Learning Experience: Brookdale Community College Hosts 15th Annual Land Conservation Rally

The Garden State's premier conservationists gathered on Saturday to spread the word on the ways and means of going green and getting space.

The Warner Student Life Building of Brookdale Community College was the space saved for the 15th annual edition of the New Jersey Land Conservation Rally. The educational event was designed to encourage networking and learning for all about many of the state’s open space and agricultural preservation initiatives via private non-profit groups and state government agencies.

Topics for the various workshops reflected various organizations' and programs'  efforts, including: the acquisition and maintenance of properties with historical background; supporting farming within the state while striking a balance between open space and authentic farm preservation; the requirements involved with pesticide removal from older, treated land and much more. In all, there were ten separate umbrella topics with three class/lecture sessions available per topic.

Events later in the day included roundtable discussions entitled Non-Profit Organization Management, Carbon Off-Sets, Acquisition and Development of Wetlands and eleven other subjects.

“We’ve preserved 125,000 acres and are steward to 20,000 acres,” said Carol Banhart of the NJ Conservation Foundation who was also a member of the rally's organization committee. She explained that preservation means much more than just buying and holding a parcel of land from development and that knowing the requirements of a property are crucial to its maintenance.

Michael Buriani, of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), hosted the workshop Changes In Environmental Due Diligence on Land Conservation Projects. In his talk, Buriani spoke of the pitfalls of environmental site remediation, the efforts involved with cleaning up farm dumps, underground storage tanks, urban fill material and historic pesticides.

Christine Hall, from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, presented scenarios of how farm material can seep into rivers and other waterways, and how different types of planning, landscaping and drainage can help minimize the negative effects of fertilizer and pest control run-off.

David Glenn, of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey, discussed the need to maintain the agricultural nature of New Jersey and how open space projects are becoming part of the effort by choice, not by state of forfeiture.

Glenn also raised a point of concern regarding the institution of farming in the state regarding what he termed aging-out. “The average age of a New Jersey farmer is roughly around 50 to 55," he said. "What will happen in 20 years? Will they still be farming at ages 70 and 75?”

Because of the economic issues of the times, Glenn considered that many of the projects involving agriculture are directly involved with financially able people, or as Glenn said, “Perhaps Wall Street types who are now looking for a different way of life.” He also said that there is a large segment of the conservation-minded population that might not go into farming with a clear-headed understanding of its difficulties, but instead fixated on the romance of farming life.

Regardless, Glenn said he welcomes the possibilities of open space partnerships and those willing to join in with them, because it would mean bringing newer generations into the field which, he said, will hopefully increase its sustainability.

Out in the hallway, several vendors and organizations manned tables full of literature, maps and brochures. Lori Jenssen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Forestry Association, said she sees their organization as “a conduit of information from all different sources to landowners.”

She spoke to the idea of such groups, and also suggested people might have the wrong idea about a subject like wood-cutting in forests. She said that sometimes cutting is required and that associations like hers are as active with what should be cut as they are with keeping other forest items as they are.

Ron Farr, of Farr Forrestry Services LLC, agreed. “You think about the lifespan of humans," he explained. "Well, trees also have a lifespan; and sometimes, you have to remove old trees to allow new ones to grow. It’s a matter of knowing what, and how, to remove and the approach you take.”

A recurring motif throughout the vendors was the care and maintenance of property, and the advice that one of the best ways to achieve premium property preservation is to reduce waste and energy costs. Xavier Walter, President of The Energy Team, an energy efficiency cooperative, displayed products ranging from small replacement lightbulbs for lamps to LED tube-lighting to replace environmentally undesirable fluorescent bulbs. He also offered large-scale alternatives for field lighting.

Light pollution is an issue to which people don't often ascribe as one which needs a watchdog. However, as Walter's demostration exhibited, it has a strong impact on the environment.

In regard to the LED (light-emitting diode) lamps, Walter said, “they are less than half the cost to run and last for 50-to-60,000 hours.” Walter added that, with the replacements, the actual LEDs never die out, only the circuitry they connect to, so the bulbs can be refurbished as good as new, and toxic components found in the common counterparts never hit the landfill.

The presentations offered much to think about, information to absorb and healthy conversation regarding all that's green and going greener in “the Garden State” in the year 2011.