Wickecheoke Creek Headwaters Restoration
Project Purpose: The goal of the project is to preserve the land and restore the area that will be impacted from demolition of a dilapidated house and garage.
Brief Description: New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) is working to preserve the Lo Property and two other properties which are part of a 78 acre initiative to protect the headwaters of the Wickecheoke Creek. As part of the due diligence, NJCF must have a plan for demolishing the abandoned house and garage. These structures are accessible via an existing 1930’s bridge which cannot support the truck, roll away and equipment necessary to complete the demolition work. A Coastal America supported military unit is available to erect a temporary bridge as part of a training exercise.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation is requesting funds to defray the cost of having a Coastal America supported military unit complete reconnaissance to assess and develop a plan for erecting the temporary bridge.
Resource Values/Project Outputs: The proposed temporary bridge will cross a NJDEP C1 trout maintenance stream. Sixty one percent of the property is stream and wetlands buffers. All these headwater lands supply drinking water to the Delaware Raritan Canal. The bridge will provide access to demolish the abandoned house and restore the area to its natural state. NJCF plans to work with NRCS to implement a conservation plan to recreate the wet native habitat that is indigenous to that area. The NJ Landscape Project has identified the site as having habitat for Bobolink, Vesper Sparrow, and Great Blue Heron and as a potential vernal habitat area.
Cost/Budget: $859 for the 1st Phase
Schedule:
1st Phase: Military reconnaissance to assess site and develop a plan for erecting the temporary bridge - November 2012;
2nd Phase: New Jersey Conservation Foundation to preserve the Lo Property – Fall 2013
3rd Phase: Temporary bridge installed – Spring 2014 (Completed over a weekend.) Demolition Work – Spring 2014 (Completed over a two week timeframe.)
4th Phase: Restoration Work on the Disturbed area – Spring/Summer 2014
Permit Status: New Jersey Conservation Foundation has received approval from DEP’s Division of Land Use Regulation that neither a Freshwater Wetlands nor a Flood Hazard Area permit is required to erect the temporary bridge.
List of Partners: New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Water Supply Authority, Hunterdon County Planning Department, Raritan Township, New Jersey Green Acres Program, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Coastal America.
What is requested from the CWRP/Contribution: $859 for the 1st Phase reconnaissance plan