NOTE: Date Change to Plainsboro Event.
In celebration of Earth Day, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association will hold its third annual Watershed-wide stream clean-ups on Saturdays and Sundays, April 25 and 26. Volunteers from 11 towns and four counties will be rolling up their sleeves to help keep nearby lakes, rivers, and streams clean and healthy.##M:[more]##
The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, a not-for-profit organization, protects the 265-square-mile region drained by the Stony Brook and Millstone River — an area spanning 26 towns and five counties. Founded in 1949, the Watershed Association is central New Jersey’s first environmental group protecting clean water and the environment through conservation, advocacy, science, and education.
“The choices we make every day have the biggest impact on the health of our water and environment,” said Jim Waltman, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, which is celebrating its 60th Anniversary throughout 2009. “From the chemicals we use to treat our lawn, to the cup from Starbucks that we toss aside — each year thousands of pounds of trash and pollutants are washed from our streets and yards into our lakes, rivers, and streams.”
In West Windsor, the Watershed Association is partnering with the West Windsor Township Environmental Commission, working closely with the Department of Public Works. Volunteers will meet on Sunday, April 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Delaware & Raritan Canal on Quaker Road behind the Nassau Park Boulevard shopping center to clean up the canal area.
In 2008, a dedicated cadre of volunteers in West Windsor removed 722 pounds of trash — everything from food wrappers and plastic bags, to glass bottles and other recyclables — from the Delaware and Raritan Canal through the Watershed-wide Stream Clean-up.
In Plainsboro, the Watershed Association is partnering with the Plainsboro Township Recreation Department to clean up the Lenape Trail along Cranbury Brook. This is the first time Plainsboro has participated in the Watershed Association’s Watershed-wide Stream Clean-ups. Volunteers will meet on Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plainsboro Township Municipal Building, 641 Plainsboro Road. Volunteers are welcome to stay for the Township’s tree planting following the clean-up.
To volunteer contact Watershed Association Community Advocacy Coordinator Anneli TerryNelson at 609-737-3735, ext 14 or E-mail aterrynelson@thewatershed.org. Volunteers should wear boots and long sleeves, and bring a water bottle and work gloves. T-shirts and refreshments provided.
Stream Clean-Up, Stony Brook Millstone Watershed, Delaware & Raritan Canal, Quaker Road, West Windsor. Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m. Also at Plainsboro Township Municipal Building, 641 Plainsboro Road. Saturday April 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register to volunteer. 609-737-7592. www.thewatershed.org.
