The guardians of Central Jersey's water
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association celebrates 60 years
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer
For six decades, the Stony Brook-MillstoneW atershed Association has been central New Jersey's voice for the environment.

ERIC SUCAR staff Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association Advocacy Coordinator Anneli Terrynelson walks along the trail at Perrineville Lake Park in Millstone on April 24.

The state's first-ever environmental group, now responsible for protecting clean water and the environment across five counties in central New Jersey, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The nonprofit group started in 1949 as a small group of citizens concerned about water washing off farmlands into the local streams.

"That small group has grown over the years into the largest watershed association in New Jersey," said Gwen McNamara, communications manager for the association.

The initial members created land management plans for farmers to follow to help improve the health and safety of the local waterways. Over the years, new members would continue the legacy of combining science, education, conservation and advocacy to protect and restore clean water and natural habitats in the watershed.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff A map of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed, which spans 26 towns in five counties, provided courtesy of the watershed association. Photos from top to bottom: Watershed association Education Director Jeff Hoagland talks about nature. A fallen tree branch in Perrineville Lake serves as a resting place for turtles and other wildlife. Abandoned wasp cocoons line a twig discovered on the Charleston Springs trail. A swan glides along Perrineville Lake. Wintergreen grows on the forest floor along the Charleston Springs trail system.

Today, the association has its headquarters on an 860-acre watershed reserve in Pennington. Twenty-five employees and hundreds of volunteers work together to preserve and maintain the 265-square-mile area, located in 26 towns in Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties, drained by the Stony Brook and Millstone rivers.

The association has completed 40 stream restoration projects and has helped to establish open space funds in 20 towns in the watershed region. Each year, the group organizes numerous stream cleanups and educates thousands of children, teachers and adults about the importance of the watershed. Watershed employees and volunteers also conduct science-based advocacy with local and state lawmakers and test for water pollution at more than 40 monitoring stations throughout the watershed region.

Anneli Terrynelson, the association's community advocacy coordinator, said the state monitors watershed sites once every five years while the association collects data three times each year.

"The data collected through our StreamWatch program is used by local officials and supplements data collected by the state's Department of Environmental Protection," Terrynelson said.

Science is at the heart of the nonprofit association's environmental leadership. Across the watershed, the group collects key data on the health of streams and other environmental factors. The association distributes the information to citizens and officials and works with them to address pollution in the water supply and waterways. The group's Geographic Information System combines the scientific data with mapping to help local governments and citizens understand their environmental issues and plan for a better future.

Recent data collected by the association tells a mixed story, according to Jim Waltman, executive director of the group.

"Some of the water quality is getting better, some is getting worse, and some is staying the same," he said. "New development puts added pressure on water quality, due to the runoff."

Waltman said local and state water quality guidelines have become much stricter in recent years, which should curtail the effects of development on the watershed. He said the association's Project for Municipal Excellence has been working with local towns to strengthen their environmental protections, improve their planning and zoning, and make better-informed decisions about their future.

While the association works with towns and schools, Waltman said watershed protection starts with individuals and families. He encouraged area residents to look into the group's River- Friendly Resident program, which outlines actions that people can take in their homes to lessen their impact on the watershed and environment.

The river-friendly program urges residents to complete various tasks such as soil testing before fertilizing lawns, picking up after pets, maintaining septic systems, participating in neighborhood cleanups, avoiding using antibacterial soaps and toxic cleaning products, and using rain barrels to collect water for grass and other vegetation, among other recommendations.

"Protecting the watershed starts at home," Waltman said. "The riverfriendly program encourages people to take different actions they might not have thought about."

Waltman said that one of the greatest problems in the watershed today is poorly maintained septic systems.

"In certain areas, they are discharging sewage into streams," Waltman said.

He encouraged residents in towns such as Millstone and Upper Freehold to have their septic systems regularly inspected and maintained.

Each year, the watershed association provides this kind of advice through nearly 400 educational programs and events throughout the area, serving more than 10,000 adults and children. The programs explain what people can do to protect the environment and also aim to inspire an appreciation for the wonders of nature, according to Jeff Hoagland, the association's educational director.

Hoagland said the association offers a Nature Center with an assortment of exhibits, teacher workshops that help train educators to incorporate the environment into their curriculums, and adult education programs that teach strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of homes and businesses.

"You can teach anyone how to test the water and care for the environment, but they won't do anything with that knowledge unless they care," Hoagland said.

He said he tries to sow the seeds of appreciation and compassion in his students, especially the youngest ones.

"This cannot happen without kids," he said. "Kids are key."

Hoagland said many people in today's society are detached from their environment, which could be detri- mental to their health and well-being. He encouraged individuals and families to enjoy the benefits of the natural gems in the watershed, such as the 485-acre Perrineville Lake Park in Millstone, where fresh air abounds. The park has a trail system for hiking and offers boating, fishing and wildlife-watching opportunities.

"A place like this reminds us of who we are," Hoagland said. "We belong to the land. We belong to nature."

Terrynelson said visitors to areas in the watershed such as the Millstone River should note that these waterways become drinking sources for thousands of people downstream.

"If we are not protecting the Millstone River and the headwaters of the four other major rivers in Millstone, then how are we going to keep the rest clean downstream?" Terrynelson said.

While visitors to the area need to be reminded about carrying all of their trash out of local parks, including Perrineville Lake Park, the Charleston Springs trail system and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, Terrynelson said local municipal officials and residents have done a phenomenal job protecting important watershed areas with ongoing open space preservation, community cleanups, and master plan and ordinance updates.

ERIC SUCAR staff A group of hikers crosses a wooden bridge over wetland along the Charleston Spring trail system in Millstone on April 24.

"This is a unique setting as the headwaters of five major rivers," she said. "Protecting this area from development goes a long way to protecting the quality and quantity of water."

Terrynelson also mentioned that a lot of important waterways run through Millstone, Roosevelt, Allentown and Upper Freehold residents' backyards.

"Take note of the environment and the surroundings in your own backyard," she said. "A lot of people don't realize the treasures that they have right outside of their own back doors."

When asked what may be causing Empty Box Creek in Roosevelt to grow into a larger body of water, causing some flooding issues for area residents, Terrynelson said storm-water runoff from upstream development is the likely cause.

MAP COURTESY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY PARK SYSTEM The Perrine Lake Park

"If you pave over a large surface area, all that runoff has to go somewhere," she said. "The streambeds are carrying water loads they were not made to handle. A hundred years ago, a rain event in this area wouldn't have caused flooding. Today, one rain event has a huge impact."

With the hope that there will still be a healthy watershed to protect 60 years from now, the association reminds people to think of the consequences of their actions, not only to preserve the environment for today's generation but for future generations as well.

"It's important that people realize that there is something they can do," Terrynelson said. "They hear about waterquality problems and feel overwhelmed, but if everyone did some of these common sense things, we would come a long way in preservation and restoration."

Waltman encouraged area residents to support the association by becoming a member. Contributions are tax deductible. Students and seniors can join for $25. Individuals can join for $40, and families can join for $50.

Anyone interested in becoming a StreamWatch volunteer can learn about the program at the next StreamWatch training session, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association Reserve in Pennington. To sign up for the training, call Beth April at 609-737- 3735, ext. 17.

For more information about the watershed association and its programs, visit www.thewatershed.org.