey Region.” The vision is “To be recognized regionally as a leader in fostering effective management of the natural and community resources of South Jersey.”

sjrcd-eZine: Swell slogans, Ken. How will SJRC&D back them up?
Taaffe: The SJRC&D Council develops a five-year plan with input from South Jersey citizens. This plan sets our direction and determines what projects we want to accomplish over the next five years. At the last planning meeting in October 2006, we determined our five most critical issues: Agriculture and Urban Water Supply, Flooding, Water Quality, Soil Management, and Land Use and Management.

sjrcd-eZine: Please elaborate. Why are these five issues so critical?
Taaffe: Okay, I’ll address them one-at-a-time in order of importance:

Agriculture and Urban Water Supply – Water is critical for our survival. We can’t live without it for over a week. South Jersey was blessed with adequate rainfall and clean water from the ground or from rivers and streams. Still, with our growing population we have over-pumped certain aquifers. In response, New Jersey has declared two “Critical Water Supply” areas in the State, both of which are in South Jersey. Groundwater withdrawal exceeded groundwater recharge in both of these areas. As a response, pumping from these depleted aquifers was reduced by 20 to 40%, by developing other water sources. Still, more can be done to conserve the water we use. Literally millions of gallons of water can be saved daily in South Jersey alone by homeowners adopting a lawn irrigation program, and their lawns would look the same! Farmers, likewise, can benefit from water conservation programs.

The South Jersey RC&D Council operates an online irrigation scheduling system based on weather data from a large array of research-grade weather stations. The Council partnered with United Water of Toms River to set up a lawn irrigation program. This one community showed water savings of over one-half million gallons per day.

Flooding – New Jersey communities experience more flooding than all but three other states, according to the Governor’s Flooding Task Force of 2006. This flooding has occurred in small watersheds as well as large ones, such as the Delaware River basin. SJRC&D’s successful weather station program, called “RISE,” provides data for storm-water modeling for small watersheds, especially in Monmouth County. And last year we helped create the Delaware Estuary Levee Organization (DELO), a group whose main concern is maintenance and upgrades of levees in South Jersey that prevent flooding along the Delaware River.

Water Quality – According to the state’s most recent study of New Jersey waters, presented to Congress in 2002, 84% of the state’s streams and waterways are considered impaired. Of the state’s lakes and ponds, 70% are considered impaired. We already know that our water supplies are a problem, but we also want the water we use for drinking, swimming, fishing, boating, etc. to be clean.

Soil Management – Soils compacted from development and farming don’t recharge groundwater as they do in their natural state. In a way this is related to flooding and water supply, because water that doesn’t percolate properly through the soil converts to storm-water runoff, which doesn’t replenish aquifers and, in turn, causes more areas to flood.

Land Use and Management – This is a broad category that includes improving wildlife habitat and Agricultural Viability. SJRC&D operates a program called “Team Habitat” that creates or enhances wildlife habitats. We are looking to build on this program and will hire someone to professionally manage it. SJRC&D is also sponsoring a local “Tour des Farms” in fall 2007. This is a bike ride that will visit local farms, encouraging riders to buy local produce.

sjrcd-eZine: It looks like South Jersey RC&D has its work cut out for it. How do you intend to make these ambitious plans “actionable”, Ken?
Taaffe: In a word … partnerships. To get this work done the Council must find, develop, and maintain partnerships with other Non-Profits, local governments, soil conservation districts, private businesses, and ordinary citizens who share these concerns. I look forward to engaging the concerned citizens in our community through volunteer and federally-funded programs, blending natural resource conservation with both economic and social needs. Stay tuned to this space for more news about our 2007 initiatives!

-- By Lance Lindstrom

When Ken Taaffe and KP Kilpatrick requested wildlife for the new RC&D logo, Bob Ortiz chose the Eastern Goldfinch, New Jersey’s state bird.

“I am new to New Jersey as of May 2006,” Ortiz said, “and my wife and I saw one of these [birds] while eating lunch on Black Horse Pike. We thought it was a very pretty bird. Then we found out it was the state bird for NJ.”

SJRC&D was ready for the logo. “The Council identified this need in 2005,” said Ken Taaffe, RC&D Coordinator, “but it took over a year to find the right artist.” Bob Ortiz was the right artist. Ortiz’s logo is getting rave reviews. “People say it’s very attractive and eye-catching,” Taaffe said. “It’s exactly what we were looking for.”

Ortiz was selected because of his extensive skills and experience. It should be noted that Bob donated his time to the Council while developing the logo. “I've been creating web sites and print graphics professionally for over 10 years,” Ortiz said, “with the occasional mural thrown in, to keep it interesting.”

Ortiz is currently working on several other projects. “I just finished a 40-page, full-color magazine layout for a local businessman. It's going to be a bi-monthly publication and I might be running the entire show from a graphics, artwork, layout standpoint,” Ortiz explained, “but I can’t complain. I like staying up till 2 AM to work on graphics.”

Thank you Bob, for a job well done!

by Maura Joan Bohart-O'Toole

Bob Ortiz’s e-mail address is raidernexx@yahoo.com. Contact him to find out more about his work.

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Please mail your donation check to:

South Jersey RC&D Council
Columbus USDA Service Center
1971 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road
Culumbus, NJ 08022

All donations are tax deductible.
Online donation capability in 2007.