Recycling at Flat Rock Brook
Flat Rock Brook's recycling program, sponsored by a grant from the Fund for the Environment and Urban Life currently accepts the following items:

Cell Phones and Small Electronics: Including Pagers, I-Pods, and peripherals, including ear phones and rechargers.

• Recycling one million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 185 households with electricity for a year.
• To produce a single cell phone, three quarts of oil must be burned.
• Cell phones and other small electronics can contain materials that can be hazardous if disposed of improperly.

Plastic Bottle Caps: Bottle caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic, including twist on caps with a threaded neck for shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverages, caps on tubes and food product bottles such as ketchup and mayonnaise, laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.

Printer Ink Cartridges: All brands of Ink Jet and Laser ink cartridges.

• Leaking ink can pollute the environment and the plastics that cartridges are made from will remain in a landfill for 1000 years.
• Cell phones and other small electronics contain materials that can become hazardous when disposed of improperly.

Other Sites for Recycling Information
Bergen County Utility Authority hosts Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling days for Bergen County Residents.

www.earth 911.com can help you locate recycling destinations for almost anything.

Why Recycle?
Trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. Today, 251 million tons of trash, are generated in the United States, about 55% of this waste is buried in landfills.

An obvious problems with landfills is that as the world population grows, we continue to need more of them and finding space becomes a problem—most communities strongly resist placing landfills nearby.

Landfills emit methane gas, a more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And while much of the methane is contained, at least 25 percent still escapes into the atmosphere. Another common problem is toxic leakage. Even the most well-built and carefully monitored landfill can eventually leak and contaminate ground water. After a landfill closes, the ground water must be monitored for 30 years.

If you consider only the cost to construct and operate a landfill, no other technology is as economical. However, when the cost of transporting waste to a distant landfill, the cost to society for the environmental damage that can be caused, or the future liability of a landfill, are added then the “real” costs become significant.

Recycling reduces our dependence on landfills, allows us to reduce toxic elements that pollute the environment, to reuse and conserve resources, to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and helps protect the quality of life on Earth.

 

Go Green With Flat Rock Brook

This page includes suggestions on actions that can be taken by individuals to improve the environment we live in.

How Often Should you Cut Your Lawn?

I have noticed for years that just about everyone in my neighborhood cuts their lawn weekly whether it needs it or not.  A lot of the “nots” are during July, August and September.  From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week, I hear the incessant sounds of lawn mowers and leaf blowers—not birds chirping or bees buzzing.  This all adds up to a huge amount of air and noise pollution. So, last year I decided to do an little experiment to address the issue.  I fertilized my lawn only twice the whole season (versus 3-4 in past years) and cut only when necessary.  From late April to mid October, I cut the lawn 14 times versus what would have been 25 cuts if done weekly.  A like-minded neighbor with a much shadier lawn managed the whole season with a mere seven cuts.  Lawn mowers do not have catalytic converters.  The EPA estimates that collectively lawn mowers account for about 5% of the air pollution in the USA, and even more in tight knit suburban communities—such as much of Bergen County. Whether you cut your lawn yourself or employ a landscape contractor, I urge you to consider cutting your lawn only when needed and not on some antiquated ritualistic schedule.  We will all breathe better and start to hear the birds chirp once again.

James Cohen

About Wildlife Rehabilitators

A rehabilitated Red-tailed Hawk

If you find wildlife which appears to be sick, injured or truly orphaned and you want to help, getting the animal to a wildlife rehabilitator is its best change for survival. The NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains an up-to-date, state-wide list of Wildlife Rehabilitators by species on its website.

NJ Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Some basic facts about injured or orphaned wildlife:
Only a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or rehabilitation facility should handle or treat a wild animal. New Jersey has an extensive network of organizations, agencies, and individuals who rescue wild animals in need. The primary goal of any wildlife rehabilitator is to increase an animal’s chances of surviving in the wild once the animal is released. Most rehabilitators are volunteers, not government agencies, and will appreciate a monetary donation to help support the animal that you bring them. Flat Rock Brook is not licensed by the state to take or rehabilitate sick, injured or orphaned animals. 

Wild animals are not pets. It is best for both you and the animal, to leave the animal in the wild and respect and appreciate it in its natural habitat.  It is unlawful to keep native wild animals without a license. Be aware that wild animals can carry diseases that can be harmful to humans.

Orphaned animals are best cared for by their natural parents. The most helpful step you can take is to ensure that the animal is located where its parent will find it. In most cases, baby animals that you find are not abandoned or orphaned. Leave them where they are, and their parents will probably find them. 

Do not release animals at Flat Rock Brook.
Wild animals from your yard such as raccoons or squirrels and pets such as turtles and fish cannot be released on Flat Rock property. This is a violation of Englewood City Ordinance #1953.These introduced animals will not survive here and will disrupt the balance of the Center’s animal populations.

 

Flat Rock Brook's Birds
Flat Rock Brook’s greatest benefit for birds may be as a migratory stopover. Most songbirds migrate at night and, when the sun rises, they are desperate for a place to feed and rest. Everywhere trees are coming down and houses are going up, reducing the number of places available to meet the needs of these birds for successful migration. Flat Rock Brook provides a welcome refuge for migrating birds.

This is the final destination for some birds. These birds will usually hatch their young in June. Look for young Catbirds, Eastern Towhees, and Wood Thrushes in our woods. We have a healthy population of breeding Wood Thrushes and, as this woodland species is declining in New Jersey, the nature preserve affords them a much needed habitat.

For other birds, Flat Rock Brook is a winter home. White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos are the two most numerous of the species that spend the winter here before flying farther north in the spring.

Among year-round residents are Cardinals, Goldfinches, Wild Turkey, and Great Horned Owls.

The 178 species of birds listed here have been sighted at Flat Rock Brook. Walking the 3.5 miles of trails at the Nature Center can help birders hone their skills in identifying birds that are common to the area. This list was originally compiled in 1989 has been revised in 1993, 2003, and 2006.

Flat Rock Brook conducts bird walks in the spring and fall as well as a winter bird count. We also participate in Project Feeder Watch in fall and winter. We band birds in the spring and summer, and maintain productive bird habitats in the Backyard Habitat for Wildlife.

Click here for a printable list of birds sighted at Flat Rock Brook.