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Your back.

Now without pain.

Solutions for back and neck pain don’t always start with
surgery. But at RWJ Hamilton, they do start with an objective
diagnosis by qualified experts. Our fellowship-trained spinal
surgeons understand the complexities of the spine, assuring you
a thorough understanding of your condition and the treatment
options available. Whether that means an individualized physical
therapy plan or a minimally invasive spinal procedure, you can
be certain of two things: a solution that’s right for you and one
that’s been recommended by the region’s only hospital nationally
Workers build a structure on the now deserted Rotary Island, which
was once home to a camp for children with tuberculosis and a federal certified by the Joint Commission in spine surgery. Schedule your
program to construct barracks for campers. evaluation at rwjbh.org/ortho

rialized, a trip to it—and the other Trenton remember that he or she is still in the RWJBarnabas Health is the official health care provider of
islands—requires planning. capital city of the most densely popu-
Yes, the islands are close—less than lated state in the nation.
a football field away—and one can per- My wife and I stopped several times on
haps wade or swim. Yet danger is close Rotary’s uneven shore. Sometimes it was
too, and the Delaware River’s fast-mov- to listen to the musical sound of water
ing waters, slippery rocks, drops and rushing over exposed stone beds, some-
holes, undercurrents, and sometimes times to walk along the island’s rocky
low temperatures can strike unexpect- perimeters, and sometimes to attempt to
edly—as attested by a spike in deaths in penetrate the interior and search for the
the river over the past several years. remains of camp buildings—an effort
Light craft are the better ticket for pas- thwarted by dense undergrowth and a
sage. Yet launching can need for clothing more
be a challenge. So unless As we protective than shorts
one lives along the river, and water shoes.
explorers will first dis- approached Yet other discover-
cover that a launch from the island we ies presented them-
Trenton’s riverbank is selves. One was that
impeded by concrete spotted groups the river cut off one
walls, steep bluffs, dif- of adults section of the island to
ficult river access from form another smaller
the road and problems and children one. According to land
finding parking. playing ball and maps, that’s the section
So what did I do? owned by the city.
After a fact-finding barbecuing near Another discovery
drive along both sides the area where was the presence of
of the river and looking clams, small while shells
for that elusive easy- they pulled their gleaming on rocks.
river entry with close inflatable rafts While there is a native
proximity to the Tren- fresh water clam with an
ton islands, I—accom- ashore. elongated shape that can
panied by my intrepid reach over four inches,
wife, Liz—launched at the ones I found were
the northern tip of Sta- the invasive Asian clam,
cey Park. which are believed to have been intro-
That’s the mile or so walkway start- duced in North America in the 1920s by
ing at the Trenton Water Works and Asian immigrants who used the clams as
heading north between the river and a food source.
Route 29. With easy street parking and a As New Jersey State Museum natu-
path that— while steep—provided easy ral history curator David Parris told me
access to the river, we were quickly on later, “the Asian clam is especially com-
the river and starting our Saturday after- mon around Trenton, coming up into
noon expedition, paddling north against small drainages. They are reproducing
a strong, fast-moving current and explor- here in vast numbers and are consid-
ing from the north down. ered a pest, clogging waterways and
A half-hour or so later, Rotary Island pipes and crowding out native species.”
stood silently before us. Think of it as Then there were the tracks of deer
a green beguiling sphinx—one whose that swim to the island. Their presence
high banks, twisting poplar trees, and in turn attracts a special type of preda-
dense vegetation rising out of spark- tor—hunters who come to the island
ing blue waters challenge a visitor to See ISLANDS, Page 12
August 2017 | Ewing Observer11

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