T ees
laid
out
at
the
site
fo
pla ti g
(FWS
photos)
A
112-ac e
esto atio
p oject
has
begu
alo g
the
Ra ita
Rive
i
New
Je sey,
with
the
aim
of
b i gi g
back
fo est
a d
wetla d
habitat
that
was
affected
by
co tami atio
li ked
to
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Supe fu d
Site.
The
p oject
is
bei g
ca ied
out
u de
a
settleme t
elated
to
damage
to
atu al
esou ces.Acco di g
to
the
US
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
(USFWS),
the
p oject
is
taki g
place
o
la d
ow ed
by
Duke
Fa ms,
a
ce t e
of
the
Do is
Duke
Fou datio ,
i
Hillsbo ough,
New
Je sey.
The
site
is
about
2.8
miles
upst eam
f om
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
The
wo k
will
co ve t
eti ed
ag icultu al
fields
i to
fo ested
a d
sc ub-sh ub
floodplai
habitat
ext
to
the
Ra ita
Rive .The
esto atio
is
pa t
of
a
la ge
effo t
to
compe sate
fo
atu al
esou ces
that
we e
lost
o
i ju ed
because
of
co tami atio
f om
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
The
wo k
will
i clude
pla ti g
ative
t ees
a d
sh ubs,
co t olli g
i vasive
pla ts
a d
c eati g
habitat
fo
amphibia s,
i sects,
bi ds
a d
othe
wildlife.
Settleme t
led
to
esto atio
The
p oject
follows
a
settleme t
fi alised
o
July
16,
2024,
betwee
the
US
Depa tme t
of
Justice,
the
State
of
New
Je sey
a d
Wyeth
Holdi gs
LLC.
The
settleme t
add esses
liability
fo
past
eleases
of
haza dous
substa ces
at
o
ea
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Supe fu d
Site
i
B idgewate ,
New
Je sey.The
eleases
affected
seve al
types
of
habitat
ea
the
Ra ita
Rive ,
i cludi g
floodplai ,
ipa ia ,
upla d
a d
wetla d
a eas.The
US
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Se vice,
the
Natio al
Ocea ic
a d
Atmosphe ic
Admi ist atio
(NOAA)
a d
the
NJDEP
a e
the
Natu al
Resou ce
T ustees
fo
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
The
T ustees
will
use
the
settleme t
to
suppo t
the
esto atio
p oject
a d
its
mo ito i g.
T a sfo mi g
the
112-ac e
site
A
majo
pa t
of
the
p oject
will
be
the
pla ti g
of
about
50,000
ative
t ees
a d
sh ubs.
The
fo me
ag icultu al
fields
will
g adually
be
co ve ted
i to
floodplai
fo est
a d
sc ub-sh ub
habitat.The
p oject
will
also
i volve
i te sive
ma ageme t
of
u desi able
i vasive
pla ts.
These
pla ts
ca
i te fe e
with
the
g owth
of
ative
vegetatio ,
so
co t olli g
them
will
be
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
establishi g
the
esto ed
habitat.A
dee
fe ce
will
be
i stalled
a ou d
the
p oject
a ea
to
p otect
ewly
pla ted
vegetatio
f om
he bivo y,
o
damage
caused
whe
a imals
feed
o
pla ts.
A
map
of
the
p oposed
esto atio
a ea
The
p oject
will
also
c eate
th ee
ac es
of
ve al
pool
habitat.
Ve al
pools
a e
tempo a y
pools
of
wate
that
ca
p ovide
habitat
fo
amphibia s.
Native
g ass
a d
polli ato
seed
mixes
will
also
be
pla ted
to
p ovide
food
sou ces
fo
i sects
a d
othe
polli ato s.The
esto atio
will
ot
e d
whe
the
pla ti g
a d
co st uctio
wo k
is
completed.
The
p oject
i cludes
15
yea s
of
mo ito i g
a d
adaptive
ma ageme t.
This
mea s
the
site
will
co ti ue
to
be
watched
a d
ma aged
so
that
the
esto atio
wo k
ca
be
assessed
a d
adjusted
whe
eeded.
Helpi g
wildlife
Floodplai
fo ests
a e
amo g
the
most
biologically
dive se
habitats
i
the
egio .
Howeve ,
they
have
also
bee
histo ically
deg aded.
The
esto atio
is
expected
to
help
e-establish
floodplai
fo est
i
the
a ea.
This
will
p ovide
imp oved
habitat
fo
wildlife,
i cludi g
bi ds,
bats
a d
amphibia s.The
Se vice
is
also
ca yi g
out
effective ess
mo ito i g
with
Duke
Fa ms.
The
mo ito i g
will
look
at
the
be efits
that
imp oved
habitat
p ovides
to
bi d
species
a d
othe
wetla d
esou ces.
The
i fo matio
gathe ed
th ough
this
wo k
ca
also
help
guide
futu e
esto atio
p ojects.The
p oject
is
expected
to
p ovide
be efits
beyo d
wildlife
habitat.
The
esto atio
could
also
imp ove
the
wate
quality
of
the
Ra ita
Rive
a d
i c ease
flood
sto age
capacity
a d
sto m
esilie cy.
It
is
also
expected
to
imp ove
ecosystem
se vices
that
be efit
local
commu ities.
Co tami atio
behi d
esto atio
The
esto atio
p oject
is
co ected
to
co tami atio
caused
by
i dust ial
activity
at
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
Releases
f om
the
site
co tami ated
soil
a d
g ou dwate
with
seve al
haza dous
substa ces.These
i cluded
volatile
o ga ic
compou ds,
semi-volatile
o ga ic
compou ds,
polychlo i ated
biphe yls,
polycyclic
a omatic
hyd oca bo s,
cya ide
a d
heavy
metals.The
eleases
also
affected
the
Ra ita
Rive
a d
Cuckels
B ook,
a
t ibuta y
of
the
Ra ita
Rive .
Associated
sedime ts,
g ou dwate ,
wetla ds,
ipa ia
a eas,
floodplai s
a d
upla ds
we e
also
affected.The
co tami atio
esulted
i
pote tial
i ju y
to
fish
a d
wildlife.
The
esto atio
wo k
is
the efo e
i te ded
to
compe sate
fo
losses
a d
i ju ies
to
atu al
esou ces
i
floodplai ,
ipa ia
a d
wetla d
habitats.The
floodplai
efo estatio
p oject
is
ot
the
fi st
esto atio
wo k
co ected
to
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
The
T ustees
had
ea lie
ide tified
two
p ojects
to
compe sate
fo
i ju y
to
the
ive
caused
by
the
facility.
O e
i volved
emovi g
the
Westo
Mill
Dam
o
the
Millsto e
Rive .
The
othe
i volved
a
desig
a d
feasibility
study
looki g
at
ways
to
imp ove
fish
passage
at
the
Isla d
Fa m
Wei .
The
wei
was
ide tified
as
the
emai i g
ba ie
to
mig ato y
fish
passage
i
the
lowe
30
miles
of
the
Ra ita
Rive .The
T ustees
a d
the
pote tially
espo sible
pa ty
eached
a
settleme t
i
2017.
That
settleme t
i cluded
the
impleme tatio
of
the
two
p ojects
a d
p ovided
a
limited
elease
fo
i – ive
i ju y
caused
by
the
discha ge
of
haza dous
substa ces
f om
the
Ame ica
Cya amid
Site.
Both
of
those
esto atio
objectives
have
ow
bee
completed.
