Volunteers Needed For Tree-Planting Project In North Branch Park

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Volunteers are needed to help the Somerset County Park Commission plant native trees to secure the shoreline and stabilize the flood plain in North Branch Park.

Volunteers are needed at the park at 355 Milltown Road in Bridgewater on Thursday, Oct. 13, and Friday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"We are soliciting help from individuals, corporate volunteer groups, agencies and anyone willing to help," said Somerset County Park Commission Secretary-Director Geoffrey Soriano. "Volunteers can feel good about giving their time to this valuable endeavor that will help improve the local ecosystem’s water resources and wildlife habitats."

North Branch Park tree-planting project is part of a four-year partnership between the Somerset County Park Commission and the Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA), a non-profit watchdog organization with a mission to protect the North and South Branch Raritan watershed. The Park Commission has plans to expand the tree-planting project to Natirar Park and other locations in 2023 and beyond.

The tree-planting project was made possible through a $525,000 grant awarded to the RHA for the Raritan River Watershed restoration project that began as compensation for environmental damages at a Superfund site in South Plainfield.

The Natural Resource Trustees, the board responsible for allocating the grants, has representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

For more information about volunteering, contact Somerset County Park Commission Manager of Horticulture Shauna Moore at Smoore@scparks.org.

To learn more about the Raritan Headwater Association, contact RHA Restoration Coordinator Robert Lucas at Rlucus@raritanheadwaters.org.