Contact:

SANDY PERRY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
PHONE: 908-234-1225, EXT. 104
SANDY@NJCONSERVATION.ORG

Goldman Sachs volunteers plant at Apshawa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEST MILFORD, NJ – On Friday, June 6, about 20 employees of Goldman, Sachs & Co. traded business suits for outdoor gear, traveling to rural West Milford in Passaic County instead of reporting to offices in Jersey City and New York.

After hiking for half an hour over rugged terrain, they reached the edge of the Butler Reservoir. Their mission: to plant 3,000 flowering iris and hibiscus plants along the shoreline.

The Goldman Sachs employees were there through the company’s Community TeamWorks program, which encourages workers to volunteer with a non-profit organization for a day. The beneficiary of this voluntary workforce was New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which manages the 576-acre Apshawa Preserve surrounding the reservoir. The preserve is co-owned with Passaic County.

Tim Morris, stewardship director for New Jersey Conservation Foundation, explained that the water level in the reservoir had been lowered last fall due to a dam reconstruction project, leaving several feet of bare soil vulnerable to invasive species that could harm the preserve’s ecological balance. Iris and hibiscus – a variety known as marsh mallow – were chosen because they are indigenous to New Jersey and spread quickly.

Despite somewhat slippery conditions near the water’s edge, the Goldman Sachs employees proved to be fast, enthusiastic workers who clearly enjoyed helping the environment while trying something different from their usual work. In addition to planting, they picked up litter along the shoreline.

Volunteers said that because they spend most of their days indoors, they welcomed the opportunity to work outside and enjoy nature.

After a full morning of planting, the Goldman Sachs employees were treated to a picnic lunch on a rocky outcropping with a scenic view of the reservoir. Emile DeVito, staff biologist for New Jersey Conservation Foundation, gave an impromptu nature lecture after finding a flight feather from a vulture.

After lunch, the Goldman Sachs employees made quick work of the remaining plants. As the day concluded, many volunteers agreed they’d like to return to Apshawa in a year to check on the progress of their plants.

This was the first time New Jersey Conservation Foundation had partnered with volunteers from Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks. “We really enjoyed working with Goldman Sachs, and hope to continue our relationship in the future,” said Morris.

The sentiment was mutual. "As a firm, we are proud that our employees look forward to our Community TeamWorks (CTW) initiative each year,” said Mahnaz Maqsudi, Community TeamWorks program manager, who is already planning for another volunteer day at Apshawa in 2009.

“The CTW program provides an opportunity for our people to learn about volunteerism, connect with local communities and build long-term partnerships with non-profit organizations,” noted Maqsudi. “Furthermore, the program allows our people to network with their colleagues outside of the office in a different environment. In our twelfth season, this tradition of service is stronger than ever."

Each summer, New Jersey Conservation Foundation welcomes corporate volunteers to its preserves. In 2007, 70 HSBC employees helped with an ecological restoration project at the Franklin Parker Preserve in the Pine Barrens, and 30 Novartis employees pitched in to help re-forest an acre of property in Hunterdon County’s Wickecheoke Creek Greenway.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Many of its properties are open to the public for hiking, bicycling, nature observation, fishing and other activities. For more information on New Jersey Conservation Foundation and its properties and programs, visit www.njconservation.org or call 1-800-LANDSAVE.

PHOTO CAPTION: Toby Romano, left, of Hoboken, and Wes Conner of Belle Mead were among the Goldman Sachs employees who spent a day planting along the shoreline of the Butler Reservoir in West Milford. The reservoir is located within the Apshawa Preserve, which is co-owned by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Passaic County.