Environmental Programs

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Programs for residents, municipalities and the green industry.

Rain Garden

Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers environmental management programming in the areas of watershed protection and stormwater management, safe practices for urban gardening, and organic land care for landscapers. These programs are for municipalities, including environmental commissions and green teams, in addition to environmental groups, residents, youth groups and schools. For more information about these programs please click the links below or contact Michele Bakacs, County Environmental Agent at 732-398-5274 or bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Native Plant Donations for Habitat Projects

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County donates native plants to local organizations to create or enhance habitat, for example pollinator, butterfly, or rain gardens. To qualify the project must be located in Middlesex County and must be at a public location like a library, school, park, or municipal complex. For more information contact Michele Bakacs bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Organic Land Care for Landscapers

Watershed Protection and Stormwater (Including Rain Barrels)

Middlesex County's E.A.R.T.H. Center is a great place to learn about rain barrels, but programs can be held at your group's location as well.

Rain Barrels

Kids and Rain Barrels A rain barrel is placed under a gutter's downspout next to a house to collect rainwater from the roof. The rain barrel holds about 50 gallons of water which can be used to water gardens and for other uses. Harvesting rainwater has many benefits including saving water, saving money on your bill, and preventing basement flooding.

Manalapan Brook Watershed Restoration Project

Middlesex County Cooperative Extension Service with Rutgers has partnered with the Freehold Soil Conservation District and many other partners to help restore the Manalapan Brook Watershed.

The Manalapan Brook is a tributary of Raritan River and flows north from Monmouth County into Middlesex County. It includes Manalapan Lake in Thompson Park located in Monroe Township.

Video about the project and how you can get involved

Safe Practices for Urban Gardening

Residents of New Brunswick Learning Best Gardening Practices in City Soils Residents of New Brunswick are taught best practices when gardening in city soils.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County works with urban communities to ensure their soil and water is safe for gardening. Through the bilingual “Garden Guardian” program (El Protector de Jardín), we train residents and gardeners how to test their soil for contamination.

Many urban areas have high levels of lead in the soil. Lead is a poisonous metal found in nature at very low levels. In urban areas lead is usually higher in the soil due to a history of leaded gasoline and increased traffic along roadways. In addition lead gets into the soil from old chipped paint from houses, and if there was industry in the area.

For more information about making sure your backyard, community, or school garden is safe contact Michele Bakacs at 732-398-5274 or bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Additional Information

Rutgers Environmental Steward program

Are you concerned about the environment and want to learn how to make a difference? You can do all this and more as part of Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program!

This program is designed to introduce non-scientists to the science behind important environmental issues and the impacts of climate change affecting NJ. Stewards then give back to their own communities by helping to tackle local environmental problems. If you have a passion for the environment, a desire to learn and a willingness to volunteer, then this program is for you!

Classes convene weekly on Tuesdays from January 23 to May 14 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm with a content expert who covers that week’s topic. From 7:30pm - 8pm, classes break out into regions to cover local issues and meet with their coordinator for further discussion and activities.

Program fee - Early bird price is $300 through December 31. After December 31, the price is $325.

For more information and to register click here.

For all General Election information and election results, click here.

Middlesex County NJ

Environmental Programs

Rain Barrels

Manalapan Brook Watershed Restoration Project

Additional Information

Rutgers Environmental Steward program