David Robinson, Office of the State Climatologist
Mild winter, wet 2018 may cause surge in ticks in NJ, Northeast
Dina Fonseca – Department of Entomology; Center for Vector Biology
Jersey Icons: the Jersey tomato
Tom Orton, Dept. Plant Biology
Volunteers awarded for work in Essex County park
Jan Zientek, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Pat Hewitt, Rutgers Masters Gardeners of Essex County
5-second rule no match for bacteria
Donald Schaffner, Department of Food Science
Three more Bergen towns join flood-plain protection plan
Jeremiah Bergstrom, Water Resources Program
Heat, humidity conspire, causing North Jersey to perspire
There’s hot. Then there’s the so hot you’d better put a soaked towel around your neck when working outside. The so hot that a non-air conditioned car ride instantly spawns sweat rings under the arms and bonds shirts to seats… “We flirted with hot already this year, but we haven’t had an extended period of combined heat and humidity,” said David Robinson, the state climatologist and a Rutgers University professor. “Now we’re going to be scorched. The combination of heat and humidity is really tough – and dangerous.”
Plant invaders threaten North Jersey landscape
As peak gardening season lures North Jersey homeowners to landscape supply centers, they buy and cart home many shrubs and trees that – just over the state line in New York – are prohibited in suburban yards… Steven Handel, an ecology professor at Rutgers University, is a member of the state’s Invasive Species Council, which was created in 2004 and issued a report listing steps the state should take to reduce invasives. “To stop selling these invasives would be a big step forward,” Handel said. “And there are some beautiful native plants that are low maintenance and protect our preserved natural areas. “Our job as educators is to let the public know there are better plants to use in their yards than the ones that have traditionally been used,” he said. “A yard can look green and lush – but still be dangerous.”
Cresskill environmentalists rolling out rain barrels in attempt to save water
Cresskill’s Environmental Commission is inviting residents to attend a Rain Barrel Making Workshop on June 15 at borough hall. Organizers hope there will be a flood of support for the concept of conserving water in rain barrels… New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson of Rutgers University said that North Jersey is in an abnormally dry spell right now: “The groundwaters are low. March and April were very dry. May was average. We will have to hope for timely rains and conditions that are not too hot.” Robinson, who is an advocate for rain barrels and smart lawn watering, said such measures are important because “it makes people aware of the finite nature of fresh water that’s out there…people put too much water on their lawns.”
Fish exchange set to start back up in Lyndhurst
After a winter hiatus, a fish exchange program that allows people to swap fish caught in the Passaic River for tilapia raised in Newark is set to start back up. The fish exchange is operated by the Rutgers VETS program and funded by the Lower Passaic C…
