Continuation of an effort that began in 2013 as "Just 2 Eagle Scouts" cleaning up sections of the Raritan River is now a full-blown charitable venture.
Last summer the Somerset County Park Commission Rangers provided a support system for a group of Scouts, students and adult volunteers who participated in the American Rivers National River Cleanup, a nationwide initiative to clean up rivers and streams and to raise awareness about the need for healthy rivers.
"Just 2 Eagle Scouts" led the South Branch/Raritan River Cleanup, a grassroots effort to clean a 10-mile stretch of the Raritan from Neshanic Station to Raritan Borough. The effort resulted in removal of 507 tires and various other unwanted materials from the river over two weekends.
The latest removal effort on May 12 resulted in about 900 more tires removed.
The initiative is focused on removing tires from two dump locations in and along the bank of the Raritan River behind the Torpey Athletic Complex in Bridgewater.
The removal team includes Somerset County Park Commission Maintenance staff, members of the Central Jersey Stream Team, and volunteers from Atlantic County Utilities Authority provided through NJ Clean Communities.
Tires submerged in the river were removed by CJST members while tires along the bank of the river were removed with equipment provided by the county Park Commission. Tire disposal was funded through Somerset County’s allocation from the Clean Communities Program fund.
For their efforts this May 22, Somerset County Park Commission and Central Jersey Stream Team were given a Clean Water Award from NJ Clean Communities for the tire removal project.
"The Central Jersey Stream was excited to assist the Somerset County Park Commission and NJ Clean Communities in removing hundreds of tires from in the river along the Finderne Farms dumpsite," said Joseph David, president of Central Jersey Stream Team. "The site is something that we’ve hoped to work on for some time and we were honored by the invitation to be a part of this great project."
The Central Jersey Stream Team is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of central Jersey waterways and surrounding land for environmental protection and sustainable recreational use. Its aim is community engagement with hands on projects designed to establish and encourage new environmental stewards.
