South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc.
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South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. |
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| March 2008 | Issue 3 |
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. Please forward this email to all interested parties. |
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In this Issue: |
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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. |
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1971 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus, NJ 08022
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Vision
Mission
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Background & Structure of the Council. The original sponsors of South Jersey RC&D were the County Freeholders and the local Soil Conservation Districts in the South Jersey area. In July 1975, they asked for help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve the economy through orderly development and conservation of resources through the Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D). After USDA approval in October 1976, the South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Area was established. The RC&D Council was established to represent the sponsors and develop an Area Plan of action. Early sponsors of the South Jersey RC&D recognized the opportunities available to not-for-profit organizations and filed for an official deter-mination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In 1977, South Jersey RC&D Council was incorporated in the State of New Jersey as a Charitable Trust. In 1978, the IRS issued a letter of determination recognizing South Jersey RC&D Council as a 501(c)(3) organization. The governing body of South Jersey RC&D is the membership. Each year the sponsoring 11 counties and 8 soil conservation districts appoint representatives to the Council. The Council also has the power to appoint members-at-large. The Council’s Executive Board of five officers performs the day to day operations of the Council.
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On behalf of the South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, I am pleased to present our 2007 Annual Report. 2007 was an active year for Council members and our coordinator Ken Taaffe, with the continuation of many existing programs and the beginning of several new initiatives. In addition, Council members invested many hours in amending our by-laws and completing both short term and long term strategic plans. The RISE Project, involving a network or weather stations throughout South Jersey, continues to be the Council’s signature program. RISE provides valuable data to the farming community and to water companies and their customers. It is designed to promote water conservation through reduced irrigation. Team Habitat successfully completed three projects that resulted in the creation of 20 acres of new habitat for ground nesting birds. Pending the award of a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Fund, we hope to further expand this program in ’08. Among the Council’s new initiatives in 2007, was the first annual Tour des Farms, which attracted some 200 bicycle riders for a ride through rural Burlington County and past several preserved farms. This event was a huge success raising $8,697 to support the Council’s work. Looking ahead, the Council will be assisting the Ocean County Soil Conservation District in promoting its Blue Card Program and making the connection between clean water and healthy soils. Likewise, we will be partnering with Burlington County to promote best management practices to protect and enhance water quality among farmers, through the River Friendly Farm Program. We are proud of our accomplishments in 2007 and look forward to even greater success in 2008. As the Council continues to grow, we encourage greater participation from our member Counties, our Soil Conservation Districts, and interested citizens.
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R U Water-Wily? Water is a scarce resource. Though South Jersey receives on average over 40 inches of rainfall per year, this rainfall does not always occur when our lawns need it most. So we irrigate our lawn to correct this deficiency. How much to irrigate & when?
The South Jersey RC&D Council has partnered with United Water to provide the Daily Index for four locations: Toms River, NJ; Haworth, NJ; Wilmington, DE; and West Nyack, NY. This daily Lawn Irrigation Program simplifies irrigation. All a homeowner needs to know is they should consider watering every three to four days. (Use a three day cycle for Toms River, and a four day cycle for Haworth, Wilmington, and West Nyack.) On your irrigation day go to the web page (shown above), newspaper, or other media outlet for your area and water accordingly.
Scientific but simple. The weather station, pictured right, is part of the RISE System of 20 research grade weather stations spread throughout South Jersey. (RISE stands for Resource Information Serving Everybody.) It was named after the original computer bulletin board system created prior to the internet explosion. The Council began collecting local weather data in 1993 from its first station in Bethel Mill Park in Gloucester County. We started this effort in response to a need for high quality local weather data necessary for irrigation water management practices. This weather data is also used for watershed modeling. |
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In addition, Team Habitat has applied for a National Fish and Wildlife Fund grant to hire a part time employee to initiate and complete habitat restoration projects. This individual will operate, transport, and maintain partner agencies equipment and perform outreach, marketing, and landowner contracting. Team Habitat members feel this grant will help us become self reliant. For more information, contact Team Habitat at: South Jersey RC&D, Columbus USDA Service Center, 1971 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus, NJ 08022 |
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| Tour des Farms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Council designed the Routes, contacted area farmers, recruited patrons, designed brochures, fliers, and a Tour des Farms webpage, along with marking the Route. They also recruited a team of volunteers to assist with the event. Many of these volunteers are highlighted on the Council’s Volunteer page and the Tour des Farms Photo Gallery. Join Us in 2008! |
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SJRC&D Develops 5-Yr Area Plan The South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council officially approved its Area Plan at its January 16th, 2008 meeting. An Area Plan is a five year Strategic Plan stating the Councils goals, objectives, and strategies for the period 2008 to 2012. This plan was developed with the assistance of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Council developed its plan with input from eight Soil Conservation Districts located in the region, guided by an expert Outside Facilitator. The Top five issues are the following:
Water Issues Most Concerning Tom Drewes, (seated left in the picture) State Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service signs the Area Plan with Jack Sworaski, (seated right) Council Chair, the Camden County council representative. Also in the picture are Dave Friedman, (standing left) the Ocean County Soil Conservation District representative and Rick Westergaard, the Gloucester County representative. Many of New Jersey’s waterways are considered “impaired” by the State, failing to meet quality standards for certain bacteria, phosphorous levels, and suspended solids. The potential sources of such pollutants are suspected to come from agriculture and other land development. SJRCD offers support to those partnerships addressing water quality impairments, water conservation and management issues in South Jersey. For more information about how SJRC&D can help address your conservation concerns and issues, go to http://www.sjrcd.org/critical. |
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The Council published three sjrcd-eZines via email in 2007. An eZine is defined as an electronic magazine, whether delivered via a Web site or an email newsletter. SJRC&D distributes this email news vehicle periodically, updating friends sharing the passion for conserving our environment and properly utilizing its natural resources. Topics for 2007 included the introduction of our new Chair, Jack Sworaski; Council direction and our new logo; water conservation; and promoting local agriculture. The Council expects to publish on a semi-annual basis depending on the availability of newsworthy events. Past issues may be viewed at http://www.sjrcd.org/news. If you wish to receive future issues of sjrcd-eZine then please send a blank email to ezine@sjrcd.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. |
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Blue Card Program In 2008 the Council will assist Ocean County Soil Conservation District (SCD) to educate landscape contractors, ground maintenance workers, and engineers on how to recognize, fix, and prevent soil health problems created during site development and landscape maintenance. This program, named Blue Card for the Blue Crab, was extremely successful in Delaware and has been picked up by the Gloucester SCD and Ocean SCD in New Jersey. The main goal is to make the connection between healthy water and healthy soil. The Council will inform the group on its lawn water savings program as a valuable planning tool. RC&D will also assist with planning for the soil health workshops. River Friendly Farms The Council will initiate a new program in 2008 for farm owners in the Barkers Brook and Annaricken Creek on Best Management Practices to protect water quality. This mini grant from Burlington County is part of a larger watershed restoration effort, which includes water quality monitoring and restoration modeling. The Council will use the River Friendly Farms Program template to contact and assess farms in the watershed. |
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The year 2007 was a successful year financially for the Council. Income for the year rose 20% and the council’s net worth increased by close to 30%. The Council expects 2008 to continue these positive trends. A breakdown of income and expenses by major projects is given below.
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What is RC&D? The South Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that combines community based initiatives with federal assistance. Based right in local communities, RC&D blends natural resource conservation with both economic and social needs. Since each RC&D is locally organized, the program provides an ideal way for residents to join together and decide what is best for their community. RC&D works with citizens in making their natural resource and community development desires become realities. For information on SJRC&D, please visit our homepage!! |
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Support the SJRCD endeavor! Please mail your donation check to: All donations are tax deductible. |
We want to add enough water to meet the plant’s needs, but not too much. Excessive irrigation depletes aquifers, contributes to non-point (runoff) pollution, and possibly pollutes the aquifers. Average lawns receive 
This irrigation system is very simple and easy to follow. Yet the data supporting this system is sophisticated. The Daily Index is based on an algorithm using evaporation and transpiration from an average lawn on the 3 or 4 days preceding irrigation. Research quality weather stations are used to compute the Daily Index.
According to the Council, water supply for both agriculture and urban use is the top critical environmental issue facing the region. In the past 20 years, South Jersey’s population has increased by 22% while irrigated cropland increased by 10%, placing enormous strains on the water supply. 
