Annual Partnership Meeting
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Monday, November 25, 2024
Rutgers Eco Complex
1200 Florence Columbus Road Bordentown, NJ 08505 Registration & Continental Breakfast: 7:30-9:00 am
All Supervisors Meeting: 7:30-8:45 am Morning Meeting: 9:00 am Luncheon: noon The Partnership Meeting allows District Supervisors, Staff and Conservation Partners to communicate and learn about the ongoing work of New Jersey's Conservation Districts each year.
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Awards
November 25, 2024
Outstanding SupervisorMatt Ward
HEP SCD Matt is a lifelong resident of Clifton, NJ. He has been a District Supervisor since May 1986 and serves as the Board Chair. He is the NJACD 2nd Vice President, the Senior Editor of Golf Today and a contributing writer for The Epoch Times. Matt initiated performance standards for supervisors and has actively advocated for urban conservation. The Hudson Essex Passaic District became one of a handful of pilot districts for that effort. He has provided tireless outreach to various legislators at the Federal and State level on multiple issues related to natural resource conservation. Matt previously served in elected office:
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Outstanding Professional ConservationistMichael Infanti
Freehold SCD Michael started with the District 26 years ago as a Site Inspector. He was promoted to Senior Site inspector, then to Resource Conservationist II. He was recently promoted to Resource Conservationist I. Michael has redesigned and reassigned ten soil erosion and sediment control routes, totaling over 2,900 projects. He has also refined and made the erosion control plan recertification process more efficient. Michael graduated from Lehigh University in 1998 with a BS in Environmental Science. He is also a New Jersey Agriculture Development Leadership graduate; a special program that identifies agricultural needs and provides peer to peer contact throughout the state. Michael currently resides in Tinton Falls with his family. He is considered the Mr. Fix-It in the Freehold office. |
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Outstanding Technical AchievementStephen Grosch
Freehold SCD Steve is a Resource Conservationist-Network Coordinator with the Freehold District. He has redesigned and modernized the District's entire computer network and database. Steve started as a Site Inspector with the District 23 years ago, he was promoted to Senior Site Inspector then Resource Conservationist II. He was recently promoted to Resource Conservationist I. Steve is a 2001 Environmental Science graduate of Stockton University and currently resides in Toms River with his family. He is an FAA licensed drone pilot and pilots the District's drone. |
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Outstanding Administrative AchievementJean Baluski
Ocean SCD Jean is involved in administrative, technical and program development work in the field of soil & water conservation. She began her employment with the Ocean County Soil Conservation District as Field Inspector I, on August 22, 2005 and currently serves as the Assistant District Director. She assists in the day-to-day operations of the District through coordination with both the Office Manager and Director. She serves as the Chapter 251/Soil Erosion Sediment Control Coordinator and oversees all the technical staff at the District. Jean is "counting the days" to retirement and has plans to continue travelling and exploring the country by RV. She is a dedicated daughter and frequently visits and takes trips with her parents. She has many friends and regularly gets together with her childhood friends. She has a definite sweet tooth and a weakness for chocolate! |
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Outstanding Legislator Award
This award is presented annually to an elected public official in New Jersey. Representative William J. Pascrell, Jr., representing New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District, received the 2024 Award (posthumous nomination).
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Rep. Pascrell represented the NJ General Assembly (1988-1997), House of Representatives 8th District (1997-2013) and 9th District (2013-2024). He pushed for cleanup of toxic sites statewide, sponsored the creation of the Great Falls National Park and backed legislation to encourage development of climate smart clean energy.
Prior to serving in Congress, Pascrell spent 12 years as a high school teacher, followed by teaching at Fairleigh Dickinson. He served on the Paterson Board of Education and was elected Mayor of Paterson in 1990, serving until his election to the New Jersey State Assembly in 1997. Rep. Pascrell backed The New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act of 2023 which ensures that restoration efforts utilize science-based principles to protect fish and wildlife habitat, improve water quality, increase public access to the watershed, mitigate flood risks and develop public outreach and educational activities. He supported the use of renewable production and investment tax credits for offshore wind and other renewables; worked to hold polluters accountable for the cleanup and mitigation of environmental contamination; voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant action Congress has ever taken to address climate change. |
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Throughout his tenure, Rep. Pascrell has been a steadfast supporter of the EPA's authority to protect our clean air from pollutants such as smog and carbon. He worked to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided funding for energy efficiency retrofits, home weatherization, clean water, flood control and environmental restoration investments. He was a member of the bipartisan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus and a sponsor of the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act. Pascrell fought for federal funding to clean up contaminated sites in his district, to protect the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers and preservation of the Meadowlands. He also passed legislation to create the Great Falls National Historical Park in Paterson. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, he long championed the use of renewable production and investment tax credits for offshore wind and other renewables so we can combat climate pollution. He made it priority to ensure the cleanup of polluted and contaminated sites that are the legacy of industrialization throughout the Ninth Congressional District, including at the contaminated lower 17 miles of the Passaic River. Rep. Pascrell earned a 94% lifetime score on League of Conservation Voters’ National Environmental Scorecard.