Bloomingdale Environmental Commission

05/17/2026

What's your lawn telling you about your soil.

Learn about your soil from the weeds growing there!

05/17/2026

Bloomingdale Environmental Committee tables along with Clean Communities and ANJEC. We are trying to make this event include more environmental awareness. We meet on the First Wednesday of every month at Boro hall 730pm. We also participate in community activities like clean up day and celebration day. If this interests you and you would like to join us, please DM us. Thank you to all who helped make this day possible. Have a great day.

04/27/2026

Check your backyards and gardens. N.J. just banned these 30 plants.

Updated: Apr. 24, 2026, 8:14 p.m.

|Published: Apr. 24, 2026, 8:01 a.m.

Running bamboo is on the list of invasive plants that state officials want to phase out in New Jersey.Canva for NJ.com

By Jelani Gibson | NJ.com

New Jersey is banning dozens of invasive plants that state officials say are crowding out native species, damaging ecosystems and creating a nuisance.

Under a law signed earlier this year, the state will gradually phase out 30 nonnative plants deemed harmful to the environment or public safety.

The list includes trees, vines and shrubs commonly found in neighborhoods, parks and forests, including the Bradford pear tree, English ivy and running bamboo. (See the full list of 30 banned plants below.)

Former Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation, S1029, shortly before leaving office in January. The law does not require existing plants to be removed, but the new rules are designed to stop further spread.

Starting 13 months after the law was signed, importing or propagating the listed plants without a waiver will become illegal. In four years, the restrictions will expand to ban their sale, distribution or export, including seeds.

Bradford pear trees, which have a strong “fishy” odor, will be phased out in New Jersey under a new law.

Lawmakers and environmental groups say invasive plants aggressively compete with native species for space, sunlight and nutrients. That reduces biodiversity and degrades habitats relied on by birds, insects and other wildlife.

Public complaints about the plants helped fuel the ban. Some of the targeted species are associated with safety or quality‑of‑life issues, including trees prone to storm damage or plants that spread rapidly beyond cultivated landscapes.

The state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Agriculture will oversee enforcement of the new law. A newly created statewide council will coordinate invasive species management efforts.

Retail sales of the banned plants will remain legal until 2030, giving nurseries and landscapers time to transition to native or noninvasive alternatives, state officials said.

The banned species are:

Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Mimosa tree or Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin)

Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)

Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata)

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

Japanese clematis (Clematis terniflora)

Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)

Weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula)

Winged burning bush (Euonymus alatus)

English ivy (Hedera helix)

Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus)

European privet (Ligustrum vulgare)

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)

Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Japanese crabapple (Malus toringo)

Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis)

Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)

Oriental photinia (Photinia villosa)

Callery or Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana)

Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens)

Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)

European water chestnut (Trapa natans)

Siebold’s arrowwood (Viburnum sieboldii)

Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)

Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)

Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)

Running bamboo (Phyllostachys)

https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/04/check-your-backyards-and-gardens-nj-just-banned-these-30-plants.html

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04/23/2026

Bloomingdale Environmental Committee was at the fishing derby. If things like this interest you, please consider joining. 1+ hour a month(meetings 1st Wednesday) and fun events like this and Bloomingdale cleanup on May 16. Come on down.

04/23/2026

Take a hike. Happy earth day

04/23/2026

Take a picture and walk away. Let them be.

In the spring and summer months, you may come across newborn and young wildlife. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife urges you to leave young wildlife undisturbed. Every year, especially around this time, the lives of many young animals are disrupted. Well-intentioned people may attempt to “save” these animals, but most often the mother is nearby. White-tailed deer fawns are left alone during the day to keep them safe until they are strong enough to keep up with the adults. Their lack of scent and color pattern can help them remain undetected while the mother is away feeding. If you come across a fawn, the best thing you can do is to leave it undisturbed and leave the area.

04/23/2026

Check this out

American Brook Lamprey spend the first four to five years of their lives blind and buried in stream substrate, where they filter feed tiny organic particles from the water. Growing up to 12 inches long, they develop functioning eyes and their distinctive disk shaped mouth only during the final eight to nine months of their lifespan. Unlike their relative, the Sea Lamprey, American Brook Lamprey are not parasitic. In fact, American Brook Lamprey do not eat at all as adults, because they lack a functioning digestive system.

These lampreys prefer cool, clean streams with strong flows and silt free gravel bottoms. Because of these specific needs, they are considered an indicator species, meaning their presence indicates a healthy stream. Their range extends from Alabama into southern Canada, and from Arkansas to the Atlantic coast.

In New Jersey, American Brook Lamprey populations have declined and distribution is fragmented into small, isolated populations. The species has disappeared from parts of its historic range.

What threatens them?
• Excessive sedimentation and siltation of spawning habitats
• Altered flow regimes caused by dam operations, water extraction, and land use changes

How are they being protected?
• The American Brook Lamprey is listed as a Species of Special Concern in New Jersey, which strengthens protections for the waters they live in.
• Fisheries Biologists in NJ are working to better understand their distribution and behavior by monitoring their spring spawning sites.

04/13/2026

I just wanted to share the resiliency of bees. They are critical to every day life, but if we give them a chance, they find a way to survive. Simple things you can do are to plant native species plants, and avoid pesticides and herbicides. You may find dandelions and clover unsightly, but the bees love them.

When Notre-Dame Cathedral went up in flames in April 2019, the world watched in shock as the spire collapsed and much of the historic roof was destroyed.

But high above the chaos, something far smaller—and completely unexpected—was also in danger.

Tucked away on the cathedral’s sacristy roof were three beehives, home to nearly 180,000 honeybees.

For days after the fire, no one knew if they had survived.

The hives had been installed back in 2013 as part of a Paris urban beekeeping initiative led by beekeeper Nicolas Géant, who wanted to help people see bees differently—to make them “famous” and appreciated, even in the heart of a busy city. Placing them on one of the most iconic landmarks in the world was part of that vision.

As the fire raged, Géant could only wait. Authorities wouldn’t let him near the site, and hope rested on distant images of the damaged roof.

Then came the first signs.

From aerial photos, the hives were still visible—three small shapes in the middle of devastation.

And then, confirmation: the bees were alive.

“Thank goodness the flames didn’t touch them… it’s a miracle,” Géant said.

There was a reason they made it. The hives had been placed on a lower section of the building, about 30 meters from where the main fire spread. And unlike humans, bees don’t flee from smoke—they retreat into the hive, consuming honey to protect themselves.

While so much of the cathedral was lost that day, the survival of the bees became a quiet, powerful symbol of resilience.

Even during the long restoration, they remained—continuing to pollinate, continuing to produce honey, continuing to live.

In the middle of destruction, life carried on… one tiny wingbeat at a time. 🐝💛

References: CBC News, The Guardian UK, Beeopic

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04/04/2026

Look at this.

Hope to see you!
http://www.highlandsnaturefriends.org/