March 26, 2018 – Camden, NJ – On Saturday April 7th, the NJ Tree Foundation will celebrate its first Camden tree planting of the spring season and the national celebration of the start of the spring trail season, Opening Day for Trails, by planting 10 trees at Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park and 11 trees in the surrounding area.
Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park is one of Camden’s newest parks. It includes a playground, jogging/biking trails, and beautiful views of the Philadelphia skyline across the Delaware River. The park connects to the Circuit Trails, a vast regional network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails that is growing in size each year. New trees at Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park will provide shade for park visitors and trail users as well as habitat for local wildlife.
“The City of Camden is excited to kick off the spring with a family friendly event and tree planting on Opening Day for Trails. The tree planting will only help to enhance what is one the City’s finest parks. It’s so important that our residents and visitors alike are able to enjoy Camden’s fantastic parks and open spaces. We ask that Camden residents and families join us on April 7th at the incredible new Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park,” said City of Camden Mayor Frank Moran.
The April 7th event is being held in partnership with the NJ Tree Foundation, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador Program, the Circuit Trails, and the Alliance for Watershed Education. The trees will be planted with funding from an EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant provided to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and William Penn Foundation grant to the NJ Tree Foundation. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network is using the EPA funding to improve environmental conditions for city residents as well as the water quality in the Newton Creek, Cooper River, and Delaware River watersheds.
Volunteers and the public are invited to join the tree planting event and day’s festivities, including a stormwater runoff demonstration by the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador Program and a talk about animals that live in the Delaware River by Cooper’s Ferry Partnership. Volunteers will learn how stormwater runoff impacts their communities and discover the many animals that call the Delaware River home. This event will increase awareness and understanding of the Delaware River watershed as well as the network of local trails known at the Circuit.
“This will be a fun event. Planting trees is always a good time and it is great to have other activities hosted by our partners,” explained Meredith Brown, Program Director for the NJ Tree Foundation. She continued, “We hope to see lots of people join us out on The Circuit on April 7th!”
Event Details:
Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park
801 Delaware Avenue, Camden, NJ 08102
Time: 9am-12pm
Tree Planting Event
Animals in the Delaware River Speech
Stormwater runoff demonstration
Please RSVP to Meredith Brown, NJ Tree Foundation Program Director, at mbrown@njtreefoundation.org or 856-287-4488 to volunteer for the tree planting portion.
About NJ Tree Foundation: The NJ Tree Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees in New Jersey’s most underserved neighborhoods, where the need is greatest. Through tree planting, volunteerism, and partnerships, the NJ Tree Foundation assists numerous communities in improving their environment and quality of life. The NJ Tree Foundation is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2018 and has planted 253,879 trees across the state since inception. Learn more at www.njtrees.org.
About the Circuit Trails: Greater Philadelphia is the proud home of the Circuit Trails, a vast regional trail network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails. One of America’s largest trail networks, the Circuit currently includes more than 320 miles of completed multi-use trails with a vision of more than 800 miles of interconnected trails across a nine-county region in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Circuit Trails Coalition comprises 65 nonprofit organizations, foundations and agencies working together to advance the completion of the trail network. A premiere regional amenity, the Circuit Trails connect people within and between local communities, providing endless opportunities for recreation and commuting. Learn more at www.circuittrails.org and connect with the Circuit Trails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out what is happening #onthecircuit.
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