Sourlands Council
opposes solar proposal
To the editor:
Gibraltar Rock, the company that now owns and operates the East Mountain Road quarry formerly owned by 3M, has a proposal before the Hillsborough Township Planning Board to clear-cut 20 acres of Sourland forest and install a large solar array.
The Sourland Planning Council strongly opposes this plan. While we generally support solar energy, the idea of clear-cutting forest to accommodate solar panels is perverse particularly in a forest as fragile and ecologically important as the Sourlands.
The Sourland forest filters the water that eventually becomes the sparkling clear headwaters of many streams and rivers, and the drinking water for many homes. The forest is home to a rich diversity of animal and plant species, many rare or endangered. It is especially important as a breeding area for migratory songbirds, particularly those who nest only in large wooded areas.
We should not have to cut down our dwindling forests to accommodate solar panels. There are hundreds of more appropriate places in Hillsborough for solar installations, starting with every rooftop and parking lot. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to think of a less ýPage=006 Column=001 OK,0000.00þ
appropriate site than the Sourland forest. Approval of a solar array at this site would represent a colossal failure of the township’s land-
use ordinances and planning process.
Gibraltar has applied for a hardship waiver of the requirement to pay $1.2 million to mitigate the damage caused by the removal of more than 2,000 mature trees some more than 150 years old. The Planning Board should emphatically reject this request. This would give Gibraltar strong motivation to reconsider alternative sites, such as the 90-acre “fines pile” on the quarry property.
SPC encourages members of the public to speak out on this project at the June 14 Planning Board meeting. We need to make it clear that destruction of the Sourland forest is not acceptable.
We also need to work toward a more balanced set of regulations that values the forest as a whole and that eliminates incentives to cut down trees. We need rules that encourage solar installations where they belong and provide options for property owners who want to invest in solar technology without destroying the forest.
Cliff Wilson
President
Sourland Planning Council
Teachers thanked
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during their ‘week’
To the editor:
Teacher Appreciation Week is a fitting time to thank the dedicated women and men of who have helped shape our children in public, private, special education and religious schools.
Teachers have a key role in the emotional and academic development of students and are notably one of the most influential people in the life of a child. When my children were younger, I not only volunteered in their classrooms, but I also worked as a classroom assistant in other districts. I witnessed the fostering of confident students who are well-prepared for college and successful futures. Caring and qualified teachers offer a nurturing and academically enriched environment that remains with a person throughout life. We can all recall a teacher who made a positive impact in one way or another.
Working side-by-side with talented, hard-
working and dedicated teachers gave me a true respect and appreciation of their efforts.
I thank them all, this week and throughout the year for the work they do and for partnering with families to launch the bright futures of our children.
Donna Simon
Readington Township
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Assemblywoman
Legislative District 16

