County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ – Union County’s annual Bio-Blitz wildlife survey is back with fun for the whole family and a full slate of hands-on nature activities on Friday evening, June 16 and all day Saturday, June 17 at Union County’s Warinanco Park in Roselle.

“Bio-Blitz is our signature event for raising awareness about nature conservation in our County parks, and it enables children and adults to mingle with professional naturalists and scientists as they go about their work,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “It’s an inspiring experience on many levels and we are especially excited to bring it to Warinanco Park this year.

Known as “the Central Park of Union County,” Warinanco shares the same lineage with other public parks designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Olmsted and his sons. It features expansive vistas, meandering pathways, waterways and areas for active and passive recreation.

“Thousands of Union County residents and visitors know Warinanco Park for its athletic fields, picnic groves, playgrounds, and even paddle boating and ice skating,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski. “Bio-Blitz offers a unique opportunity to get to know the wildlife that calls the park home, too.”

Bio-Blitz 2017 begins at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 16. Public activities continue after dark, until 11:30 p.m., and then resume from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 17.

Visitors can come to the “Bio-Blitz Central” staging area in the newly opened Warinanco Park Sports Center (formerly the Ice Skating Center) to view exhibits, engage in on-going activities and gather for scheduled activities. All activities are free. Participants in scheduled activities are requested to sign up at the information table when they arrive.

Friday’s field activities include the popular Owl Prowl and Star Watch, along with scouting for wild edibles and trapping night-time moths and other insects.

This year Bio-Blitz includes the “Going Batty over Bats” field activity, in which participants can try their hand at spotting bats with the help of an acoustic monitor.

Saturday’s lineup begins with an early morning bird walk, and continues non-stop with more than a dozen scheduled programs exploring fields, gardens, ponds and streams.

Participants can join specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other scientists to examine trail cameras and track stations for signs of mammal activity in the park, follow along with the Fish Team to see how electro-fishing and seining are used to survey aquatic life, and look for turtle, frogs, toads, tadpoles and more.

From 9:00 to 9:45 on Saturday morning, garden enthusiasts can tour the formal Chatfield Garden and learn how it was transformed from tulip beds into a welcoming habitat for pollinators.

The popular Hawks and Owls program is also featured on Saturday, including live “ambassadors” from the Avian Wildlife Center.

Ongoing exhibits and activities at Bio-Blitz Central continue through Saturday including the hands-on Junior Naturalist area, live fish and insect exhibits, and prize drawings. 

Union County has held a Bio-Blitz in various parts of its park system every year since 2005. The event is designed to engage the public in nature conservation while providing researchers with valuable information about biodiversity in urban and suburban communities. 

“Warinanco Park is an especially interesting area for study because we have conducted several habitat restoration projects there in recent years, said Chairman Bergen.

The projects include unearthing a buried stream, restoring the lake shoreline with native plantings, establishing a pollinator meadow along the lake, and the pollinator-friendly redesign of Chatfield Garden.

Bio-Blitz visitors are advised to wear sturdy shoes for field activities and bring sun block.

For a complete schedule and more details visit ucnj.org/bio-blitz.

Professional scientists and other experts interested in joining a survey team can join online at ucnj.org/bio-blitz/registration until 5:00 p.m. June 6, or sign up in person when they arrive.

For information on all programs in Union County parks visit ucnj.org/parks-activities or call 908-527-4900.

#  #

Photo: Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski examines a specimen with young visitors and Bio-Blitz staff. Jim Lowney/County of Union.

For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Angel G. Estrada present a resolution to members of the 2017 Portugal Day Committee recognizing and congratulating the Elizabeth Portugal Day Committee on the raising of the Portuguese Flag on June 2, 2017, as well as the Annual Grand Portuguese Day Parade on June 4, 2017. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – On June 24 and 25, Union County’s Oak Ridge Park will burst into action as hundreds of men, women and children gather to commemorate the 240^th anniversary of the Battle of Short Hills, immersing onlookers in historically accurate camp life, drills, cookery, music, musketry, cannon fire and of course, running battles as the Continental Army and local militia team up to fight off a superior British force.

All ages are invited to participate in a schedule of public activities in the camp before the battles begin, and follow along from a safe distance as the action unfolds.

The rain-or-shine event is free of charge and free parking is available. Visitors are advised to bring water, sun protection and a portable chair or blanket, as the event is staged in open fields.

Access is via the main entrance of Oak Ridge Park, on Oak Ridge Road in Clark.

The Battle of Short Hills 240^th Anniversary is sponsored by the Freeholder Board. It is a project of the Brigade of the American Revolution, a living history non-profit association.

BAR is dedicated to bridging the centuries with an immersive experience that helps modern audiences understand the myriad of forces at work in the lives of ordinary men and women, in and out of battle through the long years of war.

A complete schedule of events is available online at ucnj.org/parks-recreation.

For many more details visit the Battle of Short Hills on Facebook, facebook.com/BoSH2017.

More information about BAR is available online at brigade.org.

#  #

For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Union County, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi alerted Union County residents and businesses to be aware of mortgage wire transfer fraud, a trending fraud victimizing prospective home owners, in which funds are steered from legitimate accounts to unauthorized ones.

“June is National Home Ownership Month, but unfortunately many prospective buyers are being defrauded by a vicious scam,” said Ms. Rajoppi. “Being informed and aware is the best strategy for avoiding this type of fraud.”

Mortgage wire transfer fraud falls into the FBI category of “Business Email Compromise” schemes, a category that has been growing by leaps and bounds.

The impact of wire transfer fraud is significant. Since 2013, American home owners have been defrauded in an amount exceeding $748 million.

The tactics can vary but the central theme is consistent. The fraudster, posing as the title company, notifies the buyer by email that there has been a change in the instructions for the wire transfer.

Typically, the fraudulent email address closely mimics the address of the legitimate title company. Sometimes the only difference is one letter.

If the unwary recipient complies with the instructions, the money ends up in a “staged” account – often an overseas one — set up by the fraudster.

“There are endless variations to this scheme, so the best defense is to pick up the phone whenever you receive a notification regarding a wire transfer, and check with a reliable source to confirm that the instructions and account number are legitimate,” said Ms. Rajoppi.

More details about Business Email Compromise fraud are available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

For all County Clerk programs and services visit online, ucnj.org/county-clerk.

#  #

Visit the County Clerk’s new elections website, unioncountyvotes.com.

Connect with Union County on social media.

Saturday, June 10th, 2 pm – 5 pm

Conant Park, 310 Conant Street, Hillside

Join Union County’s Department of Parks and Recreation for the annual summertime carnival for people with disabilities and their families. The afternoon will include carnival games, music, crafts, and a magic show finale.

Light refreshments  and beverages will be served. Registration fee is $10/person.

To register, pay, and learn more details, please visit www.ucnj.org/parks-reg . Questions? Please call (908) 527-4781

Citizens of Union County battling substance abuse or addiction will be eligible to surrender small amounts of narcotics without being arrested and gain access to recovery services free of charge under a new initiative being launched today by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Prevention Links, and the County Sheriff’s Office, Police Department, and Prosecutor’s Office.

The Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery (C.L.E.A.R.) program will be available to members of the public from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Union County Sheriff’s Office, basement level of 27 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth, and at Union County Police Department headquarters, 300 North Avenue East in Westfield.

Those seeking to participate in the program will be screened for eligibility by members of law enforcement and permitted to surrender illegal drugs and paraphernalia for personal use without fear of arrest, prosecution, or questioning. Those excluded from participation will include citizens with active warrants or those previously convicted of certain serious indictable offenses.

Participants will be connected with Prevention Links-trained certified recovery specialists, who will serve as personal guides and mentors for those seeking to overcome their addiction.

“This is an essential component of our mission to provide support to individuals and family members seeking assistance accessing treatment and recovery services,” said Pamela Capaci, CEO of Prevention Links.

The initiative is based on a model first established by the Gloucester Police Department in Massachusetts and later adopted by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and Newton Police Department. The County Freeholder Board authorized $17,000 in funding for the program and an additional $150,000 this year for inpatient addiction treatment beds.

The model can also be adopted by individual municipal police departments.

“There is an urgent need to get more of those who suffer from opioid addiction to help, and Operation C.L.E.A.R. is certainly a step in the right direction,” Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen said.

“For far too long, law enforcement has approached this issue from one angle only, seeking to go after and arrest those who sell, buy, and use drugs,” Union County Sheriff Joseph P. Cryan said. “Considering the scope and depth of the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic as it exists today, both here in Union County and nationwide, it’s beyond obvious that we need to fundamentally change that attitude. We want those affected by this to be able to look to us for help.”

At least 89 people died from fatal drug overdoses in Union County last year, more than any year since the start of the decade. Police departments in Union County began deploying the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug naloxone in July 2014, with more than 300 total deployments recorded to date.

“In addition to co-sponsoring the new C.L.E.A.R. program and launching our naloxone program nearly three years ago, we also strongly support the Project Medicine Drop initiative, through which citizens can safely dispose of unwanted or excess prescription medication that might otherwise fall into the wrong hands,” acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park added, noting that the number of Drop boxes available countywide has grown from two in 2013 to 12 today. “We are also strong proponents of our Drug Court program, through which nonviolent offenders can gain access to the recovery services they need, and we are proud members of the Union County Opioid Response Initiative, through which recipients of police-administered naloxone are connected with addiction recovery specialists at our local hospitals.”

“We are doing everything in our power to address this pressing public safety issue in every way we can.”