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New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Environmental Stewards

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Rutgers Environmental Stewards

Main Content

RES participants outside identifying trees
Volunteer planting native plants
Volunteers collecting water quality data

Since 2005 the Rutgers Environmental Steward program has trained volunteers on how they can take action to help solve environmental problems in their communities. Stewards learn how to help advance sustainable climate change solutions, not just in their own lives, but in their communities.  

Environmental Stewards is a certificate program offered through Cooperative Extension, a unit of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

Make a difference in your community! Become a Rutgers Environmental Steward. 

Thank you to our program partners, and the Atlantic County Utility Authority for their continued support.

Program Updates

Tips on Sustainable Lawncare

Michele Bakacs and Amy Rowe discuss sustainable lawncare with WNYC’s All Of It with Allison Stewart.

Native Plants Initiative: Cultivating Change in Garden Centers.

What’s the number one complaint of native plant customers? Over and over, Native Plant Society of NJ (NPSNJ) members say, “I can’t find the native…

Managing Spotted Lanternfly

Irene Riegner’s certification project involved educating her community about the invasive Spotted Lanternfly during the Sustainable Highland Park Earth Day event. Irene conducted a survey…

Ken Sammond and a small group of community volunteers stand proudly at the trail head to the Peter J. Barnes Wildlife Preserve

Sight ’em & Fight ’em

NJ Most un-Wanted Invasive Species Ken Sammond, RES 2022, led an invasive plant species training session in March at the Metuchen Library. 25 community members learned…

Program Update Archive

Science

an image of a shrub with green leaves and white flowers

Invasive Species of the Month: Linden Viburnum

Linden viburnum (Viburnum dilatatum) is an ornamental shrub commonly planted in landscapes, Linden viburnum invades the understory of forests and thrives in the shade. Be on the lookout for Linden viburnum’s bright red cluster of fruit in the fall persisting into December. This invasive shrub has creamy white flowers in clusters in the spring.  

This image shows the green leaves and stems of Stiltgrass a non-native grass that reduces biodiversity and the health of ecosystems.

Invasive Species of the Month: Stiltgrass

Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), or simply referred to as stiltgrass, is an annual grass that grows from 12 to 36 inches tall. Its narrow stem has segments separated by joints; each segment produces a leaf, and each has a silvery-pearlescent midvein and leaf margin. It was inadvertently introduced to the United States in 1919 in shipping packaging and has since become widespread.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer?

During the wildfire episode in June, New Jersey’s air quality was well into the hazardous range (300+) for particle pollution. 

Chinese Silver Grass and invasive landscape plant

Invasive Species of the Month: Silvergrass

Miscanthus sinensis, Chinese Silver Grass
A common ornamental grass, Silver Grass quickly spreads over open disturbed areas and pushes out native plants that wildlife depend on for habitat.

Science Archive

Learn About the Program

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Contact

Rutgers Environmental Stewards
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
42 Riva Ave, North Brunswick, NJ 08902-4734
bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu

Related Units

  • Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • National Institute of Food and Agriculture
SEBS/NJAES Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

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Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Boards of County Commissioners. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.

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