Program - New Jersey Conservation Foundation

Friday March 18, 2016
Wyndham Garden Hotel
Trenton, NJ
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Thanks to the RALLY SPONSORS!
SPONSORS ARE WEARING PURPLE RIBBONS. THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT!
LEAD SPONSORS
SUPPORTERS
We thank the conservation
community for protecting the farms, forests, parks,
rivers, marshes, and wild places of New Jersey.
Learn more about the
Dodge Foundation
website: www.grdodge.org
facebook.com/dodgefoundation
twitter: @grdodge
The Merrill G. & Emita E.
Hastings Foundation
MICHAEL E. HEENEHAN
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT
CONTRIBUTORS
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20TH ANNUAL
NEW JERSEY LAND CONSERVATION RALLY
PROGRAM
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Registration/Continental Breakfast
9:00 am – 10:15 am
Workshop Session 1
10:15 am – 10:30 am
Break — Visit Exhibitors
10:30 am – 11:45 am
Workshop Session 2
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Break — Visit Exhibitors
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch (Ballroom)
Greetings—Michele Byers
Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Future of Conservation Panel:
Susan Payne, Executive Director, State Agriculture
Development Committee
Martha Sapp, Administrator, Green Acres Program
Jay Watson, Former Green Acres Program Administrator
Tom Wells, Former Green Acres Program Administrator
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Keynote Address — Juan D. Martinez
Director of Leadership Development & the Natural
Leaders Network, Children and Nature Network
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Break — Visit Exhibitors
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Workshop Session 3
3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Break — Visit Exhibitors
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
Workshop Session 4
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm
Reception & Giveaways (Ballroom)
Toast the future with Friends and Colleagues at the
RECEPTION. Drawing for prizes will be at 5:00.
YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN.
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WORKSHOPS AT A GLANCE
Workshop 1
9:00 am — 10:15 am
1A Careers In
Conservation
Workshop 2
10:30 am — 11:45 am
2A The New Sprawl: Energy 3A Food, Farms and the
Infrastructure Threats to
Economy: Tying It All
Preserved Land and
Together in New Jersey
Natural Resources
Room: Stirling
Room: Hamilton
1B Urban Wildlands and
Biodiversity
2B Implementing
Conservation and
Viability Programs for
Preserved Farms and
Landowners
Room: Mercer
Room: Dickinson
1C Conservation
Easement
Amendments
Room: Monroe
1D Climate Change and
Land Use
Room: Cadwalader
1G More than Just a
Pretty Place –
Communicating the
Many Values of
Green Space
Room: Dickinson
Room: Knox
Room: Mercer
4B Coastal Restoration
Projects
Room: Dickinson
2D
3D Acquiring Contaminated
Property
Trails Development on
Open Space Lands
Room: Knox
Room: Ewing
Room: Cadwalader
Room: Stirling
3E Developing Greenways
Along Suburban Rivers
Room: Ewing
3F Vision for Land
Conservation in New
Jersey
Room: Cadwalader
4D Case for Constitutional
Environmental Rights
Room: Monroe
4E Green Infrastructure:
Implementation at the
Community Level
Room: Ewing
4F Creative Placemaking:
Connecting People, Land,
and Nature
Room: Mercer
Room: Hamilton
Room: Hamilton
2G Art of Hiring & Firing
3G Urban Land
Conservation:
Small Lots, Big Impact
4G Managing Invasive
Plants--Map 'Em & Zap
'Em
Room: Cadwalader
1H Jersey-Friendly Yards: 2H Standards and Practices
Landscaping for a
Revisions: Your Input
Healthy Environment
Wanted!
Room: Ewing
3B Monetizing a
Conservation Easement:
How to Turn Land into a
“401(k)”
4A Making Connections to
Ensure the Future of
Wildlife in New Jersey
3C Municipal Rain Gardens – 4C Advocating for our
Multi-Purpose Green
Waterways and their
Infrastructure in Open
Watersheds
Spaces
1F Issues and Trends
2F Future of Conservation
Affecting New Jersey
Funding:
Agriculture
County Trust Funding
Room: Hamilton
Room: Mercer
Workshop 4
3:30 pm — 4:45 pm
2C Administering Perpetual
Restrictions:
Conservation Easement
Enforcement and Green
Acres Diversions
Room: Monroe
1E Municipal Open Space 2E Urban Public Lands:
Funds - Local
Challenges &
Resources in
Opportunities
Transition
Room: Knox
Workshop 3
2:00 pm — 3:15 pm
Room: Stirling
Room: Monroe
3H Increasing Coastal
Resilience through
Community Planning
Room: Dickinson
Room: Knox
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MERCER
MONROE
DICKINSON
KNOX
CADWALADER
Second Floor
HAMILTON
STIRLING
BOARDROOM
ELEVATORS
EWING
DOWN
Academic Alley
Student Posters
Rutgers University
First Floor
Rowan University
Conservation Film Corner
Ballroom
UP
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
POST-RALLY SOCIAL
EXHIBITOR
EXHIBITORS
BOOKSTORE
FARMER’S
MARKET
EXHIBITORS
ELEVATORS
EXHIBITORS
EXHIBITORS
EXHIBITOR
TO HOTEL & GARAGE
ENTRANCE
REGISTRATION/
INFORMATION
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WORKSHOP SESSION 1
9:00 am – 10:15 am
1A
Careers in Conservation
Room: Stirling
Organizers: Felysse Goldman, Intern, New Jersey Conservation Foundation; Kate Hutelmyer, Stony Brook
Millstone Watershed Association. Panelists: Tim Morris, New Jersey Conservation Foundation; Fran Varacalli,
FAV Consulting Land Preservation & Management; Erica Van Auken, NJ Highlands Coalition; Hugh Carola,
Hackensack Riverkeeper; Lindsay McNamara, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of N.J.
This presentation will introduce attendees to many of the career paths in land conservation. Whether you have a
background in marketing, finance, graphic design, policy or social media, there is a meaningful career in land
conservation for you! Presenters will discuss the kinds of work one can pursue and answer questions about the
varied career paths in land conservation and environmental protection. The panel will help to educate and recruit
future leaders. The students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow!
1B
Urban Wildlands and Biodiversity
Room: Mercer
Presenters: Claus Holzapfel, Rutgers University Newark, Department of Biological Sciences; Dr. Frank Gallagher,
Rutgers University New Brunswick, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Landscape
Architecture; Julia Perzley, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution
Biological diversity thrives in true wildernesses, but our own species’ impact is pressing hard on these remaining
natural regions. More and more we have to ask ourselves whether some human-created areas can support at
least a valuable fraction of earth’s biota. Urban wildlands and abandoned brownfields might be examples of
such “second hand” nature. By definition a wildland is a habitat initially created by human impact e.g., by severe
disturbance that either developed naturally and unaided and/or is now in a state of wild (i.e., has little or no direct
continued human impact). Often these wildlands are inhabited by so called novel communities, unprecedented
mixtures of native species and new immigrant non-native species. The workshop brings together researchers
and restoration ecologists to discuss what can be done about urban biodiversity and whether brownfields always
need to be “attractive nuisances.”
1C
Conservation Easement Amendments
Room: Monroe
Presenters: James Wyse, Esq., Coughlin Duffy LLP; Judeth Yeany, Esq., N.J. Green Acres Program
The amendment of conservation easements, especially easements that were donated and for which tax deductions were claimed, is fraught with controversy and legal pitfalls. We will discuss the standards and practices that
apply when land trusts receive a request to amend a conservation easement, unsettled questions concerning the
application of charitable trust doctrine, and IRS statements concerning the permissibility of easement amendments. We will also discuss easement violations and real-world experiences with the resolution of easement disputes and court enforcement actions (which are often a trigger for a conservation easement amendment request.) The approval requirements imposed by the New Jersey Conservation Restriction and Historic Preservation Restriction Act will also be discussed.
1D
Climate Change and Land Use
Room: Cadwalader
Presenter: Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist, Rutgers University
Climate change is being experienced on global and local scales, with human impacts on the atmosphere, land,
and sea playing a dominant causative role. Close to home, New Jersey has recently experienced its wettest and
warmest years on record, along with multiple extreme events that have often led to freshwater and coastal flooding. This presentation will explore the physical dimensions of the situation and briefly discuss how all within NJ
may contribute to efforts that can help mitigate deleterious influences and assist in establishing a greater resiliency to ongoing changes.
Presenters are wearing ORANGE ribbons.
Please thank them for sharing their knowledge and experience.
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1E
Municipal Open Space Funds Local Resources in Transition
Room: Knox
Presenters: Donna Kirkland, Trust for Public Land; Maria Petix-Kent, Chairman, Pompton Lakes Environmental
Commission; Justin Balik, Mid-Atlantic Director of Conservation Finance and Government Affairs; Kerry Miller,
Association of NJ Environmental Commissions
Since municipal open space taxes were enabled by state law in 1997, these popular funding mechanisms, and
the local open space preservation programs they support, have gone through a natural maturation process.
Originally, the funds were dedicated almost exclusively for land acquisition. More recently, attention has turned
to using local open space funds for other purposes -- trails, restoration stewardship, and park and recreation development, including artificial turf and maintenance. This workshop will explore current trends and how municipalities are adjusting their use of open space trust funds, how to approach the wording of a ballot question to
help insure a town’s open space objectives will be met, and case studies of recent open space tax campaigns.
1F
Issues and Trends Affecting New Jersey Agriculture
Room: Hamilton
Presenters: Alfred W. Murray, New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, NJ Department of Agriculture;
Susan E. Payne, Executive Director, State Agriculture Development Committee
Agriculture is a complex and ever changing industry. In this session New Jersey’s Assistant Secretary of Agriculture will discuss many of the issues facing farmers, farmland and agriculture today. An understanding of
trends in agriculture is critical as we look toward the future of farmland preservation in New Jersey and anticipate
upcoming challenges with the monitoring and stewardship of preserved land. Topics will include production and
market trends, food safety, agricultural labor, direct marketing and agri-tourism.
1G
More than Just a Pretty Place Communicating the Many Values of Green Space
Room: Dickinson
Presenters: Patty Elkis, Director of Division of Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission;
Christopher Anderson, Watershed Programs Manager, Philadelphia Water Department;
John Beljean, Delaware River Field Representative, National Parks Conservation Association
Many people view preserving open space and creating green infrastructure as a burdensome cost, without fully
recognizing the economic, ecological, recreational, social, health, and quality of life benefits provided in return.
This session will explore three projects and how they engage the public and communicate messages about the
many values of open space and green infrastructure.
1H
Jersey-Friendly Yards:
Landscaping for a Healthy Environment
Room: Ewing
Presenters: Karen Walzer, Barnegat Bay Partnership; Becky Laboy, Ocean County Soil Conservation District;
Britta Wenzel, Save Barnegat Bay
Conservation starts at home. With that goal and funding support from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP) developed Jersey-Friendly Yards (www.jerseyyards.org), an online
guide to environmentally friendly landscaping in New Jersey. The website provides NJ property owners with
state-specific information about planting native species, reducing use of fertilizers and pesticides, conserving
water, creating habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, and improving overall yard health. Website highlights
include a searchable Plant Database and the "Interactive Yard," a tool for learning how to transform a conventional yard into a Jersey-Friendly yard. Presenters will showcase the website’s resources and practical applications, including the results of six Jersey-Friendly Yards implementation projects. Britta Wenzel, Save Barnegat
Bay, will discuss recent NJ legislative initiatives which target the reduction of non-point source pollution and conservation of water, soil, and other natural resources.
Presenter biographies are available at njconservation.org/rally.
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WORKSHOP SESSION 2
10:30 am – 11:45 am
2A
The New Sprawl: Energy Infrastructure
Threats to Preserved Land and Natural Resources
Room: Hamilton
Presenters: Tom Gilbert, New Jersey Conservation Foundation; Alison Mitchell, New Jersey Conservation Foundation; Carleton Montgomery, Executive Director, Pinelands Preservation Alliance; Erica Van Auken, NJ Highlands Coalition
This workshop will describe the threats of energy infrastructure to natural lands and share how nonprofit organizations are playing a critical role in protecting natural resources. A representative from Pinelands Preservation
Alliance will discuss their strategy in opposing several south Jersey pipelines. Representatives from New Jersey
Conservation Foundation will describe how they are engaging research and communications in response to the
PennEast pipeline, which is proposed to cross roughly 4,500 acres of preserved land - including land owned by
them. A representative will also discuss efforts concerning the Pilgrim pipeline. Attendees will learn what to do if
an energy development project is proposed through their land or communities. Pipeline projects will be the primary focus of this workshop, but solar and wind developments will also be discussed.
2B
Implementing Conservation and Viability
Programs for Preserved Farms and Landowners
Room: Dickinson
Presenters; Jeffrey Everett, Chief of Agricultural Resources, NJ State Agriculture Development Committee
(SADC); David Clapp, Resource Conservationist, New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee;
Steven M. Bruder, Planning Manager, NJ State Agriculture Development Committee; Christine Hall, State Resource Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service-New Jersey
This session will highlight long-standing and recent initiatives of the SADC to more fully incorporate resource
conservation objectives on preserved farms while increasing their productivity, sustainability, and viability. Specifically, presenters will describe SADC’s efforts to match individual properties to the most appropriate Farm Bill
conservation programs and how SADC’s work dovetails with that of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and its partners. The session will showcase efforts to incorporate beginning farmers into New Jersey’s agricultural landscape. Programs featured include coordination with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and
the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Education Program to cultivate a support system for beginning and established farmers in a state with the lowest per capita percentage of farmers.
2C
Administering Perpetual Restrictions: Conservation
Easement Enforcement and Green Acres Diversions
Room: Monroe
Presenters: James Wyse, Esq., Coughlin Duffy LLP; Judeth Yeany, Esq., N. J. Green Acres Program
The acquisition of conservation easements and the use of restricted funds to purchase and develop open space
and parkland require constant vigilance to ensure permanent protection. This session will continue our discussion of easement enforcement, including real-world experiences with the resolution of easement disputes
through court enforcement actions and amendment of conservation easements. The approval requirements imposed by the New Jersey Conservation Restriction and Historic Preservation Restriction Act will also be discussed. We will then discuss the Green Acres diversion process, which is used to allow modification of restrictions imposed when Green Acres funding is used to purchase or develop parkland. The session will include
a brief discussion of the imposition and removal of land restrictions by municipalities and counties through local
open space tax programs.
Be on the look out during for the NJ Land Rally Word Cloud Poll!
NJLANDRALLY to 22333
Text
to join the session.
Answer by another text to see the results in real time. Have fun participating!
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2D
Trail Development on Open Space Lands
Room: Knox
Presenters: Jackie Neiman, Cherry Hill Environmental Board; Bill Foelsch, Chair, NJ Trails Council
Do you or your organization have an impact on how open space lands are used? Would you like to have greater
support for open space lands in your area? Are you looking for resources to connect people with nature?
This session will show how one NJ municipality established a recognized trail system on its open space lands.
Issues, techniques, tools and resources to create a local public trail system will be presented and discussed.
Bring your questions, comments and concerns to participate in a group session so you can take home a trails
development action plan for your area.
2E
Urban Public Lands: Challenges & Opportunities
Room: Ewing
Presenters: Greg Remaud, NY/NJ Baykeeper; Wolfram Hoefer, Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental
Sustainability (CUES); Zenon Tech-Czarny, Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES)
The challenges associated with acquisition, protection, management, and preservation of land in New Jersey’s
urban centers differ significantly from issues encountered in the State’s more rural areas. The impediments to
conserving urban open space are exacerbated by high population density and correspondingly high land values,
illustrated by the controversy of preserving versus commercializing Liberty State Park. However, increasing the
acreage of public open lands in urban communities is incredibly important to present and future New Jersey residents, in a State that is becoming more urban. Presentations will highlight existing urban conserved lands, lead
participants in identifying opportunities to expand this inventory, present unique design and use concepts appropriate for urban public lands, and discuss financing and partnerships to support these often complex acquisitions.
2F
Future of Conservation Funding: County Trust Funds
Room: Mercer
Moderator: Fran Varacalli, FAV Consulting, Land Preservation & Management
Presenters: Deena Leary, Director, Morris County Department of Planning & Public Works, Farmland and Historic
Preservation Trust; Andy Coeyman, Supervisor, Land Preservation Services, Monmouth County Open Space
Trust Fund; Matthew J. Johnson, Coordinator, Open Space Acquisition & Park Development Burlington County
Resource Conservation Department; Tom Boccino, Somerset County Open Space Program; Adam Strobel, Director, Bergen County Division of Open Space
This workshop will present a panel of administrators of county open space, farmland, and historic preservation
trust funds. The workshop will consist of five panelists representing Morris, Bergen, Somerset, Monmouth, and
Burlington Counties. Using the PechaKucha format (20 slides in 20 seconds) each administrator will identify
trends occurring with their trust and discuss ideas on how these funding sources may change in the future.
2G: Art of Hiring & Firing
Room: Cadwalader
Presenter: Christine Michelle Duffy, Pro Bono Partnership
The Art of Hiring and Firing presentation provides an overview of the practical and legal considerations managers should have in mind when hiring, evaluating, and terminating employees and volunteers. The program is
based on the thirty-plus years’ experience of Christine Michelle Duffy as a counselor to companies of all sizes
and a contributor to numerous publications, including the employment discrimination chapter in "New Jersey Employment Law” (http://www.lawjournalpress.com/player/eBook_413_New_Jersey_Employment_Law_2016.html)
and a 2014 treatise, "Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace: A Practical
Guide” (www.bna.com/bnabooks/giso).
2H: Standards and Practices Revisions: Your Input Wanted!
Room: Stirling
Presenters: Kevin Case, Northeast Director, Land Trust Alliance; Andy Loza, Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
The Land Trust Alliance is leading a collaborative process to revise Land Trust Standards and Practices (S&P)
to reflect changes in the legal and operational environment of the land trust community over the last decade and
to provide alignment with the Land Trust Accreditation Program, Terrafirma, and the wide array of resources
supporting best practices for land trusts. This session will discuss the background and approach to the S&P revisions process and collect feedback on an initial draft, which will supplement a detailed online input process. Participants are encouraged to download the S&P Discussion Draft from the Alliance website in advance.
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WORKSHOP SESSION 3
2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
3A: Food, Farms and the Economy:
Tying It All Together in New Jersey
Room: Mercer
Presenters: Kendrya Close, Executive Director, Foodshed Alliance; Lisa Kelly, Foodshed Alliance;
Frank Pinto, Spinelli & Pinto Consulting, LLC ; Benjamin L. Spinelli, Spinelli & Pinto Consulting, LLC
This interactive workshop will take a look at the challenges and opportunities that New Jersey is faced with as it
relates to ensuring a sustainable and productive local food base. The conversation will begin by taking a closer
look at two different food planning initiatives currently in different stages of progress: the Regional Foodshed Resiliency Plan through the Foodshed Alliance and the Grown in Monmouth initiative through the County of Monmouth. After providing an overview of each project and the work currently being done, the workshop will break
into a panel style discussion to delve deeper into issues such as land affordability, succession focused land linkages, and securing public and private investors and grants for this type of work.
3B: Monetizing a Conservation Easement:
How to Turn Land into a “401(k)”
Room: Knox
Presenters: Geoffrey Close, Morgan Stanley
Many landowners don’t realize that they have untapped financial opportunities locked up in their land. Through
smart use of conservation easements and other transactions, they can unlock these opportunities to help fund
their retirement planning, while preserving the ownership of their land. Doing well by doing good, so to speak.
This workshop will show development and land acquisition officers the basic concept of how these transactions
work, describe which type of landowners might be suitable, and provide practical tips on how to approach the
landowners on this concept.
3C: Municipal Rain Gardens –
Multi-Purpose Green Infrastructure in Open Spaces
Room: Cadwalader
Presenters: Cheryl Reardon, Association of NJ Environmental Commissions; Jenine Tankoos, Manalapan Environmental Commission; Christopher Obropta, Ph.D., P.E., Rutgers Water Resources Program
Environmental commissions and green teams around the state are building municipal rain gardens to filter
stormwater from open space parking areas and other impervious surfaces. With careful plant selection, these
green infrastructure projects can also provide habitat for pollinators and birds. With the addition of interpretive
signage and outreach programs, they serve as tools to educate the public about stormwater management and
biodiversity. This workshop will provide case studies of two municipal rain garden projects, exploring the planning, installation, maintenance, cost, community involvement, partnership, and education aspects of installing
rain gardens on public open space. You will also learn about the Rutgers' Water Resources Program's Impervious Cover Assessment Project, which has provided impervious cover guidance to dozens of New Jersey communities, pointing out good locations for new green infrastructure demonstration projects.
3D:
Acquiring Contaminated Property
Room: Stirling
Presenters: William Kastning, Executive Director, Monmouth Conservation Foundation; Jay Watson, Vice President, D&R Greenway Land Trust; Laura Brinkerhoff, President, Brinkerhoff Environmental Services;
Glenn Donohue, Senior Manager, Coastal Services Group, Brinkerhoff Environmental Services
Learn about preserving contaminated properties in New Jersey through two case studies. The first explores the
decade-long process to preserve an environmentally sensitive, 15-acre waterfront site located in an urban,
densely populated area and plagued with intimidating environmental issues. Brinkerhoff Environmental Services
helped partners identify the contamination and create a plan for remediation, allowing the County to acquire the
property; and providing funds to complete remediation and restoration. Brinkerhoff also assisted partners with
seeking reimbursement for costly investigations. The second case study details a completed effort by D&R
Greenway Land Trust to acquire, preserve, and remediate a 2.3-acre property in Trenton for the development of
a community urban farm. In this effort, strong working relationships and a common vision of transformation between the property owner, D&R, City and County representatives, and Brinkerhoff helped the project succeed.
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3E:
Developing Greenways Along Suburban Rivers
Room: Ewing
Presenters: Marian Glenn, Seton Hall University and Rahway River Watershed Association; Vic Benes, Rahway
River Watershed Association and Millburn Environmental Commission; Robert “Bob” McIntosh, Trout Unlimited
and Rahway River Watershed Association
This is an interactive workshop focused on conserving, connecting, and expanding Olmsted greenways in Union
and Essex counties. There will be a brief history of the concept of greenways and current status of parkland in
the Rahway River watershed, (83 square miles in 24 municipalities). Workshop participants will engage
in interactive exercises to address specific examples of general challenges to land and water conservation and
management that can be addressed through development of greenways: flooding, establishment of greenways
amidst highways, and regional connectivity of greenways. Exercises will focus on gauging stakeholder understanding and attitudes toward positive and negative risks, and the level of influence of various stakeholders toward possible future projects. The outcome of these exercises can be used to prioritize individual projects and
suggest means for accomplishing them. The workshop would be of interest to the general public, watershed organizations, environmental commissioners, and green team members.
3F:
Vision for Land Conservation in New Jersey
Room: Hamilton
Presenters: Bob Allen, The Nature Conservancy; Chris Jage, New Jersey Conservation Foundation;
John Hasse, Rowan University; Doug Schleifer, NJ Office of Geographic Information Services
This workshop will describe an activity taking place that will result in a collaborative vision of important conservation areas to protect in New Jersey. The panel will share the status and sample maps developed in the process
and request input from the audience. The process will result in a tool using Rowan University’s NJMap system
that can be used in planning land use for New Jersey. Rowan will provide a demonstration of NJMap during the
workshop. This workshop is intended to be a roundtable where participants can learn about this project and
share their comments. The NJ Office of GIS will also provide a status report on the data layer of preserved land.
3G: Urban Land Conservation: Small Lots, Big Impacts
Room: Monroe
Facilitator: Julia Taylor, Managing Director and Deputy Operations Officer, Isles, Inc.
Presenters: Cristina Garmendiam, Deputy Director, Isles Inc; Michael Miller, Olin Studios;
Jacob Kim, Director of Community Greening, Greater Newark Conservancy; Paula Segal, 596 Acres
Land conservation is often pursued with the idea that bigger is better – that the greatest impact can be achieved
by preserving the biggest properties available. But in urban areas, strategically conserving small properties can
have major impacts. This session will discuss why conservation of urban lands is important and what organizations are doing to create the circumstances under which urban lands are valued for the broad range of benefits
they can provide to communities. We will hear from organizations working on the ground to inventory and make
it easy to access information about vacant land; to clean up, beautify, and maintain vacant land; to turn vacant
land into community assets for the short and long term; to utilize urban lands as tools to meet community needs;
to advocate for public access to urban lands; and to conduct research into how urban lands perform to the benefit of the cities of where they are located. Presenters will discuss examples from Trenton, Newark, Philadelphia,
New York, as well as nationwide trends. The goal of this session is to inspire people to think small in terms of lot
size, but to think big in terms of impact when it comes to conservation of urban lands.
3H: Increasing Coastal Resilience through
Community Planning
Room: Dickinson
Presenters: Nick Angarone, Office of Coastal and Land Use Planning, NJ Department of Environmental Protection;
Patricia Doerr, Director of Coastal and Marine Programs, The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey; Elizabeth
Schuster, Environmental Economist, The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey; Steven Jacobus, Living Shoreline
Coordinator, Coastal and Land Use Planning Division, NJDEP.
Understanding and addressing coastal vulnerabilities is important for improving the resilience of coastal communities and habitats. Restoration or enhancement of coastal habitats can improve ecological health, and healthy
coastal habitats can also help to address community challenges such as flooding, erosion and degraded water
quality. Numerous partner organizations are working with communities to assess their vulnerability to coastal
hazards and planning projects with a focus on nature-based solutions (such as living shorelines). This session
will present an innovative suite of new tools and resources to assess risk, identify nature-based solutions, and
measure success and benefits of projects, as well as lessons learned from working with coastal communities.
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WORKSHOP SESSION 4
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
4A: Making Connections to Ensure the Future of
Wildlife in New Jersey
Room: Mercer
Presenters: Brian Zarate, NJDEP Endangered and Non-game Species Program;
MacKenzie Hall, NJDEP Endangered and Non-game Species Program
New Jersey faces increasing habitat loss and fragmentation from urbanization, a dense network of roads, and a
changing climate that compromise the connectivity of habitat and wildlife populations. Learn about a strategic
plan being developed by a multi-partner, multi-disciplinary work group targeting local, regional, and state planning efforts to work toward reconnecting the landscape in New Jersey. Learn about the future of bats, their struggles to survive with White-nose Syndrome, and possible treatments on the horizon. Finally, learn about the work
being done in New Jersey to research and conserve bats, including measures that citizens can take to help keep
bats in our night skies.
4B: Coastal Restoration Projects
Room: Dickinson
Presenters: Stevie Thorsen, Education Director, The American Littoral Society; Dominick Solazzo, Director, Shifting Sands; Moses Katkowski, The Nature Conservancy; Metthea Yepsen, The Nature Conservancy
Coastal habitat across New Jersey’s Atlantic Coast and Delaware Bay are degrading due to the effects of climate change and decades of development. The degradation of our coastlines has resulted in compromised habitat for wildlife and has reduced the ability of these natural systems to provide benefits to people. The American
Littoral Society will discuss the importance of a natural dunes systems in protecting the coast and share programs and tools used by municipalities to protect these resources. Shifting Sands will present a real world example of how Midway Beach, a privately maintained beach in Ocean County, continues to maintain and build its
dune system, and discuss how dunes provide protection for communities during storm events. The Nature Conservancy will describe several coastal restoration projects underway across New Jersey with goals such as enhancing wetland vegetation, stabilizing shorelines, improving wildlife habitat, and buffering coastal communities
from flooding. Lessons learned from implementing these projects will be presented.
4C: Advocating for our Waterways and Watersheds
Room: Cadwalader
Presenters: Victoria Carberry, Environmental Educator, UrbanPromise Academy; Jeff Vanderkuip, Volunteer
UrbanBoat Works Director, UrbanPromise Academy; UrbanPromise Academy Students
For over 25 years UrbanPromise has fostered a community of support for the youth of Camden, NJ. Using experiential learning, we began building wooden boats and then taking students out on the water, initially to places
beyond their city, that later led us to discovery of our own urban waterways, the urban Delaware River and its
tributaries that frame the city of Camden. We now recognize the waterways and the watershed as an extremely
valuable asset to our community that needs a local community to advocate for it. Students at UrbanPromise
have chosen to take on that role through education and stewardship. A question and answer period will follow
the formal student presentation.
4D:
Case for Constitutional Environmental Rights
Room: Monroe
Presenter: Maya van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper Network
This presentation will outline the importance and power of constitutional environmental rights, the status of those
rights in New Jersey in comparison to other states across the nation, and will seek to inspire conversation that
helps advance this important concept here in New Jersey.
GO SOCIAL AT THE RALLY
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event page! #NJLandRally2016, #landconservation, #saveland, #enviroeducation, #rally4therally
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4E:
Green Infrastructure:
Implementation at the Community Level
Room: Ewing
Presenters: Debbie Mans, NY/NJ Baykeeper; Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E. Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program; Sandra Meola, NY/NJ Baykeeper
This workshop will discuss innovative green infrastructure projects across the state and the establishment of Municipal Action Teams to champion and implement such projects. Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and
natural processes to manage water and create healthier environments by reducing flooding, stormwater pollution, and combined sewer discharges. Rutgers Water Resources Program will discuss the importance of incorporating green infrastructure into communities, including multiple co-benefits, and provide examples of green
infrastructure projects in New Jersey. NY/NJ Baykeeper will provide case studies on two Municipal Action
Teams – Newark Doing Infrastructure Green! DIG and Paterson SMART. The presenters will provide materials
on stormwater management, green infrastructure, combined sewers and community engagement that can be
used as models for other communities.
4F:
Creative Placemaking:
Connecting People, Land, and Nature
Room: Hamilton
Presenters: Suzanne Ishee and Stuart Koperweis, Center for Creative Placemaking
Join the Center for Creative Placemaking as we present a fast-paced informational and interactive session on
Creative Placemaking- connecting people and community to the land. We will open up the wide-lens view of the
community system to include your region and your visitors. We’ll focus on some outstanding urban and rural
examples of Creative Placemaking practices in our state and we’ll look at how they were developed through successful cross-sector and public/private collaborations. This workshop will be delivered through presentation and
independent and small group exercises affording you the opportunity to acquire a broad overview of this planning process as we explore together what Creative Placemaking is, how it is done, why it works, and how it supports smart growth.
4G: Managing Invasive Plants--Map 'Em & Zap 'Em
Room: Knox
Presenters: Susan Brookman, New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team; Lindsay Gafford, NJ Audubon Society
The control of invasive species is a vital component of effective stewardship. Land managers need easy-to-use
tools to help identify and eradicate the invasive species that threaten natural areas, as well as a straightforward
way to track this work. The New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team has developed a suite of resources that
landowners and resource managers can access at no cost. In this session, you’ll learn how to download and use
NJ Invasives, a smartphone app that will help you identify invasive species in the field and note their location using the built-in GPS system in your smartphone. You will also learn how to track your eradication efforts using
IPCConnect.org/NewJersey, a new web-based program that allows you to document the work done by both professionals and volunteers, keep a log of herbicide/pesticide use, record hours and dollars spent, and create reports to share with colleagues, governing bodies and funders.
Did you learn something today to use in your conservation
work? Did you have fun?! Got some ideas for next year’s
event?
Please fill out an
Evaluation & share your stories!
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2016 Rally Planning Committee
(Committee Members are wearing GREEN ribbons.
Share your ideas for next year with them!)
Amanda Brockwell
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
Steven Bruder
State Agriculture Development Committee
Hugh Carola
Hackensack Riverkeeper
Jena Cosimo
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
Kathy Haake
Trust for Public Land
Kate Hutelmyer
Stony Brook - Millstone Watershed Association
Caroline Katmann
Sourland Conservancy
Susan Lockwood
NJDEP Land Use Regulation Program
Allegra Lovejoy
D & R Greenway Land Trust
Kerry Miller
Association of New Jersey
Environmental Commissions
Jessica Patterson
NJDEP Green Acres Program
Sally Rubin
Great Swamp Watershed Association
George Schaberg
Raritan Headwaters Association
Mike Shanahan
The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey
Laura Szwak
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Julia Taylor
Isles, Inc.
Fran Varacalli
FAV Consulting, Land Preservation &
Management
Thanks, Committee members!
Special thanks to Tamara Hayden for her assistance with Rally marketing and fundraising.
Tamara volunteered her expert services through Merck SkillShare,
a program offering Merck U.S. employees access to high-impact volunteer
opportunities while providing nonprofit partners with much needed skilled assistance.
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Please visit Barnes & Noble bookstore
on the first floor outside the ballroom.
Books are available for sale. 10% of the proceeds go
to UrbanPromise Academy of Camden.
Thank you, Barnes & Noble, for supporting the rally!
Visit the Rally’s first “Academic Alley”!



The first ever Undergraduate/Graduate Land Rally
poster session featuring
student research projects
Exhibits from Rutgers
University & Rowan University
Conservation Film Corner! Check out
the display of conservation films and
even watch one during the break
times!
Academic Alley is located on the second floor
across from the workshop classrooms.
Thanks to ROB DECKER
for donating posters in celebration
of the National Park Service’s
100th anniversary.
Rob is a photographer and
graphic artist who, at age 19,
studied under Ansel Adams in
Yosemite National Park. He has
been photographing our National Parks for the past 35 years.
Now he's creating original artwork for each park using WPAperiod styles, but with imagery and color palettes that are more natural and representative
of today's real world visitor experience.
Learn more about it at
www.national-park-posters.com
A very special thank you to Rally volunteer Steve Krakauer
who provided invaluable, talented assistance in all aspects of the Rally organizing.
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Visit Rally Exhibitors!
Association of New Jersey
Environmental Commissions
P.O. Box 157 • Mendham, NJ 07945
www.anjec.org
Barnegat Bay Partnership
c/o Ocean County College, PO Box 2001
Toms River NJ 08754
http://bbp.ocean.edu
Barnes & Noble
425 Marketplace Blvd, Hamilton Township, NJ 08691
www.barnesandnoble.com
Brinkerhoff Environmental Services, Inc.
1805 Atlantic Avenue, Manasquan, NJ 08736
www.brinkenv.com
Center for Creative Placemaking
Office of Academic Affairs, Bloomfield College
467 Franklin St, Bloomfield, NJ 07003
www.centerforcreativeplacemaking.com
Crossroads of the American Revolution Association
101 Barrack Street, Trenton, NJ 08608
www.revolutionarynj.org
East Coast Greenway Alliance
1099 Pebble Hill Doylestown, PA 18901
www.greenway.org
E.T. Techtonics, Inc.
P.O. Box 40060 Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.ettechtonics.com
Hackensack Riverkeeper
231 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601
www.hackensackriverkeeper.org
J. M. Sorge
57 Fourth Street, Somerville, NJ 08876
www.jmsorge.com
Land Trust Alliance
112 Spring Street, Suite 204
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
www.landtrustalliance.org
Thanks to the exhibitors!
They are wearing RED ribbons.
When you visit an
exhibitor, ask for a
ticket! The more
exhibitors you visit,
the greater your chance
to win a prize in the
post-event drawing!
Lopatcong Creek Initiative
508 Main Street, Boonton, NJ 07005
www.lopatcongcreek.org
Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership
54 Hassart Street, Unit #A3, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.lowerraritanwatershed.org
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
170 Longview Road, Far Hills, NJ 07931
www.njconservation.org
New Jersey Future
16 W. Lafayette St., Trenton, NJ 08608
www.njfuture.org
New Jersey Highlands Coalition
508 Main Street, Boonton, NJ 07005
www.njhighlandscoalition.org
NJ Highlands Council
100 North Road, Chester, NJ 07930
www.nj.gov/njhighlands/
NJ Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
c/o PSEG Services Corporation
80 Park Plaza, MC – T17, Newark, NJ 07102
www.njcwrp.org
Norman J. Goldberg, Appraiser
44 Leigh Street, Clinton, NJ 08809
www.normanjgoldberg.com
Pinelands Nursery
323 Island Road, Columbus, NJ 08022
www.pinelandsnursery.com
PlanSmart NJ
118 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608
www.plansmartnj.org
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Rally Exhibitors — cont’d
Rahway River Watershed Association
PO Box 1101, Rahway, NJ 07065
www.rahwayriver.org
Sourland Conservancy
83 Princeton Avenue, Suite 1A, Hopewell, NJ 08525
www.sourland.org
Raritan Headwaters Association
P.O Box 273 Gladstone, NJ 07934
www.raritanheadwaters.org
Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association
31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ 08534
www.thewatershed.org
Remote Intelligence
531 Route 579, Ringoes, NJ 08551
www.remote-intelligence.com
The Student Conservation Association
210 New York Ave, Staten Island, New York 10305
www.thesca.org
Rowan University - NJMap
A project of the Rowan Univ. Geospatial Research Lab
http://njmap.rowan.edu
Tony Tancini Attorney at Law
100 N. 18th Street, Suite 300,Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.tony-law.com
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Water Resources Program
14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.water.rutgers.edu
Trust For Public Land
20 Community Place, Suite 7, Morristown, NJ 07960
www.tpl.org
Save Barnegat Bay
725-B Mantoloking Road, Brick, NJ 08723
www.savebarnegatbay.org
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
220 Davidson Ave, 4th Floor, Somerset NJ 08873
www.nrcs.usda.gov
DIRECTORY OF CONSERVATION SERVICES
James Irish
Vegetation Management, Land Stewardship
and Natural Resources Recovery
Field Mowing, Forestry Mowing and Mulching
Skillman, NJ
908-399-2532
[email protected]
www.jamesirishinc.com
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Prize Donations
Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions - an umbrella and a lunch bag.
Eastern Mountain Sports, Bridgewater - $230
backpack
Hackensack Riverkeeper - two shirts.
Isles - two jars of honey.
The Nature Conservancy - a boat trip to band osprey along the Delaware Bay.
NJ Audubon-trained naturalists - guided
nature walk in a Franklin Township preserve.
NJ Conservation Foundation - a guided hike in
the Franklin Parker Preserve.
Ramsey Outdoor - a $50 gift certificate.
Raritan Headwaters Association - a package with
a shirt, bags, and a certificate to their annual fair.
Sourland Conservancy - two tickets to their music
festival.
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association family admission to their butterfly festival.
The Trust for Public Land - a hat and a water bottle.
The Wetlands Institute - two gift baskets, one with
four tickets to their spring festival, and one with four
tickets to their fall festival.
Drawing to be held at 5pm in the Ballroom.
Thank you for your donations!
19
.
WoodsEdge Wools Farm has one of the
largest herds of suri llamas in the world;
representing a wide diversity of genetic
lines. The farm was also the first alpaca
breeding farm in the state of New Jersey.
With three decades of breeding
experience, customers will find a
sophisticated breeding program for elite
fleeced suri llamas and alpacas, in
specific color groups.
Robson's Farm is a fourth generation
orchard fruit and vegetable farm in
Central New Jersey. They make food
fun by: choosing unique varieties to
grow (they do the basics too because
sometimes you just need a red ripe
tomato sandwich), telling their story,
showing people what to do with what
they grow, and exposing consumers to
different types of agricultural practices.
Toadshade Wildflower Farm is a family
run mail order nursery featuring nursery
grown and propagated NJ native plants
and seeds. The farm’s mission is to make
native wildflowers, particularly perennials,
more easily available. Planted within their
native ranges, native perennial
wildflowers will thrive and provide lasting
color and interest for years to come.
Neshanic Valley
Beekeepers
Jalma Farms is the largest grower
of Beach Plum in USA and the largest
grower of Black Aronia Berry on the east
coast. The Beach Plum helps prevent
dune loss, just as the Black Aronia is
used inland for soil stabilization. Both are
used for wildlife habitat restoration and
windbreaks. Jalma Farms actively
supports these environmental efforts
while also producing all natural jams.
Neshanic Valley Beekeepers offer as
many "source" quality premium and
specialty honeys from NJ as well as
from other parts of the country and the
world. One of their most popular is
authentic Australian Eucalyptus honey.
Their products are never pasteurized
and never manipulated. Neshanic
Valley Beekeepers also promotes
beekeeping as a viable hobby and/or
venture.
Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse is named
after the once common Bobolink, a
ground nesting bird that relies on
undisturbed grasslands for its
reproduction. The birds are compatible
with pastured animals, but cannot tolerate
tilled cropland. By naming their business
for this creature, Bobolink Dairy &
Bakehouse hopes to increase public
awareness about how important it is for
agriculture to respect & nurture wildlife.
20
Here’s to the future!
Meet Tomorrow’s Conservation Leaders.
Thanks to the 2016 Rally interns!
Felysse Goldman, Jess Knierim, Kasey Smith, Adam Taylor,
Steven Dondero, Eva Ryan, Catherine Dillon
Student attendees from past Rallies.
Students today are wearing
neon green ribbons.