Thanks to a matching funds grant from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (NJEC) and the administration of the Borough of North Plainfield, the North Plainfield Environmental Commission (NPEC) was able to realize the completion of an Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) for the Borough. This project was begun over 30 years ago, and it is scheduled to go live at a public meeting to be held in the Vermeule Mansion on Monday, February 3, 2014, at 7:00 PM.

The ERI is a joint venture of the NPEC, the North Plainfield Green Team and the Shade Tree Advisory Board. It was prepared under the sponsorship of the Borough Planning Board and will be incorporated into the Borough Master Plan as a resource for the entire town. The text and mapping were prepared by Mr. Harry Strano, of Amy S. Green Associates of Flemington, our environmental contractor. Mr. Strano will be present at the meeting, where the ERI will be presented to the public. All interested citizens are encouraged to attend.

The ERI is over 160 pages long and in digital form is over 150 megabytes. It is indexed so that external links to updated information and references are available to on-line users. The ERI will be available for download on the Borough website. A limited number of hard copies will be housed in Borough Hall and the North Plainfield Memorial Library. The ERI covers the gamut of environmental issues of interest to planners, students, historians and the general public. The topics include History, Climatology, Air Quality, Geology, Soil, Water Resources, Wetlands, Land Use, and Wildlife. Its visuals include many maps and photos illuminating the text.

This project was a labor of love by all its preparers and as a gift to the people of North Plainfield. Come out and see your Environmental Resource Inventory on February 3.