CU Reporter May 2001

Debbie Mans is the Program Director for the Watershed Institute, a project of the Stoney-Millstone Watershed Association. The Institute is dedicated to assisting and promoting New Jersey watershed organizations. Debbie assists municipalities in developing proactive land use measures by working through municipal assessments with them. Prior to joining Stoney Brook Millstone Watershed Association, she was an Attorney Editor at West Group, a large legal publisher. There she coordinated several zoning, land use and construction law publications. Her BA is from University of Michigan and her JD is from Vermont Law School.The Stoney Brook Millstone Watershed Association is one of the state’s largest associations. Debbie will tell us about its history, size, membership and programs. She will offer a recap as to how it reached its present prominence, her duties as Director of the Watershed Institute. An explanation about the New Jersey Council of Watershed Associations and how it affects Citizens United will be offered. There are many legislative initiatives that impact the State’s watersheds and we will be given some insight into them. Lastly, she would like to hear your views on the concerns and issues that face the Maurice River watershed and our organization. Debbie is interested in what kind of assistance we may need from the Institute.

WOW! CU RECEIVES GRANT- A Wild and Scenic River Grant from the National Park Service office has been awarded to Citizens United to include our teachers’ curriculum on our website. This is a $6,200 award that should allow local teachers to add additional lesson plans and recommend local field trips that help to interpret our area. Our webmasters, Scientific Marketing Service have been awarded the contract to complete this task.. About 40-80 people per week find information they are searching for on our website. We are asking that you e-mail your friends asking them to check out the site. Soon an osprey slide show will be added to the myriad of images and information.

Also Coming Soon to the Website –
An osprey slide show! Remember that our web newsletters have photos too.

For Your Boating Safety and Pleasure- be sure to check out tide levels on our website before planning your trips. This spring the Coast Guard has already had to rescue two boatloads of boaters by helicopter. The tide chart link is on the page About the Maurice River. This link provides tidal information for all of NJ; at the bottom of the page you can select regions and get information for all over the United States, compliments of the sports outfitter Cabela’s.

Raptor Festival- The Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. slide presentation on CU’s osprey project and our information table were very well attended. The Festival was a big hit with about 600 vistors. The Maurice River’s winged raptors dazzled the binocular-laden guests. A good time was had by all. Plans are afoot for a repeat next February.

NJN Movie- Rest assured that lots of progress has been made toward completion of our new movie, including a title: Celebrating Our Sense of Place. If it sounds familiar it should. Our teachers’ curriculum is called Down Jersey: Celebrating Our Sense of Place.

Down Jersey: Celebrating Our Sense of Place Teachers’ workshops – On April 10, at Parvin State Park, Jane Morton Galetto gave an overview of the teachers’ curriculum to the Alliance for NJ Environmental Educators. She also invited them to sign up for a complete workshop at Wheaton Village on May 11th from 9am – 3pm., or on Sunday and Monday, October 14 & 15 at Belleplain State Forest. This two-day workshop will be a Project Learning Tree and Down Jersey workshop. For more information on the Belleplain workshop phone at 732-833-9816 or e-mail njfsfrec@bellatlantic.net. Our Educational Director Christine Raabe is making a presentation at Teach at the Beach, a forum held in Cape May at the Audubon Nature Center on May 5th. This event is organized by Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences, and NJ Marine Educators Association. Teachers now earn NJ Professional Development Credits for completing our workshop.

First and Second Quarter Mailings- Yes, those infamous letters asking for monetary support went out this past week. So if you made a donation during the first six months of 2000 you can expect one of our President’s pleas for help. This time she is really getting waggish. It may be time to send her on another trip. Many of you will have to wait till September or October for your declaration of beneficence.