Minutes of the August 23, 2004 Meeting of the

Pittsgrove Township Environmental Commission

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by the Chairman, Herb Wegner. After the flag salute, roll call/sign-in was completed, and the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act was given. The meeting was advertised in The Daily Journal, Today’s Sunbeam, and on the public notice bulletin board located in the Municipal Building.

2. Regular members present were Greg Hickson, Meghan Hack, Debby Fox, Bob Morse, and Herb Wegner. Alternates Kevin Garrison and Trish Jankauskas were absent. Associate members present were Robert Widdifield, Tim Hack, and David Hunt. .

3. Minutes from the July 26^th meeting were reviewed. Debby Fox made a motion, which was seconded by Greg Hickson, to approve the minutes as written. Vote: All in favor

4. Debby Fox and Bob Morse were appointed to the Bylaw Committee. Bob Morse made a motion, which was seconded by Greg Hickson, to vote Meghan Hack into the position of recording secretary. Vote: All in favor. Ed Hallanan and Mr. Hohm are no longer associate members. New associate members are Bob Widdifield, Dolores Glogau, and Beverly Johnson.

5. Members reviewed status report given to ANJEC for the period of June1st through July 31^st. Another status report will be given in three months. Herb will email members the ANJEC schedule so that members are privy to the tasks of the next three months.

6. Herb handed out copies of an article in the Elmer Times that he wrote about the ERI. The article was also published in the Daily Journal and Today’s Sunbeam.

7. A disk of soils data for the Township was given to Trisha Apinwall, of the Morris Land Conservancy (MLC).

8. Tricia Aspinwall reviewed MLC’s mission and goals with respect to developing our Open Space and Recreation Plan OSRP.
• Everyone in attendance looked at the map referencing tax classification data. Tricia explained what the different colors denoted, and asked for people to voice concerns/priorities about the map.
• Broad Pond was discussed and the owner of the property was there to verify details.
• Dennis Miranda, our consultant from Go Native, discussed forest preservation. He stressed that preserving contiguous forest is as important as preserving farmland. He also discussed the possibility of designating Route 40 as a historic corridor. This would likely involve us working with other townships.
• Trisha discussed how the December 2004 completion of the OSRP allows us to apply for a Green Acres Planning Incentive Grant with 50% cost sharing for land acquisition.

9. The Meeting on September 27^th was discussed. Advertising the meeting is integral for it to be productive and successful. The possibility of holding it in the high school was discussed. Herb said that he would check to see if it was too late to change the public notice. Tricia said that we should give special invitations to people from other township committees and commissions. Dennis suggested contacting local officials from Nature Conservancy, NJ Audobon Society, local game wardens, and NJ Conservation Association to notify them of the meeting. The more public input we gain at this meeting, the stronger our OSRP will be.

10. Greg Hickson reported on two major subdivisions before the planning board. Neither has completed all aspects of the application process.

11. Member Comments: Dave Hunt discussed an article concerning farmers and farm preservation. Debby Fox announced a watershed summit in Wilmington, DE from September 13^th-15^th. Herb discussed the email he sent to members about the September 1^st deadline for private landowners to preserve property on the basis of existence of threatened and endangered species.

12. Public comments: Two women from Deerfield thanked the commission for inviting them to the meeting. Residents from Sand Bridge Road discussed the abandoned railroad path in their area and the existence of large trees adjacent to the path.

13. Greg Hickson made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Barry Glogau seconded the motion. The motion was carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15.

Respectfully Submitted,

Meghan Hack, Recording Secretary