About

Sterling Forest: Once again this ecologically threatened area is under threat—this time from casino developers.  The Sierra Club and many other environmental and community groups fought to save Sterling Forest more than a decade ago and now it is facing this new threat.  For more information about these issues, to become involved, or to receive local environmental alerts, please contact our Conservation Co-Chairs: Mary Ellen Shaw (meshaw.001@gmail.com) or Beth Ravit (ravit@envsci.rutgers.edu).  
 
Appalachian Trail: Our group maintains the most magnificent section of the Appalachian Trail in NJ (up Wawayanda Mountain).  If you think might want to join us, just send an e-mail to martincohen@verizon.net.
 
Power Plant: The North Bergen Meadowlands are at risk from construction of a Fracked Gas Power Plant that wont even be used for power in the Local Area, and will cause dangerous levels of polution in the area.
 

Ford Motor Company Superfund site in Mahwah and Ringwood New Jersey: In 1955, Ford Motor Company built the largest auto plant in Mahwah, NJ. They began using paints for their cars, red, blue and green. The paint chemicals had to be quickly cleaned out and removed. There were no restrictions on dumping but the company knew it could cause a risk so the paints and other debris were dumped in the Ramapough mines mostly and their neighborhoods, as well as in Mahwah and up the chain in NY. (The mob was heavily involved in the dumping and paying people off). The greatest impact was in Ringwood, NJ. where tribal members fished, hunted and planted subsistence gardens. They lived off of the land. They began getting exotic cancers, lead poisoning in children, skin cancers, etc. No one listened. A law suit was filed that only got a meager settlement. The land has twice been declared a superfund site, as they failed to clean up the first time.  The people are continuing to seek justice while Ford is planning to cap the mines and build a recycling plant on top of it. The waterways are threatened and the toxins will impact communities south of the area.