Residents clean up Toney’s Brook

Above, a father and his children take a breather from the cleanup to admire the Glen.

Concerned local residents cleaned Toney’s Brook and its environs on Saturday, April 13, as part of Glen Ridge Earth Month.

Two groups, one in the Glen, off Bloomfield Avenue, and the other in Glenfield Park, were on active duty. The semi-annual environmental event has always been family oriented with local Scouts and Glen Ridge High School sports teams members getting involved.

This year, Scouts from Glen Ridge Troop 851 participated. The Glen Ridge Department of Public Works provided garbage bags along with nifty nabbers and long-poled nets to pluck and scoop rubbish from soil and stream. Some enthusiasts brought their own buckets.

At the end of the day, the DPW hauled away the catch: metal detritus was deposited into a borough Dumpster and plastic rubbish was scooted off to be recycled.

The effort was part of Clean Ocean Action, an environmental initiative whose goal is to maintain and monitor the NJ/NYC metropolitan waterways and along the Jersey Shore.

Glen Ridge currently holds the distinction of being the only land-locked community hosting a Clean Ocean Action effort.

Glen Ridge, Toney’s Brook