VOLUNTEER EFFORT AT DUCK ISLAND A HUGE SUCCESS!
MARCH 1, 2021:
PARTNERSHIPS! This is how we can achieve our goals towards creating a healthier environment for all. On a rainy Saturday morning in late February, ten dedicated volunteers from the Central Jersey Stream Team, the Hackensack Riverkeeper, D&R Canal State Park staff and the owner of Tire Disposal Service pulled out 216 muck filled tires from the canal at the Duck Island section of the park - 216 TIRES!! While these dedicated volunteers provided the muscle power, the Mercer County Clean Communities program funded the responsible disposal of the tires. Some of the tires pulled our of the water date back to the 1960's!!! We can't thank all of these groups enough for taking on this challenge and look forward to PARTNERING with them again. There is more work to be done but with dedication of organizations like these we can make a difference. Please consider volunteering for a clean up near you, every set of hands is appreciated.
Dredge Project Updates for the 2020-21 Season
March 2021 Project update:
BE ADVISED:
Click here for details about this project.
December 2020 Project update:
BE ADVISED:
Click here for details about this project.
operations to begin in the spring:
BE ADVISED: The D&R Canal Dredging project will begin operations at Access Area 5 (East Millstone Park) located near the intersection of MARKET STREET and AMWELL ROAD starting on, or about, APRIL 1, 2020. The initial work involves mobilization of equipment and materials to the area, as well as a small soil sampling program. The contractor will occupy this area to support operations through October 31, 2020. Demobilization and restoration of the area will be conducted during November 2020.
PROJECT UPDATE: JUNE 12, 2020
Hidden in Plain Sight!
October 1, 2020: While it’s not unusual for researchers to make new discoveries - a private collection of letters, newly archived documents that were previously inaccessible, recently gifted journals, photographs, objects and/or manuscripts - it is a happy surprise to literally uncover a historic structure thought to be long gone. In this case the rebuilt bridge tender’s station at Zarephath! Covered in vines, brush, overgrown grass and presumed to be a storage shed, upon closer inspection, and a bit of research, was revealed to be the rebuilt station that once stood next to the western facade of Zarephath Bridge Tender’s House and alongside the canal! In the two top black & white photos pictured here, the house and its station are seen in their original locations at Chapel Drive near the campus of what was “The Pillar of Fire” community then "Somerset Christian College" and now "Pillar College". The photo on the left - snapped in the late 1970s-early 80s show a a house in need of some care and the original station precariously supported on blocks. The image on the right, taken around 1915-1920, captures a well-maintained house along with its station and outhouse in the waning years before the canal closed as a transportation corridor. A project to rehab/restore the house and move the station away from the canal’s bank was completed in the early 1990s. Plans from the project revealed that much of the station was too far gone to save it and so a decision was made to create a replica using what materials could be salvaged from the original structure including the wood door. The rebuilt replacement was positioned behind the house, used by past tenants as a storage shed and its original purpose slowly forgotten in the 28 years that followed. Happily the structure, and it’s story, has been recently rediscovered and can now proudly take its rightful place on the very exclusive short list of similar surviving bridge tender’s stations that still stand along the canal!
LAMBERTVILLE UPDATE: ASH & AILANTHUS TREE REMOVAL
ADVISORY - SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 (updated October 28, 2020):
Why do trees along the towpath have orange markers?
Project Work Dates: Nov 9, 2020 - Nov 20, 2020
Why are ailanthus trees being removed?
Why are ash trees being removed?
Why do these pests spread in D&R?
What is the timeline?
Tree removal and ailanthus stump treatment will begin in the Fall of 2020.
More information:
The park service has marked ailanthus and ash trees along the D&R Canal State Park towpath in the City of Lambertville (Eastern side of Canal) for removal.
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), is an invasive non-native species which outcompetes New Jersey’s native species. It is also a species is known for attracting the invasive non-native insect the spotted lanternfly. The spotted lanternfly feeds on over 70 different plant species, including fruit trees, ornamental trees, vegetables, herbs and vines. The pest poses a threat to the health of New Jersey's agriculture and forests.
Ash trees have been impacted by the emerald ash borer, an invasive non-native beetle that has killed hundreds of millions of trees in North America. Once an ash tree is infested with emerald ash borer, the beetle kills the tree within three to four years, and 99% of the ash trees die after initial infestation. Ash die from the top down and rapidly become brittle, and potentially risk dropping large branches and tree tops. The brittleness of the infested trees poses a safety concern for park patrons in heavily-used areas. The removal of EAB-infested Ash trees throughout the park, including the City of Lambertville, has been specifically authorized by the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission (DRCC #16-4938), which was granted a certificate of approval on February 15, 2017 which remains valid until 2022.
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park is 70-miles long and wooded which helps the invasive insects easily spread throughout the park and to adjacent areas.
Milepost 22/22 Returns to the Towpath
The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park is happy to welcome back an old friend! On October 4, 2019 an important piece of the historic canal was reinstalled along its towpath. Milepost 22/22 - the marker which indicates the halfway point along the canal's 44-mile main stem from Bordentown to New Brunswick - was carefully retrieved, patched and put back in place between Rocky Hill and Griggstown. It had been knocked off its base years ago and lay hidden in the floodplain under overgrown grass, plants and poison ivy. Lost, but by no means forgotten, it was recently spotted by a regular park user who reached out to the D&R Canal Commission and advocated for its retrieval. After determining its condition, and discussing all options with the Park staff, it was decided to attempt a rescue, repair and reinstall mission. Thanks to the local resident who brought the wayward milepost to our attention, the D&R Canal Commission for funding the project and the expert crew from Pennacchi & Sons who did the work, this historic piece of the D&R Canal State Park has been returned to its rightful place on the towpath - a successful team effort! Welcome back 22/22! Long may you stand!
