July 27th South Branch Raritan River Cleanup

[NJDrew]

Just wanted to share with you guys/girl some pictures from this past Raritan River cleanup that I participated in. This project was organized by two of my cousins Joe and Steven and was for the most part a great success. The project was to remove garbage and debris from Blackpoint rd bridge in Neshanic Station to approx the River Rd Bridge past Duke Island in Raritan. Although only 3 of the 6 zones got completed the entire crew still managed to pull 101 tires and a 30 cubic yard dumpster of trash. Here are some pictures from our section (zone 1) which was between Blackpoint rd bridge to the white bridge (sears bridge) just past the Old Mill. In this section alone we pulled 54 of the 101 tires.

For more information about this project or if you want to volunteer for the second cleanup (mid-end Aug) see their Facebook page at: Just 2 Eagle Scouts...

P.S. Sorry about the first post I guess the Insert Image function is not working... at least for me anyway

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Dam you, that was all good NJ trout habitat:crap:

Nice job! What are you doing next April near Earth Day when we do our annual Musky clean up???:looser:

 

[CTobias]

What are you doing next April near Earth Day when we do our annual Musky clean up???

He'll be working his new business startup, selling used tires.

 

[dcabarle]

Nice work! Just wondering, are there any trout in that area (Duke Island). I lived in Raritan right down the street from the park and fished it a few times but came up empty handed.

 

[NJDrew]

Nice work! Just wondering, are there any trout in that area (Duke Island). I lived in Raritan right down the street from the park and fished it a few times but came up empty handed.

That whole section is stocked, but there is not a lot of deep pockets down that far, so I doubt they survive threw the summer. When I was a kid I remember my grandfather pulling large trout out from bellow the dam, but it recent years I haven't heard of any large trout being pulled from there.

 

[NJDrew]

Dam you, that was all good NJ trout habitat:crap:

Nice job! What are you doing next April near Earth Day when we do our annual Musky clean up???:looser:

I can probably come and help if you have a date nailed down, with enough time for me to get off from work That would be nice as I am a TU member, but have not attended a TU... well anything :crap:

He'll be working his new business startup, selling used tires.

lol, yea right? No, lucky Joe and Steve made arrangements with Somerset County to dispose of all of the tires and garbage.

 

[lightenup]

That whole section is stocked, but there is not a lot of deep pockets down that far, so I doubt they survive threw the summer. When I was a kid I remember my grandfather pulling large trout out from bellow the dam, but it recent years I haven't heard of any large trout being pulled from there.

By the looks of his avatar DC, you probably lived there when his dad was pulling those trout from under the damn....

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I had an epic newspaper and in person debate with the former mayor and town council member from Raritan Twp. about the removal of the 3 dams that are now out. He was a highly effective vocal opponent of dam removal, a big-time angler for non-native fish stocked in that area, and he once had the ear of many of his (then) fellow council men/women. He would argue things like "the river has tons of native small and largemouth bass" or "I see some American shad above the dams", or my favorite, "there are lots of native rainbow and brown trout below the dams". I pointed out in the press that not one of those fish he fished for in the plunge pools below those 3 dams were "native" and that while he saw "a few American shad above the dams" (which was his way of saying that because some made it upstream, there was no need for dam removal), I asked him what about the historic run of 4.4 million shad that ran the river before the dams? He's long gone from having a voice and those three dams are out. The river continues to get trout stockings, but they do not survive the summer unless they find some thermal refugia in tribs or near spring holes.

 

[EJS]

Nice work! Just wondering, are there any trout in that area (Duke Island). I lived in Raritan right down the street from the park and fished it a few times but came up empty handed.

Duke Island is stocked above and below the falls pretty heavy. FYI.... The crowds casting with salt water rods, 2/0 hooks w/3oz of lead are just as heavy! The Flagtown stretch of the South Branch is stocked in 5 locations. This year was the first year I have seen hold over trout and fingerlins.

 

[EJS]

I was hoping NJDrew would post the date for part 2 of the river clean project. The second part of the clean up will take place on August 18th. We need volunteers, especially those with a canoe! For more information you can contact me, email 100rivertires@gmail.com or http://www.facebook.com/100tires

The A.O. for the August 18th cleanup will be Neshanic Station falls down stream to the Sellers Maintenance Facility (above Duke Island Park Falls).

We have tentative plans on a 3rd clean-up sometime early September. Best guess, the clean up will be from Route 202 Bridge (South Branch) in Raritan Township down to Blackpoint Road.

 

[ajfromnj]

My grandpa always took me below that dam! I can't believe the bridges are still there. Kudos on the "tire picking!"

 

[NJDrew]

I was hoping NJDrew would post the date for part 2 of the river clean project. The second part of the clean up will take place on August 18th. We need volunteers, especially those with a canoe! For more information you can contact me, email 100rivertires@gmail.com or http://www.facebook.com/100tires

The A.O. for the August 18th cleanup will be Neshanic Station falls down stream to the Sellers Maintenance Facility (above Duke Island Park Falls).

We have tentative plans on a 3rd clean-up sometime early September. Best guess, the clean up will be from Route 202 Bridge (South Branch) in Raritan Township down to Blackpoint Road.

Yea sorry I didn't get to it. The kids keep me busy after work. If anyone has the time to come out and lend a hand that would be a big help. Come on it will make you feel good... well after your arms and legs stop aching a few days later you will totally feel good about it

 

[Trouser Trout]

Just wanted to share with you guys/girl some pictures from this past Raritan River cleanup that I participated in. This project was organized by two of my cousins Joe and Steven and was for the most part a great success. The project was to remove garbage and debris from Blackpoint rd bridge in Neshanic Station to approx the River Rd Bridge past Duke Island in Raritan. Although only 3 of the 6 zones got completed the entire crew still managed to pull 101 tires and a 30 cubic yard dumpster of trash. Here are some pictures from our section (zone 1) which was between Blackpoint rd bridge to the white bridge (sears bridge) just past the Old Mill. In this section alone we pulled 54 of the 101 tires.

i believe what you removed is referred to as the "urban reef".

 

[NJDrew]

Here are a few articles written about the on going cleanup effort if you want to read them. The second round of river clean-up "Double Down" is this coming Sunday the 18th if anyone is interested.

'Double Down': Group returning to Raritan River for second round of tire cleanup effort | NJ.com (The Star-Ledger)

Photos: Raritan River cleanup volunteers hope to double their take of tires and debris | NJ.com (NJ.com)

Eagle Scouts Return for Another River Clean-Up - Around Town - Bridgewater, NJ Patch (NJ Patch)

 

[EJS]

Update time: After 3 clean ups, 508 tires were removed, 1 Transmission w/torque converter, 2 refrigerators , 1 dish washer, 1 hot water heater, 1 acetylene tank, 5 automobile alternators, several radios, 1 TV, wood burning stove, 4 or 5 bicycles, lawn furniture, pool covers and liners, 2 large steel A-frames, 1 diamond plate tool box, enough lumber to build a deck, several rooms of carpet, shingles and siding.... the list is endless, and roughly 70 cubic yards of trash.

Plans for 2014: We have several cleanup events planned moving up stream through Hunterdon County on the South Branch. As I have more details on events, I will post them.