Dear friends,
Next Monday, November 25th, is a big day for environmental advocacy in New Jersey. There are three opportunities to speak up, support, and get involved with climate change and conservation issues for both the Highlands and the whole state!
1. Participate in a RGGI Strategic Funding Workshop and have your say in New Jersey's climate mitigation strategy.
2. Cheer Representative Mikie Sherrill for helping make LWCF a permanent resource for conservation.
3. Stand up for the forests on Mahlon Dickerson Reservation.
If you would like more information about any of these events or want to find out more about the Coalition's position on these issues, don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Sincerely,
Zachary Cole
Outreach & Education Director
NJ Highlands Coalition
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RGGI Strategic Funding Workshop
9AM - 12PM, Nov. 25th at Rutgers in New Brunswick
One of Governor Murphy's first executive actions was to get New Jersey back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In 2020 the proceeds from the first round of auctions will be made available to the NJ DEP, NJ BPU, and NJ EDA for a variety of climate change mitigation and emissions reduction initiatives. Currently, these agencies are seeking input from the public to find out how to prioritize allocating the money. Background information about how RGGI works and some of the proposed initiatives is in the RGGI Scoping Document.
These workshops are an excellent way to share your ideas for how New Jersey can improve energy efficiency, defend its natural environments, and make a meaningful contribution to stabilizing our climate.
And you can help us advocate that the intact, core forests of the Highlands are recognized for their climate resiliency values and that ecological restoration projects can be funded from RGGI auction proceeds, and no longer by timber extracted from our forests.
RSVP here to sign up and see all the details for this event.
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Cheer US Rep. Mikie Sherrill for helping make LWCF a permanent resource for conservation.
1PM - 2PM, Nov. 25th at Loantaka Brook Reservation
The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is one of America's most effective funding mechanisms. The fund takes a portion of proceeds from federal offshore drilling leases to fund to permanently protect lands from development. The fund has benefited communities in almost every county in the country, without costing taxpayers anything. More than 1,200 acres of land in the NJ Highlands were protected since 2008 under the LWCF.
In September of 2018 the fund was allowed to expire, however thanks to a strong national effort in March of 2019, we were successful in not only reauthorizing the fund, but making it a permanent resource for conservation efforts nationwide.
On Monday you can hear US Rep. Mikie Sherrill speak about her commitment to New Jersey's parks and public lands and the next steps to ensuring the fund receives its full legal $900 million, which it never has in its 54 year history.
The event will take place at Kitchell Pond, Loantaka Brook Reservation
More details are on the Facebook Event Page.
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Stand up for the forests on Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
7:30PM, Nov. 25th at Morris County Park Commission Headquarters, Morristown
Last month the Morris County Park Commission published the Draft Forest Assessment and Stewardship Plan for Mahlon-Dickerson. The proposed plan calls for thinning and prescribed burns in a number of areas of the forest that appear healthy and species diverse.
The Commission has already heard tremendous opposition form the environmental community regarding the proposed plan. Last week the Commission decided to extend the comment period on this draft to December 17th, so that experts have more time to review the data provided and more members of the public can voice their opinion of the proposal.
At the Highlands Coalition we are particularly concerned about the impact the scale of this Plan will have for hiking and recreation at Mahlon-Dickerson, and the spread of invasive species further into this intact forest. Our complete comments on the plan can be found here.
In addition to sending in your comments on this proposal, we hope you will join us at the regular Morris County Park Commission public meeting to speak up for this jewel in the Morris County Parks System.
The Commission meets at the Park Commission Headquarters
(300 Mendham Rd. Morristown)
Tell the Morris County Parks Commission to only approve an ecologically sound stewardship plan for Mahlon Dickerson Reservation.
The New Jersey Highlands Coalition
We represent a diverse network of organizations - small and large, local, regional, statewide and national - and individuals with the common goal to protect, enhance and restore the New Jersey Highlands and to preserve the quality and quantity of drinking water both for the 850,000 people in the Highlands as well as the more than 6.2 million people in surrounding areas who depend on Highlands water.
Contributions from supporters such as you are New Jersey Highlands Coalition’s largest source of funding and ensure that the Coalition has the resources to continue to be your voice speaking up for the NJ Highlands in the future.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin - Shakespeare
