Save Lake Topanemus

I have been going to Lake Topanemus for a few years now; I discovered it one afternoon during my lunch hour. If you read my earlier post, Mayor of the Park, you have already been introduced. Lake Topanemus is a 22-acre man-made lake that is enjoyed by boaters, fisherman and nature-lovers alike. I don't think there has ever been a time when I visited during fishing season and didn't see at least one boat and a number of people standing on the banks wetting their lines. I often see egrets, herons and cormorants competing with the fisherman to see who comes away with a better catch. If you look hard enough and are quiet, you may catch some turtles sunning themselves on a large branch or log in the lake.

There has always been an abundance of vegetation around the perimeter of the lake but I have noticed more algae and what can best be described as a film over the water. There is a Facebook page named, Freehold Pond - Lake Topanemus, (click here to go to the page) that I like to check out from time-to-time and I noticed there were posts about the water quality. I contacted the administrator and asked about the problem. The response is shown below, in it's entirety:

"The lake is a 22 acre impoundment pond. There have been numerous studies over the past 30 years. The lake is eutrophic¹. It was treated with an herbicide and algaecide for two years. Then two years ago, treatment ceased. As a result, the weeds and algae return from May - September. Unless treated, the lake will be covered by June. The Lake Topanemus commission stopped treatment without seeking expert advise. Through much effort, hoping the treatment will resume in June. Cost is borne 2/3 Twp 1/3 Borough. Problem is complex. Chemicals are most cost effective means. Dredging would be best but expensive. Chemical treatment is NJDEP approved. There are those who believe the lake should be left alone, let nature run its course. However, man made lake, man made problem, man made solution. I have 30 years of reports/studies. Lots of talk, no action until recent treatment."

As you can see, the lake is an incredibly beautiful place to be on a nice day and it would be a great loss if it were allowed to continue along it's current path. The images above were made over the last few years and are just some of my favorites. I could spend hours sitting on one of the lakeside benches watching all of the activity on the lake and listening to the birds in the trees.

The images below were taken during a lunchtime walk this afternoon. You can see the buildup of algae and how dull the water looks. It is sad to think that it is only going to get worse in the coming months if nothing is done.

For further information or to offer assistance, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed.

• Freehold Pond - Lake Topanemus on Facebook
• @SaveLakeTopanemus on Twitter

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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Mayor of the Park

Have you ever walked by something a hundred times and never really looked at it? I mean, you see it there but you never really took the time to look at it. This park bench is something that I walked past more times than I can count but, to me, it was always just a park bench; nothing worth examining. Ah, I turned out to be wrong....

I was out on my usual lunchtime walk through Lake Topanemus Park when some movement caught my eye so I stopped to see what it was. It turned out to be a robin landing on the back of a park bench, this park bench. The bird flew off as quickly as it had come in and was gone before I could get a shot off but I noticed the hats hanging off the back of the bench. I thought it was odd, I could understand one (1) hat - someone could have found it on the ground and hung it there for the owner to see when they realized it was missing - but there were two (2) hats. That had to be significant so I walked over to the bench and looked at it from the front. That is where I saw the plaque dedicating the bench to George & Montana. My first thought was that George and Montana were a couple of lifelong friends who would meet at the park and talk about old times; that would explain two hats. I could picture them sitting on the bench, watching the birds come and go, fish jumping in the lake, squirrels, chipmunks, etc... and talking. What a great way to spend the afternoon!

The more I thought about the two men and the bench the more I thought maybe I was wrong. I have never heard of anyone being named "Montana" (I know it is possible, after all there is a Dakota....) but it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that maybe Montana was a dog. THAT made sense! I could see them walking to the bench, George with his baseball cap and a light windbreaker and Montana walking beside him. Montana would have to be a large dog - possibly German Shepherd or a Labrador Retriever - and he most certainly was George's constant companion and friendly. They would walk to the bench and maybe have lunch while taking in the sun in the summer or watching the leaves change color and fall to the ground in autumn. How many hours did they spend at that bench? How many people stopped to say hello to George or to pet Montana? How many just walked by without noticing like I did with the bench?

The more I thought about that bench the more I wished I had met George and Montana and spent time getting to know them. I don't know why but I think the three of us would have enjoyed sitting in the noonday sun talking about nothing in particular. Now, I may be completely wrong and George may have been married to a lovely lady named Montana who liked wearing baseball caps. They may have been brothers. Who knows? Who cares? It doesn't really matter who George & Montana were, what matters is that they are no longer around but their family and friends loved them enough to set up a memorial at a place that was special for them. That is the real story behind the bench; George and Montana were special. Isn't that what we all want in the end; to matter enough to someone that they would memorialize you for all the world to see?

Postscript: I originally wrote the above post for another blog in September 2015 and then set out to find out exactly who George and Montana were. I spoke with Greg, Lake Topanemus Commissioner, and he filled in the blanks for me. It turns out the George was George Buttacavoli and Montana is believed to have been a wolfhound. George was called the "Mayor of the Park" by those who knew him and people would stop to talk or play with Montana. It seems fishing and politics were a couple topics that were towards the top of the list. George died suddenly of a heart attack in December 2012 at the age of 63 and Montana was sent to a rescue in Northern New Jersey. The more I learned of George and Montana, the more I wish I had discovered the park a few years earlier and had the pleasure of knowing them. I have been back to the park many times since taking these photos and pass by the bench virtually every time. There have been occasions when I do not pass by the bench; I stop and sit on the bench and wonder what George would want to talk about....

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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Shhhh – there’s a deer but where are my keys?

In 2011 and 2012 I spent a lot of time walking at Thompson Park in Lincroft, New Jersey. The park was only 10 minutes from my office and I often went during my lunch hour or after work. The following is an account of one of my after work visits in early December 2011.

I started my walk on the Paved Trail. There is a loop just to the south of the Marlu Lake parking lot that I have walked before. It gets dark so early in December and I couldn't really hike the woods after work so I picked this trail again. I was going along and noticed that there was a small trail leading off into the woods and down to the water. There was still enough light for me to make a detour and so down I went. I walked along the water a short way and found this squirrel running across the path. I was able to get the shot shown here and he took off. I turned around and headed back to the pavement. I had completed the loop and there was still plenty of time before I had to leave – the park closed at 5:00 – so I continued past my car, past the lake and headed up towards the top of the hill. When I approached the top, I saw a small deer in the clearing and took a couple shots. The light was poor and I didn’t expect much (I was right – notice there is a picture of a squirrel, not a deer) but I am sometimes surprised and so I shot. I also decided to shoot some video footage and so I swung the camera bag around, took the camera out and shot some nice footage. It was then that my keys (remember my keys, this is a story about my keys) somehow came off the carabiner that holds them on my camera bag. There wouldn’t be much of a story if I had heard them hit the pavement or somehow realized what had happened but I didn’t. I continued my hike up the pavement until I came to a dirt trail that runs along the woods back down to the paved trail by the lake. It was getting close to 5:00 by now and dark enough so I wasn’t even looking for a photo op. I was just heading to the car.

When I got to the car I swung the bag around to get my keys and came up with a handful of nothing. That’s okay, I thought, I must have put them in my pocket. Nothing. Coat pocket? No. Zipper compartment in bag? No. I then realized that I had checked everywhere, three times, and they were lost. I even looked in the ignition – not there either. With light quickly slipping away and panic rapidly taking over I took off running along the trail – retracing every step. I decided not to detour into the woods because by now it was too dark and dangerous. I ran (and walked, I’m still a bit out of shape….) along the loop and then realized I was going to need help. I had to at least have a flashlight. A few weeks earlier I thought it would be a good idea to put all of the Ranger Station phone numbers into my cellphone in case I got hurt along the trail. I called the Thompson Park Ranger and got the Monmouth County Parks System main office. Of course, they close at 4:00 (or 4:30) and weren’t going to help me. How about Tatum, maybe they could radio the Thompson Park Ranger – I got a recording. My now I had run/fast walked almost completely around the loop and approaching my car. The keys had to be somewhere on the way up or down the hill but it was too dark. I reluctantly dialed 911. I explained the situation, apologized for calling about a non-emergency and was told by the operator that I had done the right thing and he would call the Ranger Station. I met the ranger at my car and we drove up the hill. Lo and behold the keys were right where I was standing when I grabbed the video camera. What a relief! I apologized to the Ranger for taking him away from whatever he was doing – I felt like a fool – and he assured me that this wasn’t his first lost key excursion. By now it was 5:10 and I had walked about 3 miles. I got into my car, put away the camera and headed for home.

I didn’t get the name of the Ranger but I would like to thank him just the same. I have had several interactions with Park Rangers at Thompson Park over that past couple months and they have all be great. There was one who is also an avid photographer. She stopped me one day to ask if I had gotten any good shots – that day wasn’t eventful but we talked for a while about different adventures. On another occasion a Ranger was driving by and pointed out a spot that he thought I might be interested in shooting. He was right. Most times it is just a wave as they pass but they are always there when you need them and always make you feel welcome.

Now…. what to do with my keys?

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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