New Jersey
Vacant lot in Trenton’s North Ward transformed into city park
Blacksmith Triangle, the site of a former gas station at the corner of North Olden and Lawrence avenues in Trenton, has taken on a new life as the city’s latest green space.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJ Conservation), in partnership with the City of Trenton and other environmental and community organizations, worked to transform the site into a forested park addition over the last two years. Improvements included site clearing and grading, seeding, new sidewalks, bollards, a brick-paved entry plaza, and 14 honey locust trees. The project’s completion was celebrated in May.
The City remediated Blacksmith Triangle years ago to clean up the contamination left behind from its former use as a gas station. But until recently it remained covered with concrete and asphalt and was often used as a de facto parking lot. In 2024, NJ Conservation received a grant from the Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association Foundation to plant trees on the site, which spurred conversations with Trenton officials about turning the lot into a forested plaza and gateway to George Page Park and the Assunpink Greenway. Construction began in December 2025, thanks to a significant financial contribution from the City of Trenton and additional funding secured by NJ Conservation from private donors.
With this new green space, project leaders aim to increase shade for city residents, who are experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change. Trenton neighborhoods are dealing with the ‘heat island effect’ that causes higher ambient temperatures in urban areas than in suburban and rural areas.
“Excessive heat is deadly in our communities, and this work will help future generations of Trentonians cope with the rising temperatures that will come with our new climate realities,” said Jay Watson, NJ Conservation’s Senior Fellow for Conservation Justice. “New Jersey Conservation Foundation is proud to do this green infrastructure work in our capital city.”
At a grand opening celebration for Blacksmith Triangle last month, Paul Harris, Trenton’s Director of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture, said the City is excited about the lot’s transformation, highlighting the partnership that made the project possible.
“Our goal is to green as much of the town as we can, but in order to do that successfully, we need to bring on partners,” said Harris.
The revitalization of Blacksmith Triangle is part of a larger greening effort throughout the city. NJ Conservation and its partners — City of Trenton, Isles, the New Jersey Tree Foundation, the Watershed Institute, and the Outdoor Equity Alliance — are working to build a greener, more equitable New Jersey through the Trees for Trenton program. Thanks to a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 1,000 shade trees are being planted throughout Trenton, creating a healthier environment for residents and visitors.
Trees for Trenton was announced in 2023 at an Arbor Day celebration when the first trees were planted at Mulberry Street Park. More than 900 trees have been planted throughout the city since then.
(Courtesy of New Jersey Conservation Foundation)
About New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Recognizing that a healthy environment is critical to the well-being and survival of all living things, New Jersey Conservation Foundation is devoted to preserving land and protecting natural resources throughout New Jersey’s rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.
Since 1960, the nonprofit, nonpartisan, statewide organization has preserved more than 140,000 acres of open space, farmland, and parks. The organization manages more than a dozen nature preserves, conducts public outreach and education programs, and advocates for sensible land use and climate policies that will protect the health of New Jersey’s plants, wildlife, and people for generations to come.
Courtesy of New Jersey Conservation Foundation
A South Jersey summer camp is bringing Black history to life through hands-on learning centered on the Underground Railroad.
The Lawnside Historical Society kicked off its Underground Railroad summer camp Monday, giving middle school students the opportunity to visit sites tied to the fight for freedom and learn beyond the classroom.
“I was excited,” 10-year-old summer camper Harlan Jenifer III from Lawnside said. “I was happy to learn about my heritage and history.”
On Day 1, the Lawnside Historical Society brought students to the home of Peter Mott, a free Black man who opened his house as a place of refuge for freedom seekers escaping enslavement.
“The most interesting thing I learned so far was that this house was in Lawnside,” 13-year-old summer camper Stacey Johnson from Somerdale said. “I didn’t realize that the Underground Railroad was connected to New Jersey at all at one point.”
The weeklong camp includes scavenger hunts, tours and writing activities designed to deepen students’ understanding of what they learn in school.
“You will not find Peter Mott’s name most likely in the history books, but I want students to know that Lawnside, alongside Free Haven and Snow Hill, had a big part in the Underground Railroad,” Joyce Fowler, vice president of the Lawnside Historical Society, said.
Camp leaders said the program goes beyond traditional classroom lessons, highlighting details such as coded communication and the ways enslaved people navigated their journey to freedom.
“A lot of times the teachers don’t go into the study of the communication that enhanced and actually had to do with the struggle for freedom,” camp director Jacqueline Miller Bentley said.
Throughout the week, students will visit additional Underground Railroad sites across South Jersey, including Mt. Zion AME Church in Woolwich, Gloucester County, and museums.
Harlan said the camp has already changed his perspective.
“I just thought it was a history of something that was back in the past that I didn’t need to care about,” Harland said. “But right now, it’s making me want to learn more about it.”
The camp runs through Friday, when students will present paintings, poems and other creative projects inspired by what they’ve learned.
How to keep food safe when the power goes out
Here are a few ways to keep your food safe to eat in the fridge and freezer during a power outage.
unbranded – Lifestyle
Mother Nature has a way of being unpredictable, which can leave residents in the dark.
New Jersey residents experiencing a power outage can check with their electric provider’s outage map to find the status of a weather-related blackout.
Monmouth and Ocean counties are serviced by three electrical companies; Jersey Central Power & Light, also known as First Energy, PSE&G and Atlantic City Electric. Residents can stay up-to-date with information about power outages, down wires and lines, street light problems and restoration time by looking online.
JCP&L power outage map
Customers can check JCP&L power outage map here. In case of any down wires or power lines, call 911 immediately, and stay 30 feet away from power lines or low-hanging power lines as they can energize the ground and nearby objects. Customers can call 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877) or report an outage online.
PSE power outage map
Customers can check the PSE&G power outage map here. In case of downed wires or other hazardous conditions, immediately evacuate the area to a safe location. Call the emergency line at 800-880-PSEG (7734) or text “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734) for registered users. PSE&G also offers a mobile app for its customers.
Atlantic Electric power outage map
Customers can check Atlantic power outage map here. If electric power is interrupted or if there are any downed wires in the area, immediately call 800-833-7476 to report the outage. Customers can also use the outage tracker with a registered phone number.
Several days of scorching temperatures are suspected to have caused at least 19 deaths in New Jersey as a heat dome that had settled above parts of the central and eastern US gives way to severe storms that have knocked out power to close to 1 million homes and businesses. New Jersey officials said they began seeing what they believe are heat-related deaths as early as Thursday, the AP reports, with most occurring in the central and northern parts of the state. “Unfortunately, many of these individuals were found in homes without air conditioning,” state Health Commissioner Raynard Washington told reporters Saturday. “A few were outside their residences, some on the street and some even in parked cars.”
The ongoing weather is “the hottest stretch we’ve seen in over 14 years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said. “The heat’s hitting all of us, not just seniors, not just with underlying health conditions, people of all ages.” On Thursday, LaGuardia Airport in New York set a record high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, topping the previous record of 101 set in 1966, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. Trenton, New Jersey, reached 101, which broke the record of 100 set in 1901. Newark’s high Thursday was 105.
Even as the heat moved east, lowering temperatures a bit, severe storms blew in with heavy winds that toppled utility poles and split trees, causing their boles and branches to fall onto power lines. About 900,000 utility customers in parts of the central, eastern, and southern US were without electricity early Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com. More than 223,000 customers in Michigan and close to 170,000 in Pennsylvania had lost power. PPL Electric reported 121,417 without power Sunday morning, including about 47,000 in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area.
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