Environment

The Somerset County Park Commission Leonard J. Buck Garden has scheduled a “Flower & Landscape Photography” workshop on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 from 9:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. The session will take place at Leonard J. Buck Garden, 11 Layton Road in Far Hills, New Jersey. Presenter of the workshop will be professional photographer Brien Szabo (www.natureimages321.com) of Nature Images …

Somerset County Park Commission Leonard J. Buck Garden will celebrate Earth Day and the return of spring, hosting the 25th annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26, 2015, at 11 Layton Road in Far Hills. Event hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 P.M. on Saturday and from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday. Buck …

The township Shade Tree Commission has increased the maximum number of trees a township resident may purchase during its annual tree sale. Residents may buy up to six trees until April 8, according to a release from the commission. According to the commission’s Web site, the trees available for purchase include: Shade Trees October Glory Red Maple Fall Fiesta Sugar …

A redesigned plan for Catalpa Park – about one-third smaller than the original, controversial plan – was reviewed Feb. 17 by the Open Space Advisory Committee. The current proposed plan eliminates the two softball fields, three soccer fields, four basketball courts, a tot lot and bathroom that comprised the third phase of the original three-phase plan. The plan now under …

Township residents may find their tap water tasting a little off during February because the company which supplies Franklin with most of its water will temporarily change its water treatment methods. NJ American Water, based in Voorhees, announced that starting Feb. 1, it will treat water at its Canal Road water treatment plant with free chlorine, rather than the usual chloramines. Chloramines …

When all the blowing and snowing was done, Franklin Township was left under about 5 inches of snow in the Jan. 26-27 “blizzard that wasn’t.” The National Weather Service continually updated its forecast, with preliminary reports saying we would get as much as 24 inches of snow by today. That maximum total was subsequently reduced to 18, then 10, then …

The Jan. 24 snowstorm that hit the region left about 4.9 inches of snow in the township, according to the National Weather Service. More snow is expected to start the evening of Jan. 25 and continue through Jan. 27, according to the NWS. Snow began falling very early in the morning of Jan. 24 and lasted through most of the …

Township officials are hoping the second time is the charm with a $150,000 grant for improvements to Middlebush Park. The Township Council at its last meeting in 2014 approved the submission of a grant application to the American Water Charitable Foundation to build a natural play area in about 28,000 square feet of the park, located near a parking lot. …

Updated 11/27/14: A winter storm that had been forecast to drop between 5 and 10 inches of snow in the Franklin area Nov. 26 fizzled, leaving the township with little more than an inch of snow, but lots of slush and ice. The National Weather Service says there’s a slight chance of snow showers this morning, but they won;t leave …

Saying it would help them when reviewing future park development plans, members of the township’s Open Space Advisory Committee Nov. 18 asked for a complete inventory of Franklin’s playing fields. The request to the Township Council was the idea of member Arnold Schmidt, who said he was asking it in anticipation of new and old park requests coming before the committee to …