COMMUNITY PLANNER: Winter Sowing Event 1/31/2026

RARITAN TWP., N.J. (Hunterdon County) — Make mini greenhouses with Raritan Township’s Environmental Commission and Green Team at their Winter Sowing Workshop, Saturday, Jan. 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Recycling Center – 204 Pennsylvania Avenue in Flemington, N.J. 08822.

Space is limited. To participate, register at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA8AE2AA0F4C61-61440725-winter.

Participants will be provided with native plant seeds to place in plastic containers that serve as miniature greenhouses. The containers are translucent, which allows sunlight in to help seedlings grow and sprout.

Once the containers are prepared, they’ll be ready to be taken home and can be left outside until the spring. The winter season is perfect for native plants to grow because most seedlings require cold stratification, or temperatures below 40°F for up to three months.

DID YOU KNOW: Native plants are perfectly suited to support our local pollinators and wildlife?

If you stop by the main entrance of the Township’s Municipal Building at 1 Municipal Drive, the vegetation in the pollinator garden are great examples of native plants that support wildlife including butterflies, moths, native bees and birds.

Butterfly milkweed in bloom at the Municipal Building’s Pollinator Garden. (Raritan Township photo by Amy Greene)

Below is a table of what seeds participants can choose from. All are great for local pollinators:

To sign-up for notifications about upcoming events, volunteer activities and Commission-sponsored meetings, email your contact information to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Get the latest Township news by following us on Facebook: @RaritanTwpNJ; and by downloading our mobile app – search “My Raritan Township”, available through the Apple App and Google Play stores.

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EARLY JANUARY 2026 SPOTLIGHT EDITION

Published: December 30, 2025

RARITAN TWP., N.J. (Hunterdon County) — Winter weather in New Jersey means roads and sidewalks crusted with salt.  While road salt keeps pedestrians and motorists safe from icy conditions, it is also corrosive, causing damage to vehicles, bridges, and pipes.

Salt doesn’t disappear after a storm; when washed off by rain it settles into nearby soil or runs into surface water, where it can harm plants and wildlife.  Eventually, road salt will reach drinking water sources. 

Even if your home is hooked up to municipal water, salt cannot be removed with standard filtration – a more expensive reverse osmosis system is required.

If salt isn’t removed from the water, it can damage metal pipes. This is particularly dangerous if you have lead pipes, as salt corrodes the pipes and releases lead into the water. 

Here’s how you can use salt responsibly this winter:

• First, clear as much ice and snow as possible from your driveway and walkways;
• Then, scatter salt so that there is space between the crystals. Twelve ounces of salt will cover 20 feet of driveway or 10 sidewalk squares; and
• Finally, sweep up salt to reuse it later (it’s important that you do this before the next rainfall).

Want to go above and beyond? You can start by sharing this information with your friends and neighbors.

You can also help the State determine exactly how much salt is getting into our local surface water by signing up to test water for the NJ Salt Watch water study. (If you sign up, email the Township’s This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

To learn how to sign up for the NJ Salt Watch water study, or to receive notifications about the upcoming events and other future volunteer activities and Commission-sponsored meetings, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About NJ Salt Watch:

NJ Salt Watch, launched by the New Jersey Watershed Watch Network (the “Network”) in Dec. 2020, monitors the effects of winter road salting on our freshwater streams and lakes. Approximately 550 volunteers have collected more than 3,500 chloride measurements across the state, helping to fill in gaps in our understanding of the extent of this issue. The Network is a statewide program contracted with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and The Watershed Institute since Jul. 2018 to offer additional support for community monitoring groups to develop, grow, and thrive. To learn more, visit their website.

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Disclaimer: Any external weblinks connected through the Raritan Township (hereinafter “Township”) website, the “My Raritan Township” mobile application, and any communication platform that officially represents the Township as a government entity, are provided as a convenience for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Township of any product, service or opinion of the associated corporations, organizations or individuals. The Township bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent webpages. Inquiries related to the external site and its content must be directed to the point-of-contact of the external source.

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Get the latest Township news by following us on Facebook: @RaritanTwpNJ; and by downloading our mobile app – search “My Raritan Township”, available through the Apple App and Google Play stores.

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