Spring Garden Lake
A primary goal for the Florham Park Environmental Commission is to restore Spring Garden Lake, enabling visitors to access the lake and enjoy its natural state for hiking, fishing and relaxing. The 7+ acre lake was once a town gem, but has severely deteriorated. The vision is to rehabilitate Spring Garden Lake to be self-sustaining and a native ecosystem that can be a community treasure, recognized and enjoyed for its recreational and aesthetic value. The Commission’s hope is that the lake restoration can be a community project, involving all residents and backed by the support of prominent donors.
Volunteers Needed: Want to get your feet wet? Any high school students and adults interested in helping the Great Swamp Watershed monitor streams can contact Blaine Rothauser at info@florhamparkenvironmental.org or Kelley Curran at kcurran@greatswamp.org. Data is being gathered on Florham Park waterbodies not assessed by the NJDEP by conducting visual assessments in May/June and Nov/Dec.
Animal of the Month: Check out the Spring Garden Lake Animal of the Month:
Animal of the Month - June
Animal of the Month - July
CLEAN-UP DAYS: July 10th was the latest community cleanup where volunteers focused on spreading wood chips on the trail along the lake. Environmental Commission members maintained the floating wetlands. The April 24th clean-up was highly successful, with many new faces helping the Commission achieve its goals of removing invasive plants, planting native shrubs near the parking lot, as well as along the lake’s edge, and spreading tons of wood chips along the trail. Garden Club members are helping to beautify the area. Thanks to all our volunteers!
Volunteers from Goldman Sachs spent the day on May 6th restocking the floating wetlands with new material from Maryland Aquatics, and continued the efforts to spread wood chips and plant materials donated by NJ Fish and Wildlife.
GOOD NEWS: Water quality improved in 2009. The Spring Garden Lake Consultant Report, also posted with previous year reports in the Resources section, finds that while Spring Garden’s metrics are still below state standards, the effects of the floating wetlands contributed to lower amounts of phosphorous and total suspended solids.
Spring Garden Lake - Information for Residents Near the Lake
Spring Garden Lake Informational Flyer
eagle-article-march-2009.pdf
CAUGHT ANYTHING?
Let us know what type and size fish you’ve caught lately at Spring Garden Lake. We will be adding a fish log at the site and posting on the website. Remember, anyone age 16 and above must have a valid license to fish the fresh waters of New Jersey. See the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife site for more information: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/licenses.htm.
Also, please remember to practice standard fishing rules (avid fans know this but please take note if you are new to the lake): please ethically dispose of carp; all other fish should be thrown back in the lake; anything you bring into the area, be sure to bring out – don’t leave any garbage; use new hooks each time you fish: bass can get infections from being hooked many times over and over; try not to catch turtles; and finally, please report any violations to the Environmental Commission at info@florhamparkenvironmental.org.
PRESENTATION HELD 2/25/09
Blaine Rothauser engaged a group of more than 30 interested residents with his presentation of “The Ecological History of Spring Garden Lake” on Wednesday, February 25 at 7 pm at the Florham Park Library.
FIRST CLEAN-UP EVENT HELD ON 11/22/08
The Environmental Commission organized its first community clean-up day at Spring Garden Lake on Saturday, November 22 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. A number of volunteers helped pick up trash and debris in and around the lake. It was great to see new faces — thanks for everyone’s participation.