On November 14, 2016  the Science/Environmental Club at Ocean Township High School created a beautiful and functional rain garden in the cafeteria courtyard. Christina Demuro, advisor to the Club, brainstormed the idea with Patrick Sullivan, science supervisor and members of the WPBWA, including Suzan and Faith.

We all agreed that the location would allow students to see how impervious surfaces (i.e., their school roof) translate into flooding and how their rain garden is a storm water management tool. We hope this will motivate them to become watershed stewards and advocates.

On Nov 12, Burke Construction, Inc. generously volunteered their equipment, workers and excavation expertise to dig the garden exactly as designed by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources  team.

Chris Perez, Rutgers Water Resources Program came to collaborate with Jason Burke’s crew and the results were stupendous, including the mulch and river rock.Michelle Hartman, Rutgers Water Resources Program coordinated the design and implementation of the garden.

Dr.  Stefankiewicz, Ocean Township superintendent, helped us a great deal to envision the process of presenting the seminars and planting the rain garden. Here you see smiling faces on Suzan Cole , WPBWA trustee and Dr.  Stefankiewicz at the rain garden planting.

and pizza was enjoyed by all……

The rain garden planting was the culmination of a series of adult and student seminars.  Kevin Connelly, from the Ocean Institute at Sandy Hook  presented ‘The Watershed Ecosystem’  to 5 sixth grade science classes at the Ocean Township Intermediate School. In a hands on workshop, he taught how a watershed works and then highlighted how non-point source pollution gets into our watershed. He went on to explain the great many benefits of rain gardens in mitigating the effects of pollution and pointed out also the garden’s aesthetic value.  As you can see from the photos below, Mr Connelly knew how to connect effectively with the students.

These seminars and grants were made possible with a generous grant from the Stoney Brook – Millstone Watershed Association – Watershed Institute grant entitled:  Restoring a Watershed: A Community Takes Action.  We also received funding for the rain garden design and plants from Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program.

It has been a pleasure to work with the Ocean Township school system and the Ocean Township Mayor, Chris Siciliano and City Administrator Andrew Brannen.

Thank you all for your support in helping us achieve our goal of educating our neighbors to incorporate responsible environmental practices into everyday actions they take on their properties.

We had two great events on this beautiful day; one began at the Tak Trestle Trail where sorority women from Monmouth University helped us pick up trash along the lake and on the trail as part of their community service Big Event Day.  Thank you all for a great job.  Rich Richardson from the Monmouth County Clean Communities provided the truck, gloves, sticks, garbage bags and guidance.Meanwhile, back at Ross Lake, our extraordinary volunteers and trustees  managed to cover up the stone hut using two giant tarps, ropes and stakes provided by the Urban Coast Institute. Ken Manzi, our stone mason, provided the guidance and the tarps went up perfectly, as you can see in the videos below.

Here you can see one of our boatman ferrying the platform back to a safe docking station.  Certainly a day to remember.

At the same time, other volunteers were working in the Ross Island Park garden.  They did a fantastic job of moving wood chips and beautifying the north west corner of the garden.

We made things better today on the watershed. Thanks.

Lorenzo Santiago, from Hawaii Landscaping in Long Branch, helped us beautify the Ross Lake garden on Elinore Ave.  He weeded the front and put wood chips down.  Maggie Boyce, Monmouth County Master Gardener met me one day and we strolled around the garden.  She suggested how to make it better. She suggested that some of the grasses were not planted in the optimum spots and they should be cut down. Lorenzo did just that and put them in the street.  The City came and took away the clippings the next day. The garden looks wonderful. Thanks for your help Lorenzo and Maggie.

The Whale Pond Brook Watershed Association is celebrating our fifth anniversary this month.  Above is a slideshow of one of our Greenway projects: Ross Island Park garden, located on Elinore Ave in Long Branch.  Come by and walk along the path, gaze at the stone hut as you look for a gnome to come out.  If you like, you can pull a weed or two, or just enjoy the beauty.

Below you’ll see a picture of another one of our projects on the Greenway: Whale Pond Preserve Student Trail.  We’re so proud of our students at Ocean Township High School who cleared the path and wheeled many, many, many wheelbarrows full of wood chips to create this beautiful piece of the Greenway, located behind the Intermediate school. 

oh please pick me, pick me. A fun, hands-on Whale Pond Brook watershed ecology and non-point source pollution lesson was taught to 4 sixth grade science classes at the Ocean Township Intermediate school. Kevin Connelly, Brookdale Ocean Institute,  has a great way with the students and they all had a lot of fun. Hopefully we’ll get some home rain gardens out of the lesson.

This is the first garden on the Whale Pond Brook watershed greenway. It was designed by Estelle Lumer, our Monmouth County Master Gardener extraordinaire and paid for with a generous allowance from the Long Branch Environmental Commission.  This fall will be the third year.Volunteers watered and spread wood chips. People stopped by and chatted. It was fun and the garden is coming along.  Come visit it and walk on the trail to help keep the weeds down….corner of Norwood and Elinore, by Monmouth University entrance.

By the way, there are still PLENTY of wood chips to spread so let us know if you can go and we’ll meet you there.

 Mark Brummer from Brummer’s Tree Service donated a truck full of wood chips to help us keep the weeds down in Ross Island Lake park.    We also walked around and looked at the trees on the island and towards Norwood Ave.

Thank you for helping us Mark.

Tak Lake looks really low. Unconfined wood on the beach from flume demolition.

Debris on the banks of Green’s Pond.

Very pretty view looking east from top of pipe where the flume was located.
New dam under construction.

The stone hut on Ross Island has been cleaned of debris and restoration of the structure itself is underway. A lovely garden with native plants has been established on Elinore Ave. Cranes, swans and other birds of the desirable kind are there to be observed. More people are walking around, enjoying the garden and the view. Some are even pulling up beach chairs and relaxing in this new ambience.

We’ll be there Thursday morning if you want to join us for more gardening. Bring your own tools.
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Jim, Faith and Chucks walked around the entire Weltz Park, guided by Jim. Here are a few pictures and some trail ideas. We’ll see Ken Thoman about them soon. Any comments are appreciated.

click below to go to the link.