Environment

The township Advisory Recreation Council discussed how township park usage could be measured. Responding to criticism leveled at a recent proposed park, the newly minted director of the township Parks & Recreation Department said he wants to come up with a better way to gauge township park use. Director William “Beau” Byrtus said at the February 10 virtual meeting of …

Princeton activist Eunice Wong speaks to the Environmental Commission during its February 1 virtual meeting. The Environmental Commission wants to know if Franklin residents support some type of ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Commission members came to that decision during their February 1 virtual meeting, after hearing from a Princeton-based activist who is getting her town to act on a …

The use of gas-powered leaf blowers has become a hot topic in many communities across the country. (Photo: Franklin Township Environmental Commission.) The community is invited to join the township Environmental Commission for a virtual discussion about the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, set for 7 p.m. on February 1. The Commission has invited Eunice Wong, a well-known activist on …

A video still of the January 12 prescribed burn at the John Clyde Memorial Native Grasslands. There may be more prescribed burns in the future for the township’s preserved grassland sites. A January 12 burn at John Clyde Memorial Native Grasslands apparently went so well that the township’s Open Space Advisory Committee will recommend more. Prescribed burns are conducted for …

A project touted to help reduce the utility bills for township low- and moderate-income families is expected to receive the Township Council’s support. The project was introduced to the Council’s Public Works Committee by representatives from Manhattan-based Dimension Renewable Energy, who propose installing solar arrays on some of the township’s larger warehouse buildings, Township Councilman Ted Chase (D-Ward 1) told …

A public hearing will be conducted in January to get residents’ input on changing the use of a 1-acre parcel of land at New Brunswick Road and Willow Avenue to create a park. Township residents will have the chance in January to give their opinions on a proposed “pocket park” at New Brunswick Road and Willow Avenue. The Township Council …

The winners of the 2020 Trails Advisory Committee’s “Take A Photo From A Trail” photo contest have been announced. The annual contest is open to children and adults and seeks to publicize the benefits of Franklin’s many trails. The categories are each of the areas which host trails. Following are the winning photographs: Bunker Hill Natural Area A Secret Place …

An aerial view of the Bunker Hill Environmental Center, showing the building’s roof. A bid by a member of the Open Space Advisory Committee to recommend installing a “green roof” on the Bunker Hill Environmental Center got no traction at the Committee’s October 20 virtual meeting. Open Space members didn’t think the location was right for a green roof, and …

Volunteers are being sought for the annual John Clyde Stream Cleanup. (File Photo). The annual John Clyde Stream Cleanup is set for 9:30 a.m. to noon September 26 at Seeley’s Run. The annual event, sponsored by the township Environmental Commission, is named after the late former township Mayor who created it. The Commission is partnering with Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership …

A proposed township ban on most single-use plastics is ready after months of work, but the question of whether the Township Council will entertain it remains open. The township’s Environmental Commission spent hours over the last six months agonizing over what would be included in the proposed ordinance, finally settling on most single-use bags, polystyrene foam products and plastic straws. …