Category: Public Info

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults alike to climb aboard a plethora of vehicles at this year’s “Touch a Truck” event on Sunday afternoon, April 28th. The event will run from 11:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M., weather permitting in the lower Loop parking lot of the Watchung Reservation.

There will also be a quiet hour, from 11:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. where children sensitive to noise will be able to enjoy the vehicles on display.

“Residents of all ages will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with some dynamic machines at Touch a Truck,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “They will also be able to climb aboard and experience the excitement of being behind the wheel.”

Attendees will be able to see a variety of trucks from Union County’s Department of Public Works that are used for roads, parks maintenance and various projects.

Admission to the Touch a Truck event is $5 per person, with children 6 years old and under admitted free. The price of admission also includes admission to the Wild Earth Fest.

The Wild Earth Fest allows guest to meet live animals, celebrate wildlife, learn about environmental conservation and try their hand at outdoor skills.

The Loop area is located just off Tracy Drive in Mountainside, in between Glenside Avenue and Summit Road. It features a very popular playground area for kids, and the concession stand will be open. There will also be a food truck vendor.

There will be free programs running at the Watchung Stables and Deserted Village including lead line horse rides, face painting, hayrides and stable tours. The Church/Store and Maskers Barn will also be open.

Also, Lake Surprise is just a short walk away where residents can see the dam.

Attendees can shuttle for free between the sites throughout the day.

For more information on Touch a Truck, or any event in the Union County Parks System, please visit our website at ucnj.org/parks.

Los Legisladores del Condado de Union se complace en anunciar una serie de Conferencias de gran interés a los adultos y estudiantes de escuela secundaria. Las conferencias se llevarán a cabo en el  Trailside Nature & Science Center en la Reservación de Watchung, en el  452 New Providence Road en Mountainside. La asistencia es gratis.

“Las populares Series de Conversaciones en el Sendero ofrecen la oportunidad de participar en conferencias educacionales sobre diferentes tópicos mientras experimenta la belleza natural de la Reservación de Watchung,” comentó la Legisladora Bette Jane Kowalski. “La Junta de Legisladores se enorgullece en en apoyar a la educación de la comunidad y la preservación ambiental.”

El sábado, 4 de mayo a las  2:00 p.m., NASA Embajador del Sistema Solar Paul Cirillo presentará  la charla  From Apollo to Tomorrow — What’s Next for Human Space Travel ( De Apolo a Mañana / Que es lo Próximo para el Viaje de los Humanos al Espacio). Este programa informativo y fascinante celebra 50 años desde que las misiones de Apolo abrió el camino para las exploraciones espaciales con tripulación humana.

El Sr. Cirillo compartirá información sobre los programas espaciales con seres humanos planeados por los Estados Unidos, China, Rusia y cuatro compañias Americanas. Incluye pasarela espacial, bases lunares, un viaje a Marte e incluso turismo espacial.  

Celebrating Union County Women’s History( Celebrando la Historia de las Mujeres del Condado de Union) se presentará el miércoles 8 de mayo a las 7:00 p.m.  John Prescott, Coordinador de los Programas de Historia de la Oficina de Asuntos de Cultura y Patrimonio del Condado de Union, presentará las versiones sobre escritores, educadores, activistas, atletas y otras mujeres que se hicieron notar en la historia del Condado de Union. Este programa está patrocinado en parte por la Comisión Histórica de New Jersey.

Para más información sobre estos programas y otras actividades en el Trailside, por favor llamar al  908-789-3670 o visitar la página ucnj.org/trailside

El Trailside Nature and Science Center es un Servicio de la Junta de Legisladores del Condado de Union.                                                              

Union County, NJ — The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to present artworks from the Westfield Art Association, currently on exhibit at the Freeholders Gallery through May 22. The gallery is located on the 6th floor of the Union County Administration Building, Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, with gallery hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays.

“The Freeholder Board is proud to work with the Westfield Art Association and provide Union County residents and visitors with an opportunity to see the world through the unique perspectives of local artists,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski.

Artists featured in the current exhibit include Sharon Reed, Maxine King, Karen M. Dunning, Virginia Puskar, Laura Brown, and Michael Endy.

Founded in 1922, the Westfield Art Association is the oldest independent arts organization in the state of New Jersey. A non-profit volunteer organization, it provides art education and public exhibitions, and actively encourages its members in the pursuit and development of their individual artistic goals and growth. The Westfield Art Association welcomes all artistic mediums and all levels of experience.

Public art events organized by the Westfield Art Association include art education lectures, hands-on art studio workshops, gallery exhibits, outdoor art exhibitions, and pop-up galleries in Westfield restaurants and storefront windows.

The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, part of the Department of Parks and Recreation, coordinates the exhibits displayed at the Freeholders Gallery.

For more information on the Westfield Art Association please visit their website at westfieldartassociation.org.

For further information about this and other programs and services related to the arts and history in Union County, contact the Office at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; telephone (908) 558-2550 or e-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org. NJ relay users may dial 711.

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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.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of digital artwork by Cintia Malhotra in the gallery space at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, located at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth.

A selection of her work entitled “Meditative States” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery until June 7. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

“We appreciate this opportunity to help one of Union County’s outstanding local artists share her creative vision with the community,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The exhibit showcases Ms. Malhotra’s skills as an imaginative digital artist and photographer.”

Cintia Malhotra is a visual artist who was born and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn before moving to Union County. Her family was involved with the local arts community. As a child, she was encouraged to explore arts many forms. Despite having a visual impairment, she chose to focus on the visual arts. Her eyesight is an important factor in her process.

Much of her photography involves a combination of abstraction and personification to create a narrative for the viewer. The titles are an important element supporting the overall vision.

To see more of Ms. Malhotra’s work, visit cindymalhotra.com/digital .

Union County artists interested in exhibiting in the Pearl Street gallery space are welcome to apply. Artists’ works must be able to be hung on a wall.

For more information about the Pearl Street Gallery or other programs, please contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 908-558-2550 or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org. NJ Relay users can dial 711.

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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.

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Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi joined Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli and Union County Surrogate James LaCorte in congratulating the top winners of the 2019 “My County” poster contest sponsored by the Union County Constitutional Officers.

The top four winners of the contest are:

• 1st Place – Victoria A. Cardenas (Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy, Elizabeth)
• 2nd Place – Mike Quinatoa (Ronald Regan Elem. School #30, Elizabeth)
• 3rd Place – Madison Porter (St. Michael’s Elem. School, Cranford)
• 4th Place –Ariana Armijos (John Battin School #4, Elizabeth) Not Pictured

More than 200 fourth grade students from schools throughout Union County entered the contest. Twelve winners in total will have their artwork featured in a poster calendar.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds do-it-yourselfers that free motor oil recycling is available at 16 locations through Union County’s Bureau of Recycling.

“We offer free motor oil recycling as a convenience to the many Union County residents who work on their own cars, lawn mowers and other motorized equipment,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “It is one of many free Union County programs that help our residents conserve resources and protect the environment, too.”

“The Freeholder Board is proud to support programs that empower Union County residents with resources and information on discarding materials like motor oil in a responsible way. We will continue to seek new opportunities for expanding our recycling programs and attracting more participants,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados, who visited a new motor oil recycling station at the Rahway Fire House on Wednesday.

Union County’s motor oil recycling program began in 1999. The County is currently replacing older recycling igloos with new models. The new igloo at the Rahway Fire House is painted red in honor of its location at a fire station.

For a list of all 16 locations visit online at ucnj.org/recycling/used-motor-oil-spent-filter-disposal. Any Union County resident may use any of these locations.

For more details on all Union County recycling programs call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit online at ucnj.org/recycle.

For quick links to all Union County environmental programs and activities visit The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connect.

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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 Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Freeholders Sergio Granados and Christopher Hudak, Acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan and Executive Director of the YWCA of Union County Janice C. Lilien joined Dr. Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Union County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Investigations Vincent G. Gagliardi, Jr, Kean University Public Safety Director Mark Farsi and Nathan Weiss Graduate College Dean Dr. Christine W. Thorpe at the 6th annual Union County C.A.R.E.S. (Community, Action, Response, Education, Safety) Domestic Violence Symposium at Kean University in Union. Dr. Campbell was the keynote speaker.

The Symposium is jointly presented by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and YWCA Union County, and co-sponsored by Kean University, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Elizabeth-based Family and Children’s Services, and the Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation. The agenda featured more than a dozen speakers focusing on this year’s topic: “A Lethal Reality: When Domestic Violence Turns Deadly.” 

The Symposium again has been timed to coincide with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crimes Victims’ Rights Week, being held this year from April 7-13 (for more information, go online tohttps://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw).
(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

No date set, however burn is planned within next month, pending weather conditions

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), a unit of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry will conduct a prescribed burn of approximately 3 acres in what is known as the “Red Hill” section of Union County’s Ash Brook Reservation in Scotch Plains. The area is located between Raritan Road and Martine Avenue.

The fire will last approximately two hours. While no date or time has yet been set for the burn since it is weather dependent, once a date is known, it will be posted on the County’s webpage and social media, sent to media, and sent through the County’s First Alert email system to residents.

Prescribed burns are commonly done throughout the state by the Forest Fire Service.  Last summer Governor Phil Murphy signed into law “The Prescribed Burn Act,” which preserved landowners’ rights to prescribed burns, strengthened protections for practitioners, and expanded acceptable uses of prescribed fire from reducing traditional hazard fuels to recognizing the benefits of habitat management as well as other forestry and ecological needs.

The area in the Ash Brook Reservation that will be burned is not immediately near any homes or private property, and the purpose of the burn is to eliminate possible fuel for a potential future forest fire, manage encroaching invasive plants, and to prevent the area from succeeding from a native meadow into a forest. 

The site is considered by naturalists  to be an ecologically important one.  Doing a burn in this manner with professional fire fighters will benefit the ecology of this area in the reservation, which includes valuable plant species, some, found nowhere else in Union County due to the unique soils and formation of the site.   

If in doubt about the source of smoke or fire, residents are call 911 or Union County Police at 908-654-9800. 

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites visitors of all ages to meet live animals, celebrate wildlife, learn about environmental conservation and try their hand at outdoor skills at the annual Wild Earth Fest, hosted by the Trailside Nature and Science Center at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside on Sunday, April 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., rain or shine.

“Wild Earth Fest raises awareness about the importance of conservation and environment stewardship here in the Union County community and globally, too,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “It is a unique event that combines fun activities with new opportunities to learn and interact with our natural surroundings.”

This year’s hands-on activities include the Atlantic City Aquarium, which returns with a spectacular traveling touch tank exhibit featuring starfish, sea urchins, stingrays, horseshoe crabs. The Swift Farms Petting Zoo will also bring a miniature pony, lambs, goats, baby chickens, rabbits and more. 

Wild Earth Fest also includes three live animal presentations, beginning with Travis Gale of Eyes of the Wild, who will present Mammal Mania. Travis will share the life stories of each animal in an entertaining presentation at noon and 1:00 p.m.

Dominic Rizzo, of Rizzo’s Reptile Discovery will entertain and inform as he presents a host of live reptiles at 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Back by popular demand, Vinnie Reo and his wolves from Wolf Visions will dispel the myth of the “Big Bad Wolf” and explain their role in keeping a balanced ecosystem, at 3:30 p.m. 

Visitors can also learn about outdoor skills including camping, canoeing, hiking, archery, birding and nature photography.

Ongoing activities include Eco-Art for a nominal fee, a rock wall, free face-painting and the Recycling Olympics. Green-themed art and gifts will also be available for purchase as well as food and snacks.

Music will be performed by Glen “Wreckin’ Ball” Waldeck.  Glen and his Daughter, Holly, bring to the stage a musical journey in an array of topics. Glenn’s songs have been heard on NBC, PBS, CNN and the Discovery Channel.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Trailside Museum Association will recognize and honor the environmental heroes in our community during the Environmental Hero Awards at 2:00 p.m.

Vendors and exhibitors include the NJ Audubon Society, Rizzo’s Wildlife World, USDA Wildlife Services, Union County Archery, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, NJ State Park Service, Friends of the Great Swamp, NJ Mycological Association, NJ Forest Fire Service, Union County Master Gardeners, 4-H Master Tree Stewards, and much more.

Admission to Wild Earth Fest is $5.00 per person. Children six years old and younger are free.

Admission includes entrance to the “Touch a Truck” event being held concurrently in the Watchung Reservation lower loop parking lot. No pets are permitted at these events.

The Wild Earth Fest is supported in part by funding from the Union County Clean Communities Program, in cooperation with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council.

For more information about “Wild Earth Fest” or other upcoming programs or events at Trailside, call 908-789-3670 or visit ucnj.org/trailside.

The Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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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.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a series of Trailside Talks of interest to adults, and high school students. Lectures are held at the Trailside Nature & Science Center in the Watchung Reservation, at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside. Attendance is free of charge.

“The popular Trailside Talks Series offers the opportunity to participate in educational lectures on a wide variety of topics while also experiencing the natural beauty of the Watchung Reservation,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “The Freeholder Board is proud to support community education and environmental conservation.”

On Saturday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m., NASA Solar System Ambassador Paul Cirillo will present From Apollo to Tomorrow — What’s Next for Human Space Travel. This informative and fascinating program celebrates the 50 years since the Apollo missions led the way for human space exploration.

Mr. Cirillo will also share information about the human space programs planned by the United States, China, Russia and four American commercial companies. Space gateways, moon bases, a journey to Mars and even space tourism are included.  

Celebrating Union County Women’s History will be presented on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m.   John Prescott, History Programs Coordinator for the County of Union’s Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, will discuss inventors, writers, educators, activists, athletes and other notable women in Union County history. This program is supported in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission.

In addition, residents can save the date of Sunday, September 15 for Trailside’s Hawk Migration program. Participants will gather at 10:00 a.m. at Maskers Barn in the Deserted Village, located in the Berkeley Heights section of the Watchung Reservation. The program includes a hawk watch walk led by Pete Axelrod, Education and Community Outreach Coordinator of Wild Birds Unlimited in Scotch Plains.

For more information about these programs or other activities at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit ucnj.org/trailside.

The Trailside Nature and Science Center is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.                                                              

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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.