Volunteers Plant 100 Trees To Restore, Repair, Replenish Land In Duke Island Park

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Volunteers recently joined forces to plant more than 100 native trees in Duke Island Park in Bridgewater to strengthen, stabilize, and preserve the park’s riparian buffer, an environmentally important section of land along the Raritan River.

The effort will positively impact the area by filtering and storing stormwater, creating a habitat for wildlife, and providing shade for public recreation areas.

Funding for the project was made possible by a $10,000 New Jersey American Water Environmental Grant.

Somerset County’s Park Commission was one of four organizations to receive the grant. The grant money was used to help mitigate heavy flood damage caused by Hurricane Ida and the infestation of the emerald ash borer beetle, which caused the loss of ash trees along the bank of the Raritan River in Duke Island Park, increasing the risk of erosion.

"The completion of this project was extremely important for helping to offset the disturbance caused by flooding and tree loss," said Somerset County Commissioner Paul M. Drake, liaison to the Somerset County Park Commission. "All grant dollars were used to purchase native trees and to protect the trees from deer browse, as well as new signage so the community can learn about the area.

"We would not have been able to complete this project without the help of volunteers. A special thanks to representatives from the Rutgers Water Resources Program, Somerset County’s Girl Scout and Brownie troops, and New Jersey American Water for supplying the 'Water on the Go' truck so volunteers could stay hydrated," he said.

Other volunteers who helped implement the project came from Somerset County’s Community Emergency Response Team, the Office of Planning, Policy, and Economic Development, the Park Commission, the Raritan Valley Beekeepers Association, and the Rutgers Master Gardener Program.

About American Water
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Somerset County Park Commission
With more than 14,000 acres of open space, including forests, waterways, meadows and fields, the Somerset County Park Commission continues to dedicate its time and effort to being good stewards of the land. The county’s parks contain natural areas, preserved landscapes and biodiversity, which are maintained by the Park Commission.

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This press release was produced by the Somerset County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.