Farewell to Summer at the Jersey Shore

Well it’s that time of year again when corps members and project leaders reminisce about ole times, depart, and wish each other fond farewells. The Gateway NPC summer team had a memorable and wonderful time at Sandy Hook. They removed a record-breaking 9,516 invasive plants—5 mimosa trees, 14 Japanese black pine trees, 2,778 shrubs of autumn olive, and 6,719 trees of heaven—covering 36.3acres of land! During their last week at Sandy Hook, the team created maps of their work sites, removed limbed trees from the work sites, treated invasive plants that were overlooked, and gave the toolshed and agency vehicle a good cleaning. Also the team visited last fall’s project sites and found that none of the treated Ailanthus stumps had resprouts! The team went to two farewell/end-of-season dinners—one hosted by the agency partner at the restaurant Casa Comida and the other a potluck dinner where everyone made their favorite dish. John made delicious mozzarella and bacon balls; Mason made appetizing enchiladas; Bobby made a refreshing fruit salad; and Susan baked scrumptious biscuits and a savory tomato and goat cheese galette. It was a grand feast! Excellent food, good company, and praiseworthy hard work—a great way to end the season!