Photo credit: PEACE NJ

By Steve Sears

PEACE NJ, a nonprofit in Hackettstown, was founded in April 2021 to bring awareness of environmental issues, and to promote safe ways to protect and enjoy the outdoors.

The organization recently held Latino Conservation Week, which culminated in a big Latino Conservation Week Celebration on Sunday, July 25 at Alumni Field in Hackettstown. “Latino Conservation Week is actually an initiative from the Hispanic Access Foundation,” says Elsa Todd, one of the founders and Executive Director of PEACE NJ. “It’s actually an initiative all around the country where they get the community outdoors and participating in events.” About 60 people, including exhibitors, volunteers, the Board of Directors, and families attended.

PEACE NJ stands for “People Enjoying Active Conservation of the Environment In New Jersey.” The group had its genesis because Todd discovered that Hackettstown had no current environmental commission. “It started with an idea of bringing people in the community together to actually work and clean up rivers, do street cleanups, and then outdoor recreation activities for the community,” she says. “And now it’s growing beyond that, so we’re very grateful.”

Although the mailing address is in Hackettstown, PEACE NJ involves itself with towns that are located along the Musconetcong River Watershed. The river itself runs down into Hunterdon County. “Mount Olive, Hackettstown, Washington (Township), all the way to Phillipsburg,” Todd says, naming just a few of the communities. “We are not working directly; we are working indirectly, and we’re going to start doing events that way, and it’s mostly because we want to bring the stewardship and the awareness to the watershed that we belong to.”

PEACE NJ also partners with several worthwhile organizations to strengthen the commitment and action of all. “One of them is the Musconetcong Watershed Association,” says Todd, “mostly because, again, we have the Musconetcong River running through Hackettstown, and it’s a great spot for events and to bring awareness to the general population. Many people don’t even know we have a river or the importance of the river.” In one duo watershed cleanup with the group, about 400 people attended and collected hundreds of bags of garbage from the river. The group also partners with the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), the Warren County Parks Foundation, Trout Unlimited, and Corazón Latino of Washington, DC, with whom PEACE NJ will hold an event on Saturday, October 23 at Alumni Field.

PEACE NJ is growing fast, but therein lies a challenge. “Now we need resources,” says Todd. “Without resources, we can’t bring what we want to the community, and when I say ‘resources’ I mean funding. So right now, we are applying for some grants, and hopefully that will give us the resources that we need to develop our educational programs, or bring more activities to the community.”

Per Todd, just because PEACE NJ held a Latino Conservation Week does not mean that the group is limited to the Latino community. Far from it; all are invited. “The outdoors, green spaces, the rivers – everything is for everyone. We all have to be good stewards, and our goal is to tell people that we’re here to promote environmental awareness and stewardship for everyone in the community. We’re here to make baby steps, yes, but big changes, and with those changes make big ripples. I’m a true believer that every little action you take, even if it’s small, it can make a big difference. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

For more information about PEACE NJ, visit www.facebook.com/PeaceNJ411.