Raritan Headwaters Association...

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Other steps to take, suggested by Ehrenclou, include cleaning up trash along roadsides and streams. “Plastic and all the other debris is going to end up in your water supply,” she said. “And eventually in the ocean. It’s a threat to wildlife and human health all along the way. Any item that is not biodegradable, from gum to cigarettes, to plastic bottles… any kind of manmade debris is not healthy for the environment.”

Another enemy to the environment is plastic, according to Ehrenclou. “It’s ambiguous,” she said. “Plastics are breaking up and showing up in our food, in our bodies. It’s a scary situation when you think about it.”

Another concern, of course, is water. Testing wells in the community region is another important issue according to Ehrenclou.

“There are some scary contaminates showing up in drinking water,” she warned. “Contaminants like lead, arsenic, and PFAS. We help people test their water and find solutions.”

Saturday, April 15, 2023, Raritan Headwaters Association will have their Annual Stream Clean-Up, which is one of their most exciting events according to Ehrenclou.

“People, including kids and church groups, clean up tons and tons of trash,” she said. “It’s a huge event. It’s not just a ‘feel good event,’ it does make a difference.”

To volunteer for Annual Stream Clean-Up, visit raritanheadwaters.org and go to the “Get Involved” tab.

The American College of Gastroenterology reports that irritable bowel syndrome affects almost twice as many women as men. That echoes an earlier survey from the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders that found as much as 65 percent of individuals who report having IBS are women. The reasons behind the greater prevalence of IBS remain a mystery, though the American College of Gastroenterology reports that the higher incidence does not appear to be because women have different hormones than men. Rather, the school notes that the higher incidence rates seem to be because women feel sensations from the intestines differently than men.