Environment

The Colonial Park Gardens and Go-Green Committee have rescheduled the Arbor Day Celebration Native Tree Give-Away for Friday, June 19, 2020 at the Colonial Park Gardens, 156 Mettlers Road, Lot F. Curbside pickup of native trees will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Colonial Park Gardens. Information will be provided about each native tree species explaining the eventual …

One more township resident tested positive for the coronavirus over the previous 24 hours, the township Office of Emergency Management reported on June 3. There were no new deaths attributed to the disease in that time period, OEM said. That brings the total number of positive tests of Franklin residents to 1,218, according to OEM. Test samples for the coronavirus …

A nearly four-year battle against a project that would have placed a 32,000-horsepwer gas compressor station in the township ended May 15 with the denial of necessary permits by the state. In a decision based more on a technicality than environmental concerns, state environmental officials have denied a series of applications that would have allowed the construction of a 32,000-horsepower …

More than 1,000 homes are being added to Somerset County’s dual-stream recycling program in the township. Those added to the program will begin receiving two 65-gallon containers for the recyclables on March 12, according to a notice from the county recycling division. The new recycling program will begin on March 26. In November 2018, about 420 township households were switched …

Starting March 1, the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Somerset County open their free helpline to provide one-on-one answers for homeowner lawn, garden, and landscaping questions and challenges. Comprised of highly trained volunteers, the Rutgers Master Gardeners are great for supporting the communities needs in plant and insect identification, home landscaping and gardening, weed identification, as well as other areas if …

The township Environmental Commission plans to lobby the Township Council to institute a ban on single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam. The township would join the growing list of New Jersey communities banning the use of single-use plastic bags under a proposal being prepared by the Environmental Commission. The proposal, now in the discussion stage, would also ban the use of …

George Hamilton, from Rutgers University’s entomology department, talks to the Environmental Commission about the spotted lanternfly at the commission’s Nov. 4 meeting. Somerset County was recently added to the list of quarantined counties by state agricultural officials trying to battle an invasive insect that can wreak havoc if left unchecked. Somerset County joins Burlington, Camden, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, and Warren …

The Colonial Park Gardens staff will present a unique program, “Forest Bathing,” on Saturday, September 7 at the Colonial Park Gardens, Parking Lot A. The program will run from noon to 2 p.m. The Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, which translates as “forest bathing”, is intended to help foster a connection with nature that feeds the mind, body, and spirit. Off …

Members of the Open Space Advisory Committee recommended some changes to the township’s hunting program. The number of permits for most of the township’s hunting sites should be increased for the 2019-20 hunting season, the township Open Space Advisory Committee decided at its June 18 meeting. Committee members hope that doing so will increase the number of deer culled during …

An estimated 150 people gathered at the Franklin-New Brunswick border on Hamilton Street April 13 to carry on the legacy of the man who started the township stream cleanings decades ago. The inaugural John Clyde Memorial Stream Cleanup at Mile Run was attended by township residents and representatives, as well as by members of a handful of local environmental groups. …