Greetings, and welcome to the “new normal.” At the Coalition we continue to work remotely, adapting activities and projects to online forums. These days we do almost everything virtually; our regular Committee Meetings, the Coalition’s Annual Meeting, even organizing the 2nd Northwest New Jersey Rivers Conference using a digital  conferencing platform.

  Of course there is another side to living virtually. Precautions against COVID-19 have meant many consumers are shopping more online, spurring proposals for warehouses to meet demand of online purchases. Coinciding with the rise of online retailers in the last decade, warehouse proposals are increasing, and now they are moving into the western New Jersey Highlands.

  We are coming up to year’s end and Bill Kibler and Wynnie Hinds are still being held back by their respective Senators from taking their seats on the Highlands Council and replacing those incumbents who continue to impede the work of the Highlands Council. For example, at the October Highlands Council meeting, Council Member Vohden stated that he objected to Parsippany’s conformance, and that he will continue to vote against all Conformance Petitions in the future. But before he would elaborate as to why, he had to quiz the Highlands Council staff on the difference between the rules that a property owner would be subject to in the conformed Planning Area, and the rules that would pertain in the Preservation Area. Granted, the shared jurisdiction in the Highlands between the Highlands Council and DEP has led to much confusion. But Council Member Vohden has been a member of the Highlands Council for eight years now, voting on important issues before the Highlands Council. For him to still not understand the difference between the Planning Area and the Preservation Area reveals a disturbing ignorance of the implications of the Council’s actions and the impact of his persistent votes against Planning Area conformance. He is not only doing the Council a disservice, but also a disservice to all the municipalities in the Highlands that are subject to his actions on the Council.

  The Governor really must move on his appointments immediately and negotiate directly with the Senators who are blocking his nominees to the Highlands Council. Enough is enough!

  Speaking of year end frustrations, DEP and the Highlands Council continue to wiggle away from their responsibilities in permit decisions in the nonconforming Planning Area. In DEP’s Preservation Area Rules, it specifically states that, for

 the planning area, when consistent with its statutory and regulatory authority, the Department shall not issue any approval, authorization or permit that the Department determines, in consultation with the Highlands Council, to be incompatible with the resource protection goals in the RMP. Prior to the Christie Administration, when a major development was proposed in the Planning Area, the Highlands Council would provide DEP with a Consistency Determination. This was a checklist of all applicable RMP provisions used to balance whether a project was substantially consistent, or inconsistent with the RMP. If inconsistent, recommendations on changes that would make the project consistent were provided. Then the DEP would consider the Highlands Council’s findings in its permit decisions.

  Under Christie, all provisions of the RMP were removed from Consistency Determinations, except for the provision of Net Water Availability, which was a requirement of Executive Order 114.

  We have asked the Highlands Council and the DEP under Governor Murphy to return to more comprehensive Consistency Determinations. In a high level meeting with both agencies last month, we were told they would not go back to the former method. In fact, they are no longer even called Consistency Determinations; they are now merely “Comments”.

  The current practice leaves the Department in violation of its own rules. It also ignores the Appellate Court’s ruling in NJ Highlands Coalition et al vs DEP and Bellemead Corp, in which the Court emphasized that DEP may not issue a permit in the Planning Area that is inconsistent with the RMP. We do not consider this issue settled.

  We could not let this issue of the Highlands Lookout go without acknowledging those outstanding individuals recognized at our October Annual Meeting.

  Sandy Batty was awarded the Candace McKee Ashmun Capstone Award for her leadership of the Coalition as President of the Board for many years.

  Leslie Sauer was also awarded the Candace McKee Ashmun Capstone Award for her dedication to protecting the Highland’s forests.

  Warren County Freeholder James Kern received the 2020 Vision & Leadership Award. Tracey Heisler, Tom Bodolsky and Theresa Chapman were given the Wilma Frey Highlands Volunteer Award.

2020: The Year of the Staycation!

(Mount Paul Memorial Park, Mark H.)

  In our last Newsletter, we observed how challenging the year 2020 has been for anyone trying to organize events and maintain those important connections to their community. However, using some sophisticated technology and a little creativity, this year we reaped exciting opportunities and engaged whole new audiences.

  First of all, we were finally able to host the 5th Annual Highlands Golf Outing despite every conceivable setback, and saw marvelous turnout for the 2020 Highlands Car Trek. Thank you to those who attended for making them a success. In early October we hosted (probably the first ever) Highlands Virtual Brewfest! Beer enthusiasts and Highlands supporters joined online to learn about beer and its relationship to water conservation, play trivia and enjoy a truly unique event.

  Determined to coordinate the Second Northwest New Jersey Rivers Conference with our partners in the DRWI, this November we welcomed over 270 people to participate in virtual workshops on environmental protection, sustainable development and grassroots activism. Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey’s State Climatologist delivered an excellent keynote presentation explaining the impact of 

changing trends in the state’s weather patterns on our water resources.

  You can find recordings of these virtual activities on our NJ Highlands Coalition YouTube Channel.

Delaware River at dusk.

(Island Campground, Delaware Water Gap, Amy W.)

  Many of the foundations that support the non-profit environmental/conservation community in New Jersey are placing an emphasis on environmental justice and in a better representation of BIPOC communities within our leadership and staffs. This could not have come at a better time for the NJ Highlands Coalition because it provides us with much deeper and programmatic access to potential constituents in New Jersey’s northeastern cities—those who depend on Highlands water as the carrying capacity contributing to their growth and development. And Newark, which owns five reservoirs in the Highlands buffered by 35,000 acres of the most ecologically vibrant and most intact forest in the State, has their investment in the water resources of the Highlands very much in alignment with the goals and objectives of the Highlands Act. This is one of the reasons why having Wynnie Hinds appointed to the Highlands Council is such a high priority for us. Think of it, Newark is the largest landowner in the Highlands, yet they have never had a voice on the Highlands Council.

  We also share a common goal that needs better acknowledgement. If we continue the focus of New Jersey’s

development on the remaining natural landscapes of the Highlands, we will permanently extinguish the natural resource values that New Jersey’s sustainable future is dependent upon and we will fail at redeveloping our cities, to them vibrant and affordable.

  To better build relationships with potential partners in the cities we have participated in foundation supported programs recently, such as the Annual Newark Call to Collaboration, where we hosted a session on increasing awareness of the recreational, cultural and educational resources of the Newark Watershed property by the Newark community. It was very well attended and led to an invitation to give a presentation at Newark’s Civic Story Forum in mid-November.

  We have also recently applied for a Six Mosaic Grant, which supports certain environmental justice principles, to work with Newark citizens to form a friends of/watchdog group associated with the Newark Watershed property. By combining our voices we can amplify the strength of our advocacy.