SOUTH BRANCH WATERSHED ASSOCIATION Event Highlights

2008 "Ride for the River" Motorcycle Poker Run
See also: Event Photos | Event Sponsors

Motorcyclists rode to protect Clean Water on Saturday, May 17, 2008, as they traveled 64 miles through the watershed of the South Branch of the Raritan River to benefit the South Branch Watershed Association. The glorious sunny day brought out 200 motorcyclists who gathered at Spruce Run Reservoir and then rode through some of the most spectacular landscapes in New Jersey to the picnic at Lebanon Memorial Park.

The ride started out at Spruce Run reservoir, an important water supply and recreational resource within the river's watershed, with a breakfast of bagels and coffee. The route, following many scenic, winding, rural roads, took riders through the beautiful and varied segments of the watershed throughout Hunterdon and Morris Counties highlighting the natural and agricultural landscape. Several of the roads followed the sinuous South Branch Raritan River. Many riders were watershed residents, while some came from more distant watersheds in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The ride was a "poker run" where participants collected playing cards at 5 stops along the route to yield a poker hand. Card stops were located at Spruce Run Reservoir, the Stanton General Store, Rollin’ Fast Cycle Sports, a scenic riverside stop and Lebanon Memorial Park. The ride ended with a family-oriented picnic of roast pork, baked beans, coleslaw and homemade cookies in the picturesque Lebanon Memorial Park, where The John Austin Band entertained the attendees. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three hands, and gifts donated by local businesses were awarded to all participants. The event included a bike show with five motorcycle categories, including Best of Show. Judging was performed by the attendees who voted for their favorite motorcycles. Tom Mohn with his unique Ecomobile won best Custom and Best of Show. Holders of the top poker hands won prizes at the picnic. The top poker prize winner generously donated back their $150 prize money. This year’s event also included a 50/50 cash raffle. The winners of the raffle also generously donated much of their winnings back to the SBWA.

Amy Greene, an SBWA trustee, felt the event was a tremendous success. "This was the best Ride for the River yet! We greatly appreciate the support of the riders and sponsors of the Ride for the River. We are also grateful for the efforts of the volunteers who worked so hard to make the event a success. They will enable us to continue our educational, planning and research and open space preservation programs that further the protection of the river and its watershed. We're looking forward to the Seventh Annual Ride for the River in 2009."

Nearly $20,000 was raised to support South Branch Watershed Association programs. The South Branch of the Raritan River provides water supply to 1.2 million people. The goal of the SBWA is the protection and preservation of the quality and other natural resources of the South Branch Raritan River and its watershed. The watershed spans 25 municipalities across Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset Counties. In 2009 SBWA will be celebrating 50 years of providing environmental education to schools, land use professionals and the general public; performing stream monitoring; conducting research on stormwater treatment; organizing stream cleanups; providing community well testing programs; and assisting municipalities and counties with land use and open space planning. As a recent initiative, land owners in the watershed are adopting river-friendly land management practices. For more information about the South Branch Watershed Association, contact info@sbwa.org or call 908-782-0422.

Event Photos

Photos of the event are available online. You can choose to order prints or download copies of any of these photos.
Click here to visit the photo gallery.

Event Sponsors

This event is made possible by support from our sponsors and donors.

Platinum Sponsors		Economic Concepts, Inc. (www.economicconcepts.com)
Gold Sponsors		AMEC Earth & Environmental (www.amec.com) Amy S. Greene Environmental Consultants (www.amygreene.com) Baked in Telluride (www.bakedintel.com) Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. (www.richardgrubb.com) Kinsey Associates (www.kinseyassociates.com) Rencor, Inc. Renda Construction Rollin' Fast Cycle Sports Victory Motorcycles (www.rollinfast.com) The Stover Foundation
Silver Sponsors		Air Professionals LLC (www.airprofessionalsnj.com) Arora Associates (www.arorapc.com) Carroll Engineering (www.carrollengineering.com) Basil Bandwagon Natural Market, LLC (www.basilbandwagon.com) Bradshaw Awards & Engraving (www.since1920.com) Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ (www.conservewildlifenj.org) Thomas DiBianca, Esq. Dimilia Company Jon Fellgraff, A.I.A. Architect Frey Engineering (www.freyengineering.com) Selma Greene Garden State Laboratories (www.gslabs.com) Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, Attorneys (www.ghclaw.com) Liberty Hill Realty, Inc. Lieberman and Blecher (www.liebermanblecher.com) Najarian Associates (www.najarian.com) The Proctor Family PSE&G (www.pseg.com) Gail Rosen, CPA (www.gailrosencpa.com) Samuel Stothoff Company Well Drillers (www.stothoff.com) Stanton General Store Stowaway Self Storage (www.stowawayselfstorage.com) Team Graphics (www.teamgraphic.com) VS LandData (www.vslanddata.com) Williamson Marketing Communications
Donations		Flemington Furs (www.flemingtonfurs.com) Brian's Harley-Davidson/Buell (www.brianshd.com) Fran Paul Massage Therapist Sharon Paul Carpenter Rider Insurance (www.ridewithrider.com) Silver Team Realtors (Johannah Weinhoffer) (www.silverteamrealtors.com)