Home Care In Green Pond, NJ

Officials are warning pet owners about algae discovered in a pond at a popular New Jersey dog park that could be deadly to animals.

On Monday, Camden County officials were notified after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) confirmed a “moderate health level risk” in Timber Creek Pond at Timber Creek Dog Park in Gloucester Township.

Officials said they detected cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae – in the pond. Cyanobacteria is a microscopic organism found naturally in all kinds of water that sometimes grows rapidly out of control. When the algae blooms, it can create toxins that are deadly for animals when ingested.

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“Once they’ve been exposed, either eating or drinking the contaminated water it can be fatal within 30 minutes to several hours,” Dr. Cassie Janson, a veterinary criticalist at Mt. Laurel Animal Hospital, told NBC10.

Dr. Janson said exposure to the algae puts them at risk for liver toxicity or neurotoxicity.

“You might see things like convulsions, seizures, tremors, paralysis or collapse,” Dr. Janson said.

County officials posted signs at the park warning pet owners to not let their animals swim in or drink from the pond.

“With this confirmation, we have set up signs around the pond to alert visitors of the situation,” Camden County health officer Paschal Nwako said. “We are working to explore treatments for the lake to avoid this happening in future seasons but for now, please keep pets away from the pond.”

The county Parks Department will work with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension to determine ways to “resolve the bloom in the pond,” officials said. Mike Haberland, a researcher with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, told NBC10 there are ways to quickly kill the algae.

“There are various products we can apply to the water surface that settle down to the bottom,” Haberland said.

The DEP would have to first approve any potential treatment for the algae.

Owners of animals that may have been exposed to the algae should call a veterinarian if their pet has the following symptoms:

If you have any additional questions about cyanobacterial toxin poisoning, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

This moderate-to-strenuous 4.5-mile hike in Harriman State Park goes by Green Pond, one of the few pristine lakes in the park, and reaches the Boston Mine, a 19th-century iron mine carved into the hillside. The hike, which should take about two and a half hours, is not exceptionally difficult (it involves a gain of elevation of about 500 feet), but it is rated “moderate-to-strenuous” because there are several steep climbs and descents, and a few sections traverse very rocky terrain. Dogs are permitted on leash.

To get to the trailhead from Bergen County, take N.J. Route 17 north to the New York State Thruway. Bear left at the fork (following I-87 towards Albany) and take the first exit, Exit 15A (Sloatsburg). Turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto N.Y. Route 17 north, and continue for 2.5 miles through the Village of Sloatsburg. Just past the village, turn right at the traffic light, following the sign for Seven Lakes Drive/Harriman State Park. Continue on Seven Lakes Drive for 10.3 miles to the Tiorati Circle.

Take the third exit from the traffic circle, which leads to Arden Valley Road. Go around the barricade (it warns, “no thru traffic,” but it is permissible to use Arden Valley Road to access the Elk Pen parking area) and continue on Arden Valley Road for 4.8 miles. Turn left and park in the Elk Pen parking area. NOTE: The bridge that carries Arden Valley Road over the New York State Thruway is closed to vehicular traffic, so the Elk Pen parking area cannot be accessed directly from Route 17. The trailhead is about 40 miles from Teaneck, and it should take about 55 minutes to get there.

From the parking area, proceed east on a grassy woods road across the meadow. You are following the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, with some white blazes on posts. At the end of the meadow, the trail curves to the right. In another 100 feet, the Appalachian Trail leaves to the left, but you should continue ahead, now following the inverted-red-triangle-on-white blazes of the Arden-Surebridge (A-SB) Trail.

You are heading south along the Arden Road, built by Edward Harriman in the 1890s. In places, the old road has narrowed to a footpath. You will notice remnants of an old wire fence on the right. This fence was built to enclose an area once inhabited by elk brought from Yellowstone National Park in 1919. The elk did not thrive, and the small remnant of the herd was relocated in 1942. The area formerly enclosed by the fence, though, is still known as the Elk Pen.

In a third of a mile, the A-SB Trail turns left, leaving the road, but you should continue ahead along the road, now following the Stahahe Brook Trail, marked with red-horizontal-stripe-on-white blazes. In another third of a mile, you’ll reach Stahahe Brook, with attractive cascades on the left. The road formerly crossed the brook on a stone-arch bridge, but the bridge was washed away during Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Follow the Stahahe Brook Trail as it turns left and begins to climb on a footpath parallel to the brook, visible below to the right. In about 0.4 mile, after a brief descent, the Stahahe Brook Trail ends at a junction with the white-blazed Nurian Trail.

Turn left onto the Nurian Trail, which climbs on switchbacks. From the crest of the rise, the trail descends to cross the outlet stream of Island Pond, with a cascading waterfall on the left. It then turns left and begins to parallel the stream, passing more cascades and waterfalls. At the top of the ravine, it goes through the Valley of Boulders—a narrow passage between large rocks.

After climbing some more, the Nurian Trail bears left and runs along a long, sloping rock, with limited west-facing views. A short distance beyond the end of the rock, you’ll reach a junction with the yellow-blazed Dunning Trail. Turn right, leaving the Nurian Trail, and follow the yellow blazes.

The Dunning Trail soon reaches a rock ledge overlooking Green Pond. This pristine pond—one of the very few in the park that was not enlarged by the construction of dams—is surrounded by reeds. You’ll want to take a break here to enjoy the wild beauty of this special spot.

The trail continues along the north shore of Green Pond, following a rugged, rocky route. At one point, the trail passes beneath an overhanging rock. The trail bears right at a fork and continues along the east shore of the pond. After moving away from the pond, the Dunning Trail crosses the white-blazed Nurian Trail, then turns left onto Island Pond Road, a woods road. Soon, the yellow-blazed trail turns right, leaving the road, and—in about 150 feet—reaches the entrance to the Boston Mine. This mine, which was last worked in 1880, is cut into the hillside, with a water-filled pit at the northern end. The mine entrance is usually quite wet, and caution should be exercised. (Do not approach the water-filled pit.)

After taking a look at this interesting mine, go back to Island Pond Road and turn right. There are no blazes to guide you along this stretch of the road, but the route is clear and unmistakable. The road gradually descends through hemlocks and mountain laurel. After about a third of a mile, the A-SB Trail (inverted red triangle on white blazes) joins from the right. You’ll be following this trail for nearly the rest of the hike.

Just beyond, you’ll reach a fork, where you should bear left, continuing to follow the red-triangle-on-white blazes. A short distance beyond, the red-triangle-on-white blazes bear left again, leaving Island Pond Road, and descend to cross the outlet stream of Island Pond. The trail continues around the southern end of Green Pond Mountain and comes out in an area where young hemlocks and pines are beginning to revegetate an area damaged by a forest fire. Just before the trail begins a steep descent, an unmarked side trail on the right leads to a limited west-facing viewpoint from open rocks.

The A-SB Trail now turns right and begins to run along a ledge, with a fairly steep drop to the left. Soon, it turns sharply left and begins a rather steep descent on switchbacks, passing a huge overhanging rock on the left. At the base of the steep descent, it bears left and crosses a stream. It then turns right, climbs a little and levels off, passing an interesting rock formation on the right. Soon, it again begins to descend, but on a more moderate grade.

After crossing another stream, you’ll reach Arden Road. Turn right and follow the road, now retracing your steps. Where the A-SB Trail ends, turn left and follow the white-blazed Appalachian Trail across the meadow to return to the Elk Pen parking area, where the hike began.

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What began as a summer job has now taken young Brennan McVey to the steps of the Rockaway Township Municipal building and the mayor's office. Known by his neighbors and the township as the "Garbage Can Concierge," McVey was honored with a special proclamation during the regular Rockaway Township Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, for his work to help his neighbors and prevent unwanted run-ins with the local bear population.

"Our children are our future, and when a child can respond to the needs by making a decision that gives a community a chance to improve its quality of life, it represents a great moment for our township. Brennan is a shining example of a positive and motivated individual. He identified a community need and through his entrepreneurial spirit rose to the occasion," Mayor Michael Dachisen read before the public when he presented the proclamation.

The 10-year-old Green Pond resident had a vision this past summer to help stop bears in his neighborhood from becoming endangered "nuisances" by helping his neighbors take out the trash the morning of pickup.

McVey, who is a fifth grader at Katherine D. Malone Elementary School, noticed that some of his neighbors would leave the garbage out the night before, an open invitation to bears.

"I saw a lot of bears in the neighborhood and I thought I could help," he said.

On collection day, McVey gets up early on the morning and heads to the houses of the neighbors who agreed to pay a small fee to have the young entrepreneur bring out their trash to the curb.

"We had a lot of bear sightings in our community. This is one way to stop the bears from coming in by keeping the food source away," the mayor added.

McVey has turned the Garbage Concierge into a business, posting fliers around Green Pond and soon his neighborhood took to the idea.

Joined by his mother, Denise, and stepfather, Peter Blasevick, Brennan sat in the front row during the council meeting waiting to hear his named called by Mayor Dachisen. They had learned of the honor a month ago, and were contacted by the township.

In addition, Angi Metler, director of the Bear Education Resource Center, and executive director of the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, presented McVey with a certificate of appreciation for his work to use the Garbage Concierge as a way to "protect" the bears.

During public comments, resident Eleanor Hoffman spoke before the council on the recent bear hunt in Rockaway Township. She expressed her concerns of the check-in station being within public view where hunters weigh the remains. In doing so, she referenced the killing of Pedals, the popular bi-pedal bear who was hunted down earlier this fall.

"It simply adds insult to injury to have the check-in station put the bears on public display," Hoffman said. "It's been all over the newspapers, Facebook and Internet media about Pedals being on display at the Rockaway Township weigh station on Green Pond Road. That is not a proud moment for Rockaway Township. Kids see these images as they drive past in buses and cars, they shouldn't have to.

Hoffman called on the council to take action and work with the State of New Jersey to have the station closed down.

"Nothing is impossible," Hoffman said. "I'm far from the only resident feeling this way."

In response, Council President Stephen Antonelli said they will look into the matter but echoed that the check-in station is run by the State of New Jersey, and there may not be much they can do about it.

"I know past mayors and residents have tried to address the issue with the bear check-in station, but they've been told it's (state) property. We have soccer fields near that property, and I know they moved the check-in station away from the road somewhat. We will follow up with the state. There was a time three or four years ago during the first or second bear hunt, the state talked about using it only temporarily, but they've continued to use it," Antonelli said.

The council wrapped up the night discussing support for a Verizon Cell Tower at the Route 15 South maintenance yard for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. NJDOT, along with Verizon Wireless, has identified the maintenance yard as a potential location for a 150-foot monopole that would be on a 50-foot by 50-foot area that currently houses storage containers on the property. Access would be restricted to Verizon only off Union Turnpike.

The council would like to see that residents on Union Turnpike be notified, and, possibly, hold a public meeting on the topic.

Last June, the waters of New Jersey’s Lake Hopatcong were poisoned by pond scum.

At first, the bloom of blue-green algae was limited to a few near-shore areas on the water. But as summer 2019 progressed, the bloom spread across the entire lake, bringing with it a musty smell … and a perilous surprise.

The blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, limited oxygen in the water and released powerful toxins into the North Jersey lake. That rendered the lake unusable for fishers, swimmers and boaters and endangered the wildlife that used it as a water source.

“Beaches closed when cyanobacteria cell counts reached 20,000 cells/mL [the state’s criteria for public health advisory warnings],” said Colleen Lyons, consultant for the Lake Hopatcong Commission, the panel created by the state that is charged with protecting the lake’s water quality and preserving its natural, scenic, historical and recreational resources. “The lake received less visitors, and businesses around the lake, including restaurants and marinas, were impacted.”

The toxic algal blooms affected freshwater lakes across New Jersey, including in and around Asbury Park. They dissipated in the fall, but the environmental and economic impact to those lakes and surrounding communities remained.

This summer, scientists say, it’ll be different.

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Located 30 miles from the Delaware River in Morris and Sussex counties, Lake Hopatcong is New Jersey’s largest freshwater body. Starting this month, it’s also New Jersey’s testing ground for possible solutions to the problem of harmful algal bloom statewide.

To understand the prevalence of that algal bloom, it’s important to understand the difference between what scientist Fred Lubnow, of the environmental service Princeton Hydro, calls “good algae” and “bad algae.”

“The good algae are the ones that are very small, they’re the base of the aquatic food web,” Lubnow explained. “But the bad algae are the cyanobacteria, they’re the ones that have the potential to generate cyanotoxins and make the nasty scums.”

Those “bad algae” require three key factors to bloom: warmer water temperatures to stimulate their growth; still water conditions to ensure their stability; and high phosphorus concentrations to provide them with nutrients. Most algae use phosphate, the biologically available form of phosphorus, as a source of energy and food. Excessively high concentrations of phosphates can prompt dense “bad algae” growth, which both sucks oxygen out of the water — killing fish and other small organisms — and can produce potent and harmful cyanotoxins.

In 2019, above-average spring rainfall, combined with a summer of intense storms followed by still, sunny days, created a confluence of those factors for cyanobacteria to thrive in New Jersey’s freshwater lakes. The state recorded 40 harmful algal blooms last year, worrying residents and devastating the local economy; several even persisted through the mild winter. The outbreak prompted the Department of Environmental Protection to hold a series of public meetings, develop local projects to address and lessen future algal risk, and release a color-coded health alert system to inform residents which lakes are safe to swim and boat in.

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State officials announced a $13.5 million initiative last winter. The Lake Hopatcong Commission has since been given a grant of $500,000, plus $330,000 from local government and nonprofit stakeholders, to support its efforts to evaluate possible ways to prevent, reduce and/or control those blooms. This summer, it’s trying out a number of different solutions, including shoreline aeration, processed-wood absorbent material, a non-copper algaecide, floating wetland islands and a product called Phoslock.

The Phoslock solution is notable, Lubnow said, because its implementation on a 50-acre stretch of Lake Hopatcong makes it the largest-scale Phoslock treatment to occur in the northeastern U.S. so far. Developed by an Australian science agency, the clay-based treatment is distributed by boat, releasing a muddy slurry that sinks toward the lake bottom. There, it collects and suspends the phosphate, and thus keeps it from dispersing in the water.

If Phoslock turns out to be a cost-effective water treatment, the commission may consider implementing it in other areas of the lake, or using it as an algal bloom prevention treatment moving forward. It’s already being used by Princeton Hydro in other nearby areas, including multiple lakes in the Pennsylvania Poconos. Other bodies of water affected by toxic cyanobacteria in the past include Lake Mohawk in Sussex County, New Jersey, and Greenwood Lake in Orange County, New York.

The proliferation of algal blooms has become an increasingly urgent problem. Climate change prompts changing weather conditions that encourage cyanobacteria; New Jersey is one of the fastest warming states in the nation, NJ.com reports, and increasingly higher average temperatures make it easier for the blooms to thrive throughout the year. An influx of phosphorus, often caused by agricultural fertilizer and organic waste in sewage and industrial overflow, develops the cyanobacteria until it grows large enough to take over entire freshwater bodies — for example, a little over 80% of Lake Hopatcong’s phosphate load comes from stormwater and septic systems.

That’s why no water treatment solution can act as a “magic bullet,” Lubnow said. Even as his team works to mitigate algal blooms, it’s key that counties implement stormwater and septic management plans to reduce phosphorus load.

“Meanwhile, these in-lake projects for the HABs [harmful algal blooms] are sort of the short-term measures, the stop-gaps, until we can get a better handle on the nutrient load going into the lake,” Lubnow said.

Right now, he’s hopeful. While the blue-green blooms had devastatingly negative effects on the lake last year, the variety of treatment options — and their past effectiveness in other water bodies — suggest that change is possible. But there’s a lot riding on that possibility.

Ron Smith, chairman of the Lake Hopatcong Commission, agreed. “Our lake community cannot sustain another year like 2019,” he said.

Catch Up with the Jets Legend and 1994 Draft Pick from Penn State

NYJETS.COM CONTRIBUTOR

An injured spinal cord shortened Lou Benfatti's career and didn't allow the defensive tackle to make his mark with the Jets as he would have liked.

That isn't the case in his second career as a middle school principal.

An All-American at Penn State, Benfatti, who was raised in Green Pond in Rockaway Township, NJ, was chosen by the Jets in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft.

"Becoming a professional athlete, being drafted by the Jets, was absolutely phenomenal," Benfatti said. "I mean, I've reached the part of the chapter of my life, where that goal was accomplished, and it was like, OK, now you've got to make the team."

Benfatti made the team, but was only able to play half of the season for Pete Carroll, in his only year as the head coach, because of a knee injury. However, those games wearing the Green & White for the first time, is something that he'll never forget.

"When you're running out, people are screaming your name and you recognize some that you've either gone to school with or people that lived in your community that know you. So, it was really special," Benfatti said. "And you're looking across and see the Dan Marinos, the John Elways, that you, growing up, thought to yourself, 'Wow, these guys are really special.'

"Yeah, it was just a dream come true. You hear that cliché all the time, but it was satisfying because I worked hard during the course of my college, and when I was able to accomplish this, it was fun. They're paying you to play football. It was wonderful."

Heading into his third season, Benfatti's playing days came to an unfortunate end during the final preseason game of the 1996 campaign in Oakland.

"I fractured my C-4 and C-5 (vertebrae), and had a career-ending neck injury," Benfatti said. "I was making a routine tackle, and as the pile was falling to the left, my head hit the thigh pad of a teammate and kind of ricocheted my neck a little bit.

"I did speak with (former Jets defensive lineman) Dennis (Byrd, who had suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury during a game four years earlier). It was a special moment being able to share a conversation about similar injuries."

And while he wouldn't be able to play any longer, Benfatti looks at the times when he was able to take the field for the Jets fondly because he could share them with his family.

"Being able to have my mom and my dad, my sisters and my brothers, all share the experience and be able to come and watch, we were only 50 minutes away from my home in New Jersey when we played at the stadium," Benfatti said. "And just being able to be a part of a great organization. It's really a dream come true when you look at it from a young boy's standpoint.

"The platform that I was able to serve as a professional athlete for those three years has still affected my life 25 years later, while I'm in the field of education. Those years were so special and they're at the top of that career profession of being an athlete. I was able to take those years and put them in a little showcase and relate them to the students of today.

"I'm currently a principal at Hopatcong Middle School in North Jersey, and I'm able to utilize some of the same work ethics, some of the same strategies, some of the same concepts that go into preparing for a football game to prepare the staff to teach the kids of today."

Benfatti's career in the field of education began as a phys ed and health teacher.

"In my sixth year, I was just getting the itch of wanting to really be a leader within the district. When that came about, I wanted to aspire and do something more," Benfatti said. "And there was an opportunity coming down the pike for a vice principal job at the middle school. So, once I got my certification, I interviewed for the job and went from teaching to becoming an administrator in the same district."

Initially becoming a principal in 2009, because of COVID, this past year has been a challenge for Benfatti, his staff, and the students.

"There are many obstacles just as there are with football. We're trying to adopt new game plans in virtual education and our teachers are working extremely hard to develop their platforms of how they are communicating the standards for science and social studies and math and English via Google Meets," Benfatti said.

"It's amazing how much we can learn in a short amount of time. Education has changed. We're making history with what we're doing, and it's evolving into something that's so totally different from when you and I went to school.

"Until you're able to witness it, and observe the incredible amount of stress our kids are going through with organization, with trying to keep all of those assignments organized… It is a huge, huge pendulum shift as to what they're going through right now."

Making their home in North Jersey, Benfatti and his wife, Jodi, have four children. Cole and Drew, who are students at Franklin & Marshall College, where they play football. Danae, who is pursuing a career as a dental hygienist. And Gavin, who is a junior at Jefferson High School.