Local engineer among environmental award winners

SPARTA — John Finkeldie P.E. of CHA accepted the NJ Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award (GEEA) for Land Conservation with other members of the New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership. Finkeldie, a Sparta resident, has been with the organization 11 years, and currently serves in the leadership role as chair of the project review committee, holding monthly meeting to review applications and projects, in committee, to validate they meet the criteria of our NJCWRP goals and are technically sound.
The New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership is an innovative public-private partnership between corporations, federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations and academia, that works to develop and implement projects to protect and improve New Jersey’s coastlines, freshwater wetlands and aquatic habitats. Since 2005, the partnership has funded 29 projects across the state, which led to the preservation of more than 520 acres and 17 stream miles. Additionally, more than $700,000 in contributions and in-kind services from the initiative’s partners has resulted in projects totaling more than $8.5 million. Projects to date have included habitat restoration, marshlands, fish passages, dam removals, species protection, education and outreach, and cultural and historic projects. Additional projects are under way, the most recent of which aims to restore the resiliency and functionality of a degraded section of the Wallkill River while involving 200 students to help with tree planting and protection along the river in Sparta Township, Sussex County. This particular effort exemplifies the collaborative approach used in all partnership projects.