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Lake Hopatcong Times

Fun Go Green Facts

More than 20% of the world’s oxygen comes from the Amazon Rainforest.

Several Towns Meeting To Discuss Go Green Ideas!!!

The Mount Arlington Green Initiatives Committee (Code Name MAGIC) has joined forces with other local towns to help make the planet a little greener. They all plan to become Sustainable Jersey Certified in order to gain 100 points. These points help to earn the towns “green money” to use. It really does pay off to go green, both for the environment and your wallet.

Borough Of Hopatcong Clean Communities Program

The Borough Of Hopatcong has a program that helps keep Hopatcong litter-free. It is based mainly on volunteers to help out, by adopting an area to clean on at least a monthly basis. With enough volunteers, we can all help to keep Hopatcong and any other town clean and protect our environment and make it a very friendly and green earth to live in. We encourage everyone not to litter, and if you see litter on the ground, pick it up!

Businesses That Go Green Get 50% Off Advertising!

We want to know what businesses are doing to go green. Whether it is installing solar panels, turning cars into hybrids, or even spreading the word to go green, every bit counts!

Miss Lisa’s pre-k class at Flanders Valley Country Day School held Pennies-for-Pets fundraiser collecting $255. The kids earned a penny for each good deed they had done during the month of February. The money they earned has been donated to Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association, Inc. in an effort to help dogs and cats in need of care as they await adoption. “We are all so proud that the kids have taken responsibility for raising money for homeless animals and, at the same time, the children are beaming with their accomplishment for helping dogs and cats awaiting adoption. When you look at the 'snapshot' of such an event, the rewards and lessons are immediate and lasting.” explains Roger Messick , Executive Director at Noah’s Ark.

Pennies-for-Pets

Earth Hour

This March 28th at 8:30 pm was “Earth Hour.” It is when local businesses, schools, or homes shut off their electricity for one hour to make a statement about concern on climate change. Mt. Arlington schools and other local businesses participated in this event and all have made a statement. Good job everyone!

The health of our state's water resources is essential to our quality of life in New Jersey. Whether swimming in a lake, casting a fishing line into a meandering brook, or drinking a glass of crystal clear water; our environment provides us the basic necessities of life, which can not be taken for granted. To manage our valuable water resources, the Division of Watershed Management administers a variety of programs aimed at protecting and restoring water quality, controlling water pollution and ensuring adequate water supplies. Go to www.nj.gov/dep for more info.

You Should Know About Your Watershed!

- NJ DEP

Please recycle. You can do your part to help the environment whether it’s recycling or just saving water, any small gesture helps. Thanks from the Lake Hopatcong Times Team.

Winter Tips

How To keep pipes from freezing:

· Wrap pipes in insulation or layers of old newspapers

· Cover the newspapers with plastic to keep out moisture

· Let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing

· Know how to shut off water valves

If Pipes Freeze:

1. Make sure you and your family know how to shut off the water, in case pipes burst. Stopping the water flow minimize the damage to your home. Call a plumber and contact your insurance agent.

2. Never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame or torch.

3. Always be careful of the potential for electric shock in and around standing water.

Be Sure To Test Your Soil Before Fertilizing

Before going out buying expensive fertilizers and such, it is a good idea to have your soil tested to see what exactly it needs. When fertilizing, you need to provide nutrients to the soil which feed it for the plants. Some soils lack certain nutrients so testing the soil will show you what you need. All fertilizer has a code on it that contains three sets of numbers. The middle set is phosphorus. Be sure to get zero phosphorus to prevent harmful storm water runoff for the lake which helps weeds growth. You can pick up a soil test kit at your garden supply store for under $10. It will come with instructions on how to use.

Be Safe. Check The Ice!

With winter already a month in, many people are enjoying the lake while it is frozen over. Any time you go out on the lake in the winter, you have to use proper precautions. When checking the depth of the ice, make sure it is deep enough to hold yourself or anything else you are putting on the ice. Check the picture above for proper reference. Also, make sure you have a life jacket on and it would be a smart idea to have a strobe light or similar safety device on in case you ever fall in the water, especially when it gets darker.

JUST A REMINDER

Cell phone numbers are now public info. To add your number to the National Do Not Call List, call 888-382-1222.

Water Chestnut Meets It’s Match Public Enemy #1

The notorious water chestnut is still out in Lake Musconetcong. As an effort to help cut down on the weed’s population, many volunteers went out on the lake to hand-harvest as much of the water chestnut as they could. The machine harvesters can only get to about 30 percent of the weeds, since many places are too shallow for the harvesters to get to. The rest is relied on volunteers to help control the population. Many other lakes have also tried this with good results. The problem is that Lake Musconetcong is the perfect environment for the water chestnut to grow in and if it gets too out of control, the weed could spread into Lake Hopatcong and can harm the lake and many species. If volunteers help to hand-harvest the weed in the places the machine harvesters can’t get to, we should be able to control the population and perhaps get rid of the menace all together. If you would like to know more, please go to www.lakemusconetcong.com. Did You Know: A boat from Lake Musconetcong can contaminate Lake Hopatcong if put in the water.

Text Box: How To’s To look up some useful How To articles, such as how to change a flat tire, increase your gas mileage, or how to look out for bad mechanic practices, please go to www.buyaride.net.

Solar Panels in Your Area

More and more businesses are discovering the great benefits of using solar panels. One business in Montague recently put in solar panels. They received a grant from the government for putting up solar panels. They expect it pay off quickly. GO GREEN!

GREEN Facts:

The water chestnut can grow over 100 acres in one year.

Diagram Of The Water Chestnut

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