Trout Unlimited hosting river cleanup in Dover
Volunteers asked to join effort
The Ridge and Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited is seeking volunteers to join its Rockaway River cleanup crew Saturday morning in Dover.
The town of Dover also is pitching in to support the effort of the nonprofit group, which organizes a variety of conservation efforts to help restore, preserve and protect coldwater fisheries and watersheds in northwest New Jersey.
The cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Waterworks Park, 100 Princeton Ave. along a stretch of the Rockaway River classified as "trout maintenance waters" by New Jersey Department of environmental Protection's Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife. The classification means that trout and trout-associated species can survive in the river year-round.
The Rockaway River also has several tributaries in its watershed where trout reproduce.
"The Rockaway River is a source of drinking water for numerous Morris County communities including Wharton, Dover, Rockaway, Denville and Boonton," said group member Jay Rathore. "The goal of this cleanup in addition to cleaning the river is to spread awareness that this river is a sensitive resource which needs love from local communities."
Volunteers from the group will pick up trash from the banks of the river and wade into the waters to remove submerged trash. The group is looking for volunteers to help with the river cleanup and asks that anyone interested in helping to meet them at 9 a.m. in the parking lot next to the basketball courts.
Refreshments and garbage bags will be provided by the group. Dover Mayor James Dodd has arranged for the town to bring additional workers to help with the cleanup and provide Department of Public Works trucks to help haul away the trash.
Other chapters of the Trout Unlimited organization also recently received environmental grants from the Highlands Coalition for similar conservation efforts. The Fred S. Burroughs North Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited got a grant to restore Sparta Glen Brook to the wild trout production stream it was prior to being devastated in 2000 by a microburst 16-inch rain event. That project will restore the brook’s ecosystem to its natural state, stabilize the stream’s banks and stop future bank erosion.
Trout Unlimited East Jersey Chapter also received a grant to partner with the Bergen County borough of Oakland on a major restoration project on the Ramapo River. That grant will fund a study of the presence of endangered Eastern Lamp Mussels by an environmental engineering firm on a nearly three-mile stretch of the river to ensure the mussels are not threatened by the restoration work.
The specific amount of individual Highlands Coalition grants are not disclosed, but are for amounts up to $5,000.
For more information or to volunteer for the Dover cleanup, visit www.ridgeandvalleytu.org or search for the Ridge & Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited on Facebook.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.