Help keep Lake Hopatcong clean and healthy

November 27, 2023| Environment, Fundraising

By: Jim Leffler, Lake Hopatcong Foundation Trustee, Donor, and Volunteer

“Toss me that bag!” I yelled to my team, as we scoured our area for trash and debris during the big lake-wide cleanup on Saturday, November 4. We were proud to be part of a larger group of nearly 600 volunteers who helped remove an incredible 28,000 pounds of debris from more than 50 sites along Lake Hopatcong’s 45 miles of shoreline that day!

The Lake Hopatcong Lake-Wide Community Cleanup, which the Lake Hopatcong Foundation organizes in conjunction with the five-year drawdown of our lake, is a shining (read: muddy) example of active stewardship and conservation that is critically needed and would not be possible without the support of fellow volunteers and donors, like you. It’s also how I first became involved with the Foundation, which does so much for our lake and community, over ten years ago!

Now through December 31, the Lake Hopatcong Foundation has a goal of raising $56,000 or $2 for every pound of trash and debris we removed from our lake on November 4.

Your gift not only supports clean-water efforts like the lake-wide cleanup, but programs and projects like:

• A biofiltration basin to capture and treat runoff from the parking lot at Lakeside Field in Jefferson, which when completed, will keep phosphorus from entering the lake and potentially prevent the production of more than 3,000 pounds of algae per year.
• An award-winning education program. The Foundation’s field trip program has already reached a milestone 1,700 students, who have signed up to learn about lake ecology in Spring of 2024.
• Free events that educate and bring our community together, like the Lake Hopatcong Block party and quarterly programs at the Lake Hopatcong Environmental & Cultural Center (I particularly loved the one on eco-friendly landscape design!)
• Advocacy around smart policies and more resources that benefit our lake, like the 2021 Lakes Funding Bill, sewering in Jefferson Township, and leadership roles within larger coalitions addressing issues affecting water resources, like the Public Lakes Alliance of New Jersey and Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed.

I am proud to support the Foundation’s efforts, as a trustee, donor, and volunteer. To my fellow lake-wide cleanup volunteers, I say “THANK YOU!” for your tremendous efforts on November 4, and to everyone looking to make an impactful donation and an investment towards a clean, healthy Lake Hopatcong for years to come, I encourage you to give a gift today!

Let’s help the Lake Hopatcong Foundation reach its goal of $2 for every pound of trash we’ve picked up! Every ounce and dollar counts!

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