TheWayneEnvironmentalCommissionwas establishedbyTownshipordinanceasaquasiautonomousbodytoengageinvarious environmentalactivitiesaimedatprotecting naturalresourcesandpromotingtheirwiseuse. Commissionersservewithoutcompensation, butWayneTownshipprovidesaminimal budgetaryallowanceforcertainadministrative andeducationalexpenses.Thecommission consistsofsevenmemberswhoserve staggeredthree-yearterms,withonemember alsoservingasaplanningboardrepresentative.
Someofthepowersanddutiesofthe Commissioninclude: Gatheringinformation
Offeringadvicetootheragencies
Acquiringlandandendangeredopenspace withtheTownship’sapproval
Makingrecommendationstotheplanning boardand/orMayorandCouncilregarding thedevelopmentanduseofsuchareas
TheCommissionmembersarededicatedto addressingtheenvironmentalconcernsofthe Townshipandprotectingtheenvironmentfor futuregenerations.
LeifSkogberg,Chair
VoulaPapadopoulos,ViceChair
JoshuaMorris,Secretary
FrankTroia PlanningBoardMember
MariaAgapito
WECNewsletterEditor
JakeHiguera
StudentMembers
AlisonJordan (WayneHills)
AveryDerstine(WayneValley)
AbhinavJacobs(PCTI)
CouncilLiaison
FrancineRitter
HistoricalFoundation
WEC joins Earth Day celebration at Laurelwood Arboretum OnApril27th,2024theLaurelwoodArboreturm celebratedEarthDay2024withatheme“Planet vs.Plastics”,thiseventwashostedbyFriendsof LaurelwoodArboretum andsponsoredby
Packanack Day ! - July 20, 2024 At Packanack Day, an annual festival held in one of Wayne’s most populous subcommunities, Wayne Environmental Commissioners Abhinav Jacobs and Voula Papadopoulos manned the Garden Club booth. Representing Wayne Grounded, Abhinav Jacobs, Francesca DiGiovanni, and Morgan Lee, ran a station letting kids planttheirownnativeplants!Kidswhostoppedbywenthomewithabiodegradable planter and a smile on their faces. Wayne’’s pollinators will sure be happy to have somepollinator-friendlynativeflowersaroundtown GlenwildGardenCenter&NurseryofBloomingdaleand BartlettTreeExpertsofDenville.Theeventfeaturedvicinity tours,educationaldisplaysandinformation,naturecrafts andartprojectsforchildren,storytimefortots,naturethemedraffleitems.TheWayneEnvironmental Commissionerswerepresenttoshowtheirsupport. Thecommissionershadtheopportunitytomeetmembers oftheWaynecommunity.
Ontheothersideofthetable,kidslearned aboutcompostsciencefromVoula!Thekids gotachancetoseewormsinaction,and learnedabouthowdecomposerscontribute tohealthiersoil!Wormsaeratethesoil,break downgrassclippingsandotherorganic matter,andexcretecastingsthatadd nutrientstothesoil.TheGardenClubthanks theWayneGroundedvolunteersformanning theirfunandinformativebooth.
WEC Commissioners Mr Leif Skogberg & Ms Voula Papadopoulos hosting the WEC table
WEC Commissioners Jake Higuera & Dr Agapito
WEC Commissioners Voula Papadopoulos & Abhinav Jacobs Wayne Grounded Staff: Abhinav Jacobs, Francesca DiGiovanni, Morgan Lee Source Compost: Voula Papadopoulos
WEC commissioners showcased @ TAPinto Wayne - 08/09/2024 WAYNE,NJ-TheChairpersonoftheWayneEnvironmental Commission(WEC)willbesittingonthetownship'snew MasterPlanSteeringCommittee,helpingtoshapethe futureofWayneTownship (ReadMoreinLink)
The Rutgers Study: A Catalyst for Wayne Township's Infrastructure and Impervious Cover Management Astheamountandintensityofrainincreases,sodoesthetotalvolumeofwater washingoverourroads,parkinglots,roofs,driveways,andotherimpervioussurfaces. Thisstormwaterpicksupandcarriespollutantsandsolidsoverthesurface,through ourstormwatersystems,andtoourlakes,rivers,andstreams Toaddressthisissue, WayneaskedRutgersCooperativeExtensionWaterResourcesProgramtoprepare reportstoserveasthebasisforfurtheraction.
ThislinkcontainstheImperviousCoverAssessment(ICA),ImperviousCover ReductionActionPlan(RAP),andGreenInfrastructureFeasibilityStudythataimto identifytheamountofimperviouscoverandtherunoffvolumeandprovidea blueprintforimplementinggreeninfrastructurepracticesthatwillreducetheimpact ofstormwaterrunoff Checkoutthereports,learnabouttheimperviouscoveraround Wayne,andfindouthowyoucanhelpwiththepreviouslymentionedlink!
Local Volunteering Organization - Wayne Grounded Est. 2024 Runbyagroupofpassionatehighschool students,WayneGroundedseeksto promoteecologicalwellnessby reintegratingnativeplantsandfinding creativeusesforinvasiveplants.Sofar, theyhaveruneducationalcamps, garbageclean-ups,andcommunity gardeningevents. Learnmoreatwww.waynegrounded.org
https://waynetownship.com/
WEC Commissioners @Tapinto
WECParticipation Taking Out Invasive Species and Planting Natives WhatisanInvasivePlantSpecies? 1.
Non-native to the ecosystem under consideration (e g , New Jersey)
2.
Likelytocauseeconomicorenvironmental harm or harm to human health upon introduction
Thesespeciescanoutcompetenativeplantsforresourcesthroughaggressive ornovelreproduction,environmentalendurance,and/orlackofnatural predators.
Theyachievethisby:
Changinghabitatstructure
Alteringsoilchemistry
Dominatingavailablespace
Absorbingsunlightorshadingotherplants
Moreefficientlyutilizingnutrients
October:
UpcomingEvents NatureJournaling:AProfessionalDevelopmentWorkshopforK-12Educators October4@4:00pm -October5@3:30pm
"HowtoCreateaNo-FussWildlifePond"webinarbyPatSutton,Wednesday,Oct 9,7:30pm, Registeratnpsnj,org.
FieldForestryandClimateChangeWorkshopOctober10@4:00pm-October11@4:00pm
WayneEnvironmentalCommissionMeeting-Tuesday,October22,2024
MeettheWEC@theWayneFarmer’smarket-Saturday,October19,9amto2pm, -Freebaby NativeTreegiveaways
WayneGroundedCommunityGardening-Saturday,October26th,2024 Registerat www.waynegrounded.org
November
WayneEnvironmentalCommissionMeeting-Tuesday,November 19,2024
December
WayneEnvironmentalCommissionMeeting-Tuesday,December 17,2024
Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica
English Ivy Hedera helix
Japanese Stiltgrass Microstegium vimineum
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
