Millstone tries to do more to protect nature

BY JANE MEGGITT Correspondent

MILLSTONE — Many residents moved to the township for quality of life and a rural landscape.

At the April 21 Township Committee meeting, Mayor Nancy Grbelja said that many living things benefit from natural surroundings, including plants and animals considered threatened or endangered species. For their protection, the Township Committee unanimously introduced an ordinance amending various sections in the township’s land-use ordinances to consider endangered and threatened species and their habitats in land use considerations. Township Attorney Duane Davison said the new ordinance consolidates 10 ordinances that are all related. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held May 19.

Grbelja said the new ordinance would require that conservation easements be marked on properties going forward. She said the town has an issue with people unknowingly going into conservation easements to take down trees and make other prohibited changes.

Committeeman Fiore Masci praised the Environmental Commission for working on the first ordinance of its kind in the state.

The ordinance defines endangered species as “any plant or animal species whose prospect for survival are in immediate danger because of a loss or change in habitat, overexploitation, predation, competition, disease, disturbance or contamination.” The ordinance states that these species need assistance to prevent future extinction. Threatened species is defined as “any plant or animal species that may become endangered if condition surrounding them begin or continue to deteriorate.” Suitable habitat is defined as “habitat that contains sufficient vegetative cover and food supply to sustain the needs of a particular threatened or endangered species,” according to the ordinance.

A development application would require a list of all wildlife and vegetative species observed on the site and the date and time of site inspection. The farmland/ open space conservation cluster must also identify any threatened or endangered species.

The ordinance would prohibit altering stream courses; constructing dams or other stream obstructions; filling in depressions, ponds, wetlands, marshes and other aquatic features; excavating hills; filling in gullies or ravines or otherwise altering the topography; cutting trees or removing vegetation; disposing trash, oils, pesticides, chemicals or other noxious materials; constructing structures of any kind and making any changes to the existing environment within any township easement unless zoning permits and approvals have been secured.

Removing a dead or hazardous tree or tree trimming would require an easement use permit from the township’s code enforcement officer.