Press Releases
Alliance Announces Progress Towards Creation Of Lower Passaic River Canoe And Kayak Trail
Washington, DC,
August 28, 2007
WATER TRAIL TO SPAN FIVE COUNTIES, 16 MUNICIPALITIES PATERSON- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today joined with the National Park Service (NPS), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners (PVSC) and the Lower Passaic and Saddle Brook River Alliance in Pennington Park to announce the completion of an Action Plan to establish a recreational water trail on the Passaic River. “The completion of this Action Plan for the Passaic River will help us discover new possibilities to strengthen our communities and foster a healthier environment,” stated Pascrell, a former ten-year member of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment. “Recreational opportunities along the Passaic will encourage people to get off their fannies and exercise. It will enhance property value and contribute to a higher standard of environmental health.” The Lower Passaic River Canoe and Kayak Trail would span 32 miles through five counties and sixteen different municipalities including four of New Jersey’s most densely populated cites. “The announcement of the Lower Passaic Canoe & Kayak Trail is significant because it will provide opportunities for people to begin seeing the Passaic River in a different way – not as a place to be avoided – but as a resource to be enjoyed,” stated Tom Pietrykoski, Chairman of the Lower Passaic and Saddle River Alliance. “The Trail will provide more than simply recreation – it will provide an opportunity for communities to become actively engaged in the River’s stewardship, because we believe recreation leads to conservation.” The Action Plan is the result of extensive field work conducted by staff from the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners, and volunteers from the Lower Passaic and Saddle River Alliance. The plan contains specific launch site evaluations and recommendations for the proposed twenty-plus sites along the 32-mile trail. In addition the Action Plan includes information on water quality, safety measures, signage, and mapping. Recommendations within the report are based on site surveys and public comment, but are subject to change upon input from municipalities and land resource managing agencies. ### |