Ramapo River Watershed Conference 2015 at Ramapo College

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Geoff Welch
(845) 712-5220
geoffwelch@gmail.com

Website for the conference is: http://ramaporiver.org/

Ramapo River Watershed Conference April 24 at Ramapo College

Mahwah, NJ – The 20th annual Ramapo River Watershed Conference will be held Friday, April 24, at Ramapo College of New Jersey from 10 am – 5 pm in the Trustees Pavilion, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, also known as Route 202. Presented by the Ramapo River Committee and the Institute for Environmental Studies at Ramapo College, the event features a variety of speakers on environmental topics focusing on the Ramapo Valley region in New York and New Jersey.

The event is free but registration is requested at geoffwelch@gmail.com or (845) 712-5220. The conference will include an update on Ford Motor Company’s latest paint sludge clean up in Torne Valley, a report on how the Ramapo River is changing from a freshwater stream to a waste water-dominant stream, the proposed Pilgrim pipeline, and a number of other topics.

 9:30 am - Coffee and Bagels

10:00 - Greetings: Ramapo College President Peter Mercer

10:10 - 20 Years along the Ramapo, A Retrospective: Geoff Welch and Howard Horowitz

10:35 –Sterling Forest vs. the Genting Casino: Rodger Friedman Co-chair, Sterling Forest Partnership

11:00 - The Proposed Pilgrim Pipeline: Threats to the Ramapo River and Aquifer: Matt Smith
Regional Organizer, Food & Water Watch

11:25 - The Controversial Case of a Proposed 204-Unit Ridge-Top Housing Complex near the Oakland-Wayne Border: Jeff Tittel: Executive Director of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club

11:45 - The Rockland County Water Management Task Force: How it was formed, its mission, composition, committee work and where we are with regard to meeting Public Service Commission goals: Harriet Cornell, Chair of the Environmental Committee of the Rockland County Legislature

12:15 pm – 1:30 pm LUNCH

1:30 - The Ramapo is changing from a freshwater stream to a wastewater-dominant stream, with an emphasis on how the Ramapo Valley Well Field and downstream well fields in NJ and reservoirs are impacted: Robert Kecskes, Retired from the NJDEP where he was responsible for state and regional water supply planning in New Jersey

2:15 - Torne Brook, Phase two of the Ford Motor Company Paint Sludge Remediation in Torne Valley, NY: Dr. Chuck Stead, Adjunct Professor, Ramapo College

2:45 - Ramapough Mountain Indians People, Places and Cultural Traditions: Edward Lenik is a past president of the Archaeological Society of New Jersey and author of many books including a series on Indian Rock Art in the northeast and the well-known "Iron Mine Trails" from the NY/NJ Trails Conference.

3:30 – What’s at Stake with the NJ Exxon Deal? An update from investigative journalist Bob Hennelly on the controversial settlement by the Christie Administration with Exxon-Mobil to settle close to $9 billion dollars in natural resource damage claims for less than 3 cents on the dollar. Bob Hennelly is the political analyst for WBGO, NPR in Newark, and is a regular contributor to Salon, City and State and City Limits. 

4:00 - 5:00 - Reception