Former N.Y./N.J. Baykeeper staff member Justin Procopio of Woodbridge paddles along the Woodbridge River during last year’s Public Lands Day festivities. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBIE MANS National Public Lands Day in Woodbridge will once again provide members of the community the chance to enjoy the splendor of nature while working to enhance it.
Set for Sept. 26, the event is part of a nationwide initiative that day, which is the country’s largest volunteer effort to maintain and beautify open space, according to township officials.
So as not to make the day all about work with no play, the Third annual Ernie Oros Woodbridge River Celebration will give volunteers and others opportunities to partake in food, live music and fun for all ages.
“[It] has turned into a really great event,” said Debbie Mans, executive director of the Keyport-based conservation nonprofit N.Y./N.J. Baykeeper, a sponsor of the day’s activities. “There’s lots of great food, facepainting; it’s all free. They do an amazing job.”
The township does it all in memory of the late Oros, for whom the celebration is named. A former state assemblyman and councilman-at-large in Woodbridge, Oros was a champion of the environment while in the Assembly, and founded the Woodbridge River Watch. The U.S. Marine veteran of World War II died in 2012 at age 88.
Before the festivities commence in Oros’ honor, crews from throughout the community will pitch in to clean up several of the township’s natural areas. Area residents, businesses and school groups are encouraged to participate in the efforts, set to run from 9 a.m. to noon.
Those who wish to limber up and find their centers before the cleanup can attend a free beginner yoga class from 8-9 a.m. on the pier at the Sewaren Waterfront. A teacher from Comfort & Balance in Sewaren will lead the class for students of all ages, and the studio will provide bagels and water.
Class attendees are asked to register before the event by emailing [email protected] or sending a text to 732-750-8767.
After the class, the group will set about cleaning up the Sewaren Waterfront beach, 350 Cliff Road. The Iselin Middle School Garden Club will clean up the Garden for the Blind, 1081 Green St., Iselin.
At Charlie Shaughnessy Park — the former Inman Avenue Park — in Colonia, Township Historian Brenda Velasco and Board of Education member Dan Harris will lead the efforts.
Niven Raghib of the Woodbridge Recreation Department, who is the National Public Lands Day coordinator, along with George Brew, Parks Division director, and treasurer of the township’s 7th Fire District, will lead the cleanup at the Ernie Oros Wildlife Preserve on Omar Avenue, between Rahway Avenue and Blair Road in Avenel.
All ages are welcome to participate in the cleanups, and the township provides gloves, pickers, trash bags and other helpful items.
Kicking off at 11 a.m. at the Ernie Oros Wildlife Preserve, the celebration runs until 3 p.m.
“That’s really the fun part of National Public Lands Day,” John Hagerty, a spokesman for the township, said, adding, “The really cool thing that we’ve got going … is the second annual kayak tour.”
Offered free-of-charge by the N.Y./N.J. Baykeeper, 30-minute kayak tours near the headwaters of the Woodbridge River give people the chance to experience aquatic nature near their own backyards.
“There’s a great pond there, a great natural area, that we take folks out on,” Mans said. “We get a surprising number of folks who have never been on the Woodbridge River; they live right in town and they don’t even know it exists.”
Beginners are welcomed, and the Baykeeper provides a brief instruction before embarking, according to Mans.
Walking tours will also be available.
Those who cannot make it to the Sept. 26 event, can join Middlesex Water Company in the cleanup at Woodbridge Park, at North Park Drive and Route 35, which also starts at 9 a.m.
For more information on participating in the cleanups, contact Rosemary Mende at 732-596-4047 or Rosemary.Mende@twp. woodbridge.nj.us.