July is Lakes Appreciation Month, and few towns in Morris County have more reason to take part than Rockaway Township, where lakes and ponds shape daily life across the community.
The observance was created by the North American Lake Management Society, which has marked July as Lakes Appreciation Month every year since 2003. The goal is to encourage people to value local lakes and reservoirs and to recognize the threats these waters face, including pollution, stormwater runoff, invasive species, and harmful algal blooms.
Rockaway Township is defined by its water. White Meadow Lake, Lake Telemark, Green Pond, and Mount Hope Pond anchor neighborhoods that grew up around them, and nearly every lake in the township began as a man made body of water, created by dams built to power early iron forges. Today those same waters serve as swimming spots, fishing holes, and summer gathering places.
The township has tied its own summer programming to the month, including a community fishing event later in July that invites families out to enjoy local waters. Residents can mark the month in simple ways too, such as keeping fertilizer and yard waste out of storm drains, cleaning up along shorelines, and learning how runoff affects water quality.
For a community built around its lakes, July is a fitting time for Rockaway Township and the rest of Morris County to appreciate the water close to home and to help protect it for the future.
