Past, Present and Future of Ramapo River Is Focus of Watershed Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2013

Contact:
Geoff Welch
(845) 712-5220 Cell – (845) 536-4145
geoffwelch@gmail.com

2013 Ramapo River Watershed Conference at Ramapo College

Mahwah, NJ – The 18th annual Ramapo River Watershed Conference will be held Friday, April 26, at Ramapo College of New Jersey from 10 am – 5 pm in the Trustees Pavilion, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, also known as Route 202.

The event, presented by the Ramapo River Committee and the Environmental Studies Program at Ramapo College, will feature an exceptional variety of speakers on environmental and cultural topics pertaining to the Ramapo Valley in New Jersey and New York.

The event is free but registration is requested at: geoffwelch@gmail.com

This year’s conference will present updates on watershed events, including: the massive Ford paint sludge remediation in Torne Valley in Ramapo, NY;  news from the Ramapo River headwaters in Orange County, NY; recent studies on Eastern timber rattlesnakes (a threatened species in New York and New Jersey); Cropsey’s Castle, Aladdin: the artist’s summer home near Warwick, NY – based on new research by Cropsey expert, Dr. Kenneth Maddox, we will get a virtual tour of  Cropsey’s design for this legendary mansion, destroyed by fire in 1909 (while he lived at Aladdin, Cropsey frequently traveled to paint in the Ramapo Valley) ; the ongoing pollution from the Mulch Pile Site and the problematic DeMarino Soil Site in Tuxedo, NY; New Jersey Highlands issues; environmental impact assessment of natural gas pipeline expansions in the NJ Highlands Region; DuPont pollution and remediation in Pompton Lakes, NJ.

There will be coffee and bagels at 9:30 am before the event starts.

10:00 - Opening Remarks: Ramapo College President Peter Mercer, SSHS Dean Sam Rosenberg. Greetings - Geoff Welch, Chair, the Ramapo River Committee; Dr. Howard Horowitz, Professor of Geography, Ramapo College

10:20 am - Update on Ford Paint Sludge Remediation in Torne Valley – Christopher  St. Lawrence, Supervisor, Town of Ramapo N.Y, and Chuck Stead Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator / Adjunct Professor, Ramapo College

10:45 am - News from the Headwaters: What do we know about the Upper Ramapo?  Ed Helbig, Orange County Water Authority and Dave Church, Orange County Planning Commissioner

11:15 am - Recent Studies on Eastern Timber Rattlesnakes in the Highlands from the Delaware to the Hudson, Randy Stechert

11:45 am - Cropsey’s Castle, Aladdin: the Artist’s Summer Home Near Warwick, New York:  Dr. Kenneth Maddox, Art Historian, the Newington Cropsey Foundation

12:30-1:30 pm     LUNCH BREAK 

1:30 pm - Updates on Tuxedo Environmental Issues, the Mulch Pile Site and the DeMarino Soil Site: James Hays PhD. Special Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

2:00 pm - Assessing Cumulative Impacts of Gas Pipelines in the Highlands Region:  Ramapo Environmental Research Collaborative (a project of the Ramapo College Environmental Assessment capstone course)

2:30  pm  - New Jersey Highlands Updates: Wilma Frey, Senior Policy Manager, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and Erica Van Auken, Campaign and Grassroots Coordinator, New Jersey Highlands Coalition

3:00 pm - Acid Brook – DuPont Pollution and Remediation in Pompton Lake: Mike Reinhart, Environmental Specialist, Passaic River Coalition; Jan Barry, Environmental Journalist, Ramapo College Adjunct Professor; Bill Wolfe, N.J. PEER; Ed Merrill, Pompton Lakes Environmental Officer; and a DuPont Representative. 

4:00 – 5: 00 pm Wine and Cheese Reception