There are so many people to thank! Rather than single each one out, let me say that I appreciate the efforts that each and every one of you have made over these 15 years of working together.
Like every governmental and quasi-governmental agency, Ten Towns has struggled these last 12-24 months. As we close the doors, know that our work and commitment to the Great Swamp National Refuge continues. Our assets, meager though they be, will be given to the Great Swamp Watershed Association who will continue their outstanding work protecting one of New Jersey\'s most important environmentally sensitive sites.
On behalf of Chair William Hutchinson, Vice Chair Steve Mountain, Secretary Regina Egea, Treasurer Terry Thompson and, of course, Maureen Sullivan, Office Manager, thanks for all you\'ve done to make our 15 years an important environmental memory for New Jersey.
Best Wishes,
Harry G. Gerken
Executive Director|'+
'January 8||||Morris Tomorrow|This week, the Recorder Newspapers printed an obituary for Morris Tomorrow as their main editorial in at least six of the Recorder newspapers serving the towns in the watershed.
Morris Tomorrow abandoned its paid staff in 2009 and switched to an all-volunteer board/staff. Their website and telephone answering machine are still in service. But apparently, the newspaper publisher has more current information about their final demise.
We quote the editorial from the Echoes-Sentinel below.
=================================
Farewell to Morris Tomorrow
It was an innovative, creative, inclusive organization, full of ideas, brainpower and the practical know-how to implement those plans, when Morris Tomorrow was formed 25 years ago under the original name of Morris 2000.
It was a unique partnership of corporate, civic and governmental leaders on one non-profit board devoted to improving the quality of life and the issues at hand in Morris County.
Sadly, it is disbanding, its leaders apparently concluding the organization has outlived its usefulness. Diminished financial support during an economic downturn also has eroded the resources necessary to continue to make a real impact.
A farewell breakfast is planned for Friday, Feb. 11, to toast its accomplishments. They are many.
Morris Tomorrow leaves behind a wide-ranging legacy of public service.
The broader spectrum of civic and corporate leaders allowed a more comprehensive approach to the county\'s problems, beyond the \"home rule\" approach normally adopted by elected politicians alone.
As a result, that partnership spawned impressive results.
In response to rapid development and the lightning-fast speed of disappearing open space, it sponsored and started the Open Space Trust Fund, under the energetic leadership of the late Langdon Palmer, formerly of Washington Township, a retired bank chairman.
When all looked lost in terms of accommodating uniform development rules within the Great Swamp Watershed, and the very real threat of overbearing legislative interference loomed large, it formed the Ten Towns Great Swamp Watershed Committee made up of representatives from the 10 municipalities in the watershed of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. For many years, Long Hill Township\'s Len Hamilton gave inspired leadership to the Ten Towns Committee, and of course, whatever helps the Great Swamp, helps not only Morris County but all of Northern New Jersey.
Its other \"children\" include TransOptions, an employee van pooling program; the Housing Partnership of Morris County, which helps low-income families find housing; the Raritan Compact and the Rockaway River Watershed Cabinet to address issues in those watersheds, and a number of workshops on diversity and on building models for collaboration and consensus.
It sponsored the Midday Morris lecture series, and a Quality of Life Index.
Its leadership was outstanding.
Carol Rufener, of Mountain Lakes, a former Morris County freeholder, was inspirational as the organization\'s first executive director.
It has had wonderfully involved and thoughtful board members over the years, such as Judith Schleicher of Mountain Lakes, former Madison Mayor Ralph Englesman and county Planner Walter Krich; and board chairpersons such as Mr. Palmer, Nicholas Cameron of Madison, Stuart Sendell of Morristown, Christopher \"Kit\" Falcon of Pottersville, Freeholder Margaret Nordstrom of Washington Township, and Patty Sly of Chester, to name just a few.
In recent years, it seems the organization has been in search of a mission, which is ironic because probably it is right now that we need Morris Tomorrow most.
A forum that brings important sectors of the county together seems especially crucial at this time when all of the county\'s towns and their residents and businesses are so challenged economically; it could continue to promote regional services, for example, and maybe encourage mixed housing development to serve a range of incomes.
We are sorry to see it go because historically it was a source of strength for the county as a good advocate for good causes, and the \"roundtable\" concept made Morris County distinctive.
We would all be best served by a revitalized Morris Tomorrow. And so we mark its passing with sadness, but also with gratitude for a positive legacy that lives on in the county we call home.
Copyright 2011, Recorder Community Newspapers, Bernardsville, NJ.|'+ '' ; upDate='January 08, 2011' ;