Reflecting on 2021 successes

December 17, 2021| Advocacy, Arts & Culture, Community, Education, Environment, Events, Fundraising, LHF Environmental & Cultural Center, People, Recreation, Safety

By: Lake Hopatcong Foundation

As the new year approaches, it has become our tradition to reflect upon and celebrate all we were able to accomplish, together, over the past 365 days. Below is a list of many of this year’s accomplishments. These successes are only made possible by the support of our donors, supporters, and volunteers.

From hosting our first safety meet and greet, to getting back to in-person activities with group paddles and hikes, to celebrating the passage of our state’s first lakes funding bill, appropriating $10M for New Jersey public lakes, it was truly an exciting year! We hope that as you read through this list, you see yourself in the events, programs, and initiatives that were part of our efforts to foster a vibrant and healthy Lake Hopatcong and surrounding community: 

2021 Accomplishments
 

ADVOCACY

• Advocated for public lakes funding, resulting in the first lakes funding bill in New Jersey's history, securing $10M to assist New Jersey’s public lakes with the many challenges they are facing.
• Provided regularly scheduled visits and lake updates with local legislators and officials and facilitated lake tours to provide a firsthand look at some of the demonstration projects that have been implemented to help mitigate HABs and to discuss issues impacting Lake Hopatcong.
• Led efforts on lake-related issues to maximize collaboration and increase Lake Hopatcong's voice by hosting regular meetings between the mayors of the four lake municipalities, establishing quarterly meetings with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection leadership, and chairing the Public Lakes Alliance of New Jersey, a collaborative body of representatives from New Jersey’s public lakes.
• Served on the 16-member Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed Steering Committee, which is comprised of local, regional, and national organizations helping establish priorities and policies for the future of our watershed. Also participated in Hill Week and Statehouse Week, meeting with federal and state representatives to advocate for protection, support, and funding within our watershed which resulted in additional funding appropriated for watershed efforts of which Lake Hopatcong is a part.

ENVIRONMENT

• Received a $480k National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, in partnership with the Lake Hopatcong Commission, for streambank stabilization projects around Lake Hopatcong and the upper Musconetcong River Watershed to improve water quality.
• Teamed up with the Musconetcong Watershed Association to coordinate and train volunteer HAB monitors, who used handheld meters to regularly collect and report data to the MWA, and when necessary, to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
• Prevented the spread of aquatic invasive species by hand-pulling 32 invasive water chestnut plants through our volunteer Water Scouts program and conducting visual inspections of 160 vessels launched at Lee’s County Park Marina through our Lake Stewards program.
• Organized our annual Adopt-A-Spot roadside cleanup and coordinated the Hopatcong State Park cleanup location of the Musconetcong Watershed Association’s annual river cleanup, removing 32 bags of debris from our watershed.

EDUCATION

• Provided a series of sold-out ecology-based public cruises on the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Floating Classroom, where guests enjoyed a hands-on adventure, learning all about Lake Hopatcong, while taking part in water quality experiments.
• Developed a series of virtual field trip presentations and activities distributed to 24 schools that were registered to attend field trips in 2020, which were canceled due to the pandemic.
• Shared information of importance to the community through our e-newsletter and social media on topics such as Water Quality Reports, safe boating, free vessel checks, aquatic invasive species prevention, monitoring buoys, lake levels, HAB advisories, fall algae blooms, and drawdown details.

COMMUNITY

• Commenced work on the final phase of the rehabilitation of the historic Lake Hopatcong Station. Projects include fence repair, installation of a patio, exterior lighting, and a new back door. A ceremonial check presentation and plaque dedication was held with representatives from the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund, and local officials to celebrate the work completed on the 1911 station.
• Welcomed close to 2000 visitors and 150 vendors to Hopatcong State Park for our annual Lake Hopatcong Block Party for a day of shopping, fun, and the celebration of New Jersey’s largest lake.
• Cultivated a visual celebration of Lake Hopatcong as a natural, recreational, and community resource by holding a photo contest and featuring the winning photographs, taken by members of the lake community, on a calendar kicking off the celebration of our 10^th anniversary in 2022. 

SAFETY

• Facilitated a meeting along with the Lake Hopatcong Commission, representatives from the NJ State Police Marine Bureau, Morris County Sherriff, State Park Police, Morris County Park Police, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the four local police departments around the lake to discuss ways to work together to make Lake Hopatcong a safer lake.
• Hosted a Lake Hopatcong safety meet and greet at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Environmental & Cultural Center for the community (young and old!) to meet with the officials who protect our lake and to learn about ways to stay safe while on and around the water. 
• Continued to promote the B-SAFE dock numbering program, designed to help emergency personnel efficiently respond by land or water. A total of 35 property owners purchased dock signs, bringing the total percentage of lakefront coverage to 43 percent.

RECREATION

• Coordinated the installation of signage at five entry points for the Musconetcong Watershed National Water Trail, a nationally designated system of water trails created to promote recreational access within the Musconetcong Watershed including routes along Lake Hopatcong, Lake Musconetcong, and the Musconetcong River.
• Organized and led a series of group hikes and paddles on and around Lake Hopatcong.
• Maintained 12 miles of the Lake Hopatcong Trail through Hopatcong, blazed a new loop along the trail on Liffy Island, and assisted the Hopatcong Environmental Commission with blazing the Cowboy Creek Loop in Hopatcong, which aligns with sections of the Lake Hopatcong Trail.

ARTS & CULTURE

• Collaborated with students and faculty from the Academy for Environmental Science at Jefferson Township High School, to produce and premiere three short videos as part of the Smithsonian Stories: YES program. The videos examined the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the widespread 2019 Harmful Algal Bloom on Lake Hopatcong.

We are able to accomplish all this and more with your support, and we thank you for considering an end-of-year donation that will help us protect the environment and enhance the experience on New Jersey’s largest lake, now and into our 10^th anniversary year of 2022! 

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