Plumsted officials name 4-H committee members

PLUMSTED - In preparation of establishing a local 4-H Club youth development program in Plumsted, the Township Committee is appointing the following members to the Plumsted 4-H Advisory Committee: Sabrina Brown, Amanda Bruno, Pam Clyne, Mary Dancer, Roy Hendrickson and William McMahon to assist forming the 4-H Club and its activities.

With the resources of the Ocean County 4-H program, orientation is provided and the adult 4-H volunteers are supported by a professional staff, including a county 4-H agent who is a faculty member of Rutgers University.

Mayor Ron Dancer said 4-H is one of the largest youth development programs in the nation with more than six million young people ages 5-19 and more than 500,000 youth and adult volunteers.

The Township Committee is partnering with Ocean County's 4-H staff to establish a Plumsted 4-H Club for the community's youths.

4-H offers youths a "learn by doing" experience through more than 1,000 projects such as small animal care; raising Seeing Eye puppies; gardening; photography and video; arts and crafts; computers; woodshop work; bicycle and automotive safety; public speaking; horses and ponies; birds and poultry; and foods and nutrition, just to name a few, according to the mayor.

In other business, the Township Committee is providing the required resolution of municipal endorsement for the preservation of more than 155 acres of woodlands in Plumsted to the Ocean County Natural Lands Advisory Board.

According to Dancer, three separately owned properties comprise the 155 acres of woodlands with the largest being 110 acres owned by the Hyde family on portions of Brindletown Road and Hockamik Road.

The Kavas family owns 25 acres of woodlands off Route 539 and north of West Colliers Mills Road.

The Downs family owns 20 acres of woodlands off Brynmore Road, near the Big Woods Nursery Farm that was preserved and saved from residential development.

To date, more than 3,000 acres of farm properties and woodlands have been preserved to help retain Plumsted's rural character, Dancer said. With these 155 acres added to the nearly 1,000 acres of farms, forests and open spaces that are pending final approvals with landowners and the municipality's funding partners at the state and county, Plumsted will have nearly 4,200 acres saved from future residential development.

Dancer said Plumsted's land preservation program has prevented the construction of more than 2,000 homes. Any land owner in Plumsted with 5 acres or more of open space, farm property or woodlands may contact the mayor for a market value appraisal at no cost or obligation prior to making any decision to sell or develop for residential homes.

The Township Committee thanked the Infante Sod Farm of Plumsted for donating about 2,500 square feet of sod for ongoing improvements at Oakford Lake Park.

Plumsted's annual free rabies clinic for dogs and cats is scheduled for Nov. 10 at the firehouse, 59 Main St., from 3-5 p.m.