'Alien Plants' Cleaning Up Liberty State Park
my9nj.com, 5/21/2014
Under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty there are actually alien species that are working to clean up the park by detoxifying the soil that just a
few years ago people couldn't go anywhere near. These "alien plants" are vegetation that are not native to New Jersey and are brought in from
other places because they help suck up toxins and store them in ways that are not harmful to animals or humans. Rutgers Professor Frank
Gallagher and some of his students are using a combination of landscaping and ecology to remediate what used to be a wasteland of toxic
dumping at Liberty State Park.
Climate change to boost health problems
post-gazette.com, 5/25/2014
Climate change: Now it's personal. There will be more itching, sneezing, swelling and gasping for breath as Pennsylvania's climate shifts and
residents are exposed to more poison ivy, stinging insects, pollen allergies and lyme-disease-bearing ticks, and experience increased asthma,
respiratory disease and heat-related deaths...Leonard Bielory, a professor at Rutgers University where he is studying the impact of a warming
climate on allergies, said globally longer pollination seasons are expected to increase the duration of exposure and also the number of individuals
who develop sensitivity to it.
Rotary Club enabling gardens to grow
CentralJersey.com, 5/28/2014
The Robbinsville-Hamilton Sunrise Rotary Club has partnered with other clubs in Rotary International District 7510, Rutgers University, Rutgers NJ
Agricultural Experiment Station and Rutgers Cooperative Extension in a unique, hands-on gardening program that promotes the creation of
barrier-free, accessible garden spaces...The program is targeted to residents of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties that
make up Rotary International District 7510, and all five counties are working towards adopting this enabling garden initiative.
Mullica Hill's Heritage Vineyards named NJ's Winery of the Year
NJ.com, 5/28/2014
Mullica Hill's Heritage Vineyards has been named New Jersey's Winery of the Year for the second time in four years, earning 21 medals, four
gold, at the annual New Jersey Wine Competition, part of the Blues and Wine Festival at Natirar Park over Memorial Day weekend. More than 300
wines from 29 Garden State wineries jostled for recognition in the contest, supervised by Rutgers University wine expert Gary Pavlis of the
Rutgers University Cooperative Extension.
Which is better for you: farm raised or wild caught fish?
NorthJersey.com, 5/28/2014
So you decide to be good and eat protein-, nutrient- and vitamin-rich fish twice a week, as the American Health Association says you should. But
as with all things supposedly healthy, confusion abounds. From the fishmongers of Fair Lawn to the marine biologists of Rutgers University, trying
to determine which type of fish is better for you - wild-caught or farm-raised - is about as daunting as a task faced by a school of Killies trying to
swim their way upstream against the current. "There's no free lunch," said Joanna Burger, professor of biology at Rutgers University in New
Brunswick.
Rutgers Master Gardeners garden fair a great success
NJ.com, 5/29/2014
Hundreds of Union County residents and visitors turned out for the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County Garden Fair. Proceeds from the
annual event help fund Master Gardeners' horticulture education and service programs, including a veggie "Sharing" garden for local food banks,
and gardening programs for youths and adult with disabilities.
Grove Labs Nabs 'Seedling' Round For Indoor Gardening Tech
blogs.wsj.com, 5/29/2014
Grove Labs Inc. just closed on a $2.05 million seed funding round, as VentureWire reported this morning, to launch a business of selling indoor
gardening modules to consumers...Saving money will probably not be the reason consumers turn to a Grove Labs product, at least at first,
according to both Mr. Blanchet and Robin Brumfield, who is a professor in the department of agricultural, food and resource economics at
The State University of New Jersey at Rutgers. (Dr. Brumfield is not affiliated with Grove and first heard of it from a reporter.) In general, indoor
gardening is costly, Dr. Brumfield said, comparing it to tanning salons. "Where is the cheapest tanning booth? It's outside," she said.
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