Environmental Commission

EARTH DAY
Planting of the “Salem Oak”
APRIL 20, 2024
Location: Veteran’s Park

Joseph Klaudi, Deputy Mayor of Commercial Township, was able to get seed from the original, over 500-year-old, Salem Oak tree after its collapse. Mr. Klaudi’s diligent care makes it possible for us to now transplant the two-year-old seedling he was able to grow here in Commercial Township!

ARBOR DAY
APRIL 26, 2024

An observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees.

MAURICETOWN RIVERFEST
September 14, 2024

An all-day festival in celebration of the Maurice River and the culture found along the river system. This day will be comprised of crafter and information booths, local artists, and nature walks.
Presentation of the Osprey Sign – Details to be announced.

SINGLE USE PLASTIC COLLECTION

What can you do with your plastic??

Recycle Collection sites at the following locations:

Port Norris and Mauricetown Post Offices; Lalli’s Liquor in Laurel Lake; and Haleyville Senior Center.

The plastic can then be made into benches for the community at various locations (ie. Veterans’ Park)

The Commercial Township Environmental Commission’s
Personal Care Packaging Recycling Project via TerraCycle is still on full swing! So far, we have been able to keep about 20lbs of materials from entering our landfills!!
Items collected include:

Mouthwash bottles and caps, toothbrushes, deodorant containers and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothpaste tubes and caps.
Drop off boxes are located at 3 locations- Port Norris and Mauricetown Post Offices and Township Hall!

#recycle, #reduceplasticwaste, #terracycle

BLUEBIRD Boxes and Banding of Chicks PURPLE MARTIN Houses

Mary Ella Morie Park, Mauricetown, NJ

Haleyville-Mauricetown Elementary School

Bluebird Boxes have been installed and are being maintained at the above locations. The chicks are banded before they fledge the box.
The Purple Martin large white gourd houses you may have seen, have also been cleaned and are being maintained as well. Peter Manzelmann, our chairman, and Allen Jackson, co-founder and president of the NJ Bluebird Society, have been an integral part of this program. Thank you, gentlemen, for your diligent and hard work!

OSPREY SIGNAGE PROJECT

The Commercial Township Environmental Commission was awarded an environmental stewardship grant from Sustainable Jersey and Atlantic City Electric. This grant will be used to help with park improvements and environmental education, starting with an informational sign about our local ospreys. We are very excited for this project and hope the community will enjoy the additions to the park and will take time to learn about our local thriving wildlife. Thank you, Sustainable Jersey and Atlantic City Electric, for providing opportunities to smaller municipalities to make meaningful environmental changes. Thank you to John and Katie Dayton for working so hard on this grant/project.
#sjgrants #sustainablecommunities

CUMBERLAND COUNTY EAGLE FEST
(yearly event in February)

Our Environmental Commission has worked the registration desk for several years in support of this wonderful event that brings in hundreds of birders each year.

Commercial Township has a dedicated and active Environmental Commission
GREEN TEAM GREEN TEAM that is increasingly engaged in resiliency issues.

Did you know….
Spotted Lantern Flies are a huge environmental and agricultural concern. The SLF hops from plant to plant, sucking out the fluid plants need to survive, which can cause devastating effects to crops and hardwood trees in the area. Please visit this website by Rutgers university that further explains why these insects can have such a detrimental impact on our environment, and what you can do to help!
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/spotted-lanternfly/

PROJECT MEDICINE DROP

Simple! Anonymous! No Questions Asked!
Click on the flyer for locations.

MILKWEED PROJECT

Project was funded through the Sustainable Jersey Program in 2018. The purpose was to Plant 500 Milkweeds providing food for the Monarch Butterflies on their migration as they pass through the township. Plants were place in Lake Audrey, the Entrance to Recycling Plant, adjacent to Paulies’ Park, and along the fence line of Ballfield in Haleyville. We expect an increase in monarchs in the years to come.