Category: Public Info

Mountainside, NJ – Visitors to Wild Earth Fest on Sunday, May 6, will have an opportunity to see a real falcon during a presentation, “Flight of the Raptor,” by raptor expert Jennifer Pena, and be treated to the magic of Cyril the Sorcerer in “Recycling is Magic.” Wild Earth Fest will run from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine, at Trailside Nature & Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside. Admission is $3 per person, children ages 6 and younger are free. For information call Trailside at 908-789-3670 or visitwww.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature & Science Center is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Community Renewal invite families with children of all ages and adults alike to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at an exciting daylong event at  Trailside Nature and Science Center on Sunday, May 6th. The Wild Earth Festwill run from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $3 per person; children 6 years old and younger are free. The first 400 people to be admitted will receive free tree seedlings.

“Wild Earth Fest has such a diverse line-up of programs and activities for all ages,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “There is certainly something to educate and entertain the entire family.”

One of the featured presentations, “Recycling is Magic,” at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., will have Cyril the Sorcerer take the audience on a magical adventure. Through the combination of storytelling and stage magic, the audience will become aware of the power they have to help the planet by reducing, reusing, refusing and recycling.

Another feature presentation, “Flight of the Raptor,” at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., will allow raptor expert Jennifer Pena to share her knowledge about birds of prey: their nesting habits, hunting adaptations, flight patterns and more. Visitors will be treated to an up close look at live raptors, which may include a peregrine falcon, screech owl, kestrel or gyrfalcon, followed by an exciting flight demonstration.

Wild Earth Fest will have numerous ongoing demonstrations and activities throughout the day. At 1:30 p.m., during “The Way of the Wolf,” Vinnie Reo of Wolf Visions will introduce the audience to a live wolf and dispel the myths and legends of the “Big Bad Wolf” while he explains the importance of this keystone species in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

At 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. you can accompany Trailside naturalists on a spring walk in the beautiful Watchung Reservation. Throughout the day, “Up-Cycled Art” will feature Angela Pryor of “Useable Art,” who will give demonstrations on how to recycle and repurpose commonly discarded items into useable, functioning pieces of art.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Lydia Adams Davis and Kathy Byers, who have produced a CD of Songs of Nature called “One Earth, So Green and Round.” Kathy and Lydia are award-winning recording artists who have pooled their talents to co-write an educational environmental album. The New York Times called Lydia Adams Davis a “Splendid performer” and audiences respond enthusiastically to her energetic, inventive and fun performances. Kathy Byers, who is celebrating over ten years as a children’s artist, has performed throughout the Northeast at a variety of venues, including the International Child Art Foundation, Kidzone TV, and the Children’s Music Hall of Fame.

Wild Earth Fest also will offer ongoing Eco-Art activities, free face painting and Recycling Olympics. Refreshments and wildlife-related art and gifts will be available for sale.

The winners of the Environmental Hero Award and the Wildlife Photography Contest will be honored at 4:45 p.m.

For information about Wild Earth Fest on May 6 or any other upcoming programs or events at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/trailside. 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 more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (L), Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (R) and Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Executive Director Sidney Blanchard (2nd R) congratulate Kenneth Widgeon of Plainfield on receiving the Youth Advocate of the Year Award for his work at the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services at the CAU’s 28th Annual Awards Night Celebration in Mountainside. Community Access Unlimited is a multi-faceted, human services agency that provides support services for at–risk youth and people with disabilities. For more information about CAU please visit www.caunj.org. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (R), Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (L) and Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Executive Director Sidney Blanchard congratulate Alfonsina Savino of Berkeley Heights on receiving the Educator of the Year Award for her work at The Gateway School at the CAU’s 28th Annual Awards Night Celebration in Mountainside. Community Access Unlimited is a multi-faceted, human services agency that provides support services for at–risk youth and people with disabilities. For more information about CAU please visit www.caunj.org. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (R), Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (L) and Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Executive Director Sidney Blanchard congratulate Jamese Baker of Elizabeth on receiving the Disability Services Employee of the Year Award at the CAU’s 28th Annual Awards Night Celebration in Mountainside. Community Access Unlimited is a multi-faceted, human services agency that provides support services for at–risk youth and people with disabilities. For more information about CAU please visit www.caunj.org. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

(From left) Union County Surrogate James LaCorte, Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich and Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi congratulate the winners of the 2012 “My County” poster contest sponsored by the Union County Constitutional Officers. The top winners of the contest, which is open only to fourth-graders, are (from left): Diana Li (1st place) from the McKinley School in Westfield, Diego Fajardo (2nd place) from St. John the Apostle Elementary School in Clark, Alquadir Dixon (3rd place) from the Winfield Scott School No. 2 in Elizabeth and Matteo Patrone (4th place) from St. Michael’s Elementary School in Cranford. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

CRANFORD, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next mobile paper-shredding program for personal documents will be available on Saturday, May 5, at Union County College in Cranford.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”

The May 5th shredding event will take place on the Cranford campus of Union County College, located at 1033 Springfield Avenue, opposite Nomahegan Park. NEXCUT Shredding of Teaneck will be shredding documents at the site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding event will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Wednesday, May 16, at the Public Works yard in Union.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholders Daniel Sullivan (3rd L) and Bette Jane Kowalski (2nd R) and Union County Manager Alfred Faella speak with (from left) Barbara Levinson of Mountainside, and her two daughters, Marcy Williams and Dana Levinson after the dedication ceremony for a new waterwheel and restored gazebo at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside.

Mrs. Levinson made a $17,000 donation, which fully funded the cost of the replacement water wheel and supplies for the refurbishment of the gazebo, in memory of her recently deceased husband, Dr. Joel Levinson, and their son, Kipp, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1985. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella (R) and Freeholders Angel G. Estrada (L) and Vernell Wright (2nd L) join U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and Diane Johnson, Field Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Newark Office, at the Union County National Community Development Week Celebration on April 12 at the John T. Gregorio Towers in Linden. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org.
On Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County, NJ – In celebration of National Volunteer Week 2012 from April 15 to April 21, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders extends a message of appreciation to the volunteer members of the Union County Medical Reserve Corps.

“The Medical Reserve Corps is an exemplary group of Union County residents from all walks of life, who have made the commitment to step up during an emergency and help provide for the health and safety of the whole community,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

The Union County Medical Reserve Corps consists of more than 200 medical and non-medical professionals. It was organized seven years ago in order to help the County prepare for emergencies on a regional basis.

Through the Reserve Corps, disaster planners can swiftly identify community members who have a professional background that enables them to provide assistance during an emergency. The additional volunteers enable trained responders to focus their efforts on priority situations that require specialized skills.

The Reserve Corps also helps to ensure that more citizens throughout Union County are prepared to provide assistance in an emergency. In case an extreme event makes travel difficult, Reserve Corps members can help out locally until career responders arrive.

“Whether it’s a destructive storm, a public health threat or a purposeful attack in the metro region, Union County is now better prepared to respond to emergencies, thanks to citizen involvement through the Medical Reserve Corps,” said Mirabella.

Many Medical Reserve Corps volunteers have a background in health care fields, but medical training is not needed in order to join. Communications, transportation, emergency shelter management and other related skills play a critical role in effective emergency response.

Medical Reserve Corps volunteers participate in training and planning sessions, and they also conduct public outreach efforts on a regular basis.

For more information on the Union County Medical Reserve Corps, contact the Union County MRC Unit Coordinator, Ella Shaykevich, at 908-518-5620 or email mrc@ucnj.org.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County, NJ – With another week of dry weather ahead, Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella asked all County residents to be extremely cautious when using barbecue grills, outdoor power equipment, fire pits, candles, and torches.

“We are an urban area that is not usually subject to forest fire warnings, but these are unusually dry conditions,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “Fires can easily start in our parks and wooded areas, and spread to nearby homes. We are asking everyone to be especially vigilant.”

Last month a brush fire cropped up in Cranford, an unusual occurrence for Union County.

Last week a “High” fire danger rating was issued by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for northern New Jersey  and it may be stepped up to “Extreme.”

Union County residents can help prevent wildfires in public parks by using only the elevated grills provided at designated areas for cooking with charcoal or wood. Keep extra water handy, watch the grill for sparks while cooking and douse the fire thoroughly when finished.

Cigarette smokers should dispose of their butts only in trash cans, portable ash trays or car ashtrays.

County residents who live next to parks and other wooded areas can help in the following ways:

> Exercise extra care with grills and candles or other decorative fires.

> Keep an eye out for sparks when using power mowers and other outdoor equipment.

> Dispose of cigarette butts properly.

> Keep property clear of debris and fire hazards.

Union County offers free drop-off days to collect used motor oil, paint thinner and other flammable substances from residents. For information call the recycling hotline, 908-654-9889 or visit ucnj.org/recycle.