Protecting Water

The Watershed Institute applauds Gov. Phil Murphy for signing into law today the Flood Defense Act, which passed the Legislature earlier this year.

Join us for our 3rd Annual NJ Watershed Conference! For those interested in speaking at the conference, the call for proposals is now open.

On March 23, 2019, The Watershed Institute will hold its inaugural World Water Day Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join us at one of two sessions on Saturday for a delicious brunch and learn about the sugaring process!

Governor Murphy needs to sign the Flood Defense Act. Urge the Governor to give NJ the tool it needs to address flooding and water pollution.

Join us for the fifth year of this intensive Birds of New Jersey course taught by Luke K. Butler, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biology at TCNJ.

The Watershed Institute is searching for an area teacher to recognize with its annual Richard Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. Nominate a teacher – deadline March 1, 2019.

An expert from The Watershed Institute will discuss Princeton stormwater issues at a free panel on climate resilience from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Princeton Public Library.

The farm on the Watershed Reserve sells fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers through its CSA program. Farm shares are now on sale for the upcoming season.

NJ lawmakers approve a bill that gives municipalities, counties, and utilities an important, and widely accepted tool to reduce flooding and improve water quality.

Acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate.

Did you know that 2018 marked the wettest year on record in New Jersey since record-keeping began in 1895? New Jersey received more than 64 inches of precipitation last year, a whopping 18 inches higher than normal.

Join us for weekly readings exploring the language of nature in poetry and prose.

The Circuit Trails, a network of biking, walking and other recreation trails in the Greater Philadelphia area, now officially includes a multi-use path at The Watershed Institute.

Join Watershed Institute staff members, Stormwater Specialist Kory Kreiseder, and Stewardship Coordinator, Allison Jackson for a discussion after viewing several short films on the importance of native plants.

Water quality is ever-changing in response to changes in the landscape. Between 1930 and 2012, urban land increased from just 12% to more than 40% of the Millstone Watershed. How are our streams faring in response?

Thirty students learned how to build a sustainable school in project-based learning at The Watershed Institute.

We celebrated our volunteers with a festive brunch on Saturday. Our volunteers gave about 12,000 hours in 2018 by monitoring streams, planting trees and more!

Support us as we work to keep New Jersey’s water clean, safe and healthy.

We are selectively closing some of our trails on the listed dates. Please know that our trails are always open on Sundays for general enjoyment.

Hundreds of Northern Saw-whet Owls have been banded in the fifth year of field research at the Watershed Reserve and Mercer Meadows.

Pat Heaney, a Senior Educator at The Watershed Institute, will be honored with a Women & Wildlife awards from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

The Watershed Center’s first student photography exhibit depicts the theme of “Reflection and the Environment.”

The 2nd Annual New Jersey Watershed Conference brings stakeholders together on clean water issues.

Get more information from our 2018 Citizen Science Forum presenters!

The Watershed Institute is collaborating on a two-day Green Infrastructure Certification with the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional organization.

Join us on Oct. 27 to learn about the Origins of Halloween during an evening program on a glowing jack ‘o lantern-lit path.

On Monday, October 22nd, the Assembly Telecommunication and Utilities Committee will be considering stormwater utilities authorizing legislation.

The Watershed Institute is excited to host a free Citizen Science Public Forum on Oct. 23 along with the U.S. EPA (Region 2) and NJDEP.

The Watershed’s FEST 2018: Passport to Cuba was the most successful yet.

A new trail connecting the Lawrenceville Hopewell Trail (LHT) to the main entrance of The Watershed Institute opened Oct. 6.

Watershed conference explores new tool to combat flooding and water pollution at recent conference.

Join us on Nov. 2, 2018 for the New Jersey Watershed Conference. Improve your knowledge on issues related to water quality and quantity across the state

Bike along the Lawrence Hopewell Trail as part of the River Days celebration, which is sponsored by the William Penn Foundation.

When last assessed in a subwatershed report in 2015, the water quality in Bear Brook was considered “good”. In this assessment, however, the overall water quality score for the brook is linked to the amount of pavement and other hardscape in the surrounding area…

At an orientation program this week, Princeton University students installed a rain garden to control stormwater runoff on the Watershed Reserve.

The Watershed Institute has developed a toolkit of class materials that align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

As they head back to school, about 50 high school students explored climate change, field science, green architecture and clean water in the Watershed Science & Stewardship academies.

Science teachers investigated ways to use the Watershed’s classroom lessons for their own Next Generation Science Standards curricula.

See the Kwel Hoy’ totem pole, carved by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation, on the Watershed Reserve until September 15, 2018.

From monitoring water to installing rain gardens and kayaking with campers, eight high school, college students and recent graduates interned at The Watershed Institute this summer.

Join us for a Citizen Scientist Symposium from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the Watershed Center.

The Watershed Institute and NJ Spotlight are bringing experts to discuss stormwater utilities with elected officials and others involved in stormwater management.

Duets, alarms and other vibrational sounds of a treehopper species are fodder for Micah Fletcher’s doctoral research at Princeton University.

The 2018 season is in full swing at the Kate Gorrie Butterfly House. The full life cycle of our wonderful winged creatures is a sight to behold.

Please urge your state Senator to vote for S1073, a bill scheduled for the Senate on Thursday, June 21 that will address the problem of water pollution and flooding.

In NJ, stormwater pollution accounts for 60 percent of the pollution that enters our waters. 40 other states have created and operate “stormwater utilities” to address this problem.

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a particular body of water, such as a stream, river, pond, or lake.

When it rains, water is absorbed into the ground and recharges the aquifer. Because New Jersey is the most densely developed state in the nation, …

Hard surfaces like asphalt, concrete, and rooftops mean there is less room for rainfall and snowmelt to soak into the ground.

The water we drink in our homes and workplaces comes from a variety of sources depending on where you live.

When there isn’t enough water, our streams, rivers and lakes dry up. This means all the critters who live in the water, as well as …

Our waterways are teeming with life—mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and many smaller creatures.

In addition to helping us battle the proposed PennEast Pipeline, we urge you to weigh in against a pipeline proposed for Franklin Township. Comment deadline is June 22.

The Princeton Parklet opened Saturday, featuring live music, free ice cream and displays of rain barrels and green roofs by The Watershed Institute.

From touching a “slimy” green frog to measuring water temperature, about 50 students from Trenton Central High School visited The Watershed Institute …

Heathcote Brook is one of the smallest subwatersheds in the Millstone basin. Its been monitored monthly by veteran StreamWatch volunteer Ted Chase since 2005!

Join us June 3 at the Watershed. Madeleine Albright and George Schultz, both former Secretaries of State, call attention to the link between national security and climate change.

About 280 runners braved humid weather and sloppy conditions for The Watershed Institute’s 3rd Annual 10K/5K Trail Run on Sunday on the Watershed Reserve.

Jim Kinsel and Sherry Dudas anticipate Opening Day in several weeks for members of their community supported agriculture (CSA) on…

Join us on May 6 at the Watershed Center! We’ll see a film created by Kip Andersen as he uncovers possibly the largest health secret …

Join us from July 23-27 at the Watershed Teacher Academy, a research-based partnership with Princeton University that offers invaluable experience for educators teaching kindergarten through high school.

Stressing the importance of clean water, incoming Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Catherine McCabe…

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s board voted last month to change the name of the organization to The Watershed Institute.

About 800 volunteers — a record number — helped at the Watershed’s 12th annual Stream Cleanups, removing about 10,000 pounds of trash.

The Watershed is excited to announce that Catherine McCabe, Governor Phil Murphy’s nominee to become the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, will be the guest speaker…

Third graders from Wardlaw & Hartridge independent school in Edison, N.J., learned about the water cycle at the Watershed!

More than 75 people celebrated the April 24 opening of ​Kwel’ Hoy, ​an exhibition that connects communities protecting water, land, and our collective future.

Hopewell, Montgomery & Princeton school districts are on spring break April 2-6. Spend the week exploring science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math at the Watershed!

The Watershed is collaborating with the Princeton Friends School on their April 28 water-themed gala, Spring Fling, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Watershed.

Join us at the Watershed Center from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on March 29 (rescheduled date) for a free workshop that features training on a new …

Aliea Nallbani, 15, a junior at the George School, will build an underwater robot to help scientists at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association measure water quality.

Join us April 8 to see Former Vice President Al Gore continue his tireless fight, traveling around the world to influence international climate policy in An Inconvenient Sequel.

Connie and Bill Bauder said they want future generations to acquire the connection with nature that they’ve enjoyed in their lifetimes and to become good stewards of our water and land.

The Garden Club of Princeton presents: The Roving Eye Photography Exhibition. Discover the photography of over 20 artists in this vibrant and captivating show, on display at the Watershed Center until March 14, 2018.

Meet world-record holder and New Jersey native, Oliver Crane, Sunday March 11 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. At age 19, he has raised $62,000 in support of Ocean Conservation by rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

There is a lot that we don’t know about the Royce Brook! Our water quality assessments are usually based on data collected from StreamWatch volunteers and NJDEP staff, but in this case…

The Watershed Association is exploring migration with the Princeton Migrations project with a lecture on migrating shad from 3-5 p.m. on March 25 and a Millstone River paddle on May 19.

As part of the Princeton Migration series, join us for a showing of DamNation and a Q&A with fisheries and dam removal experts.

Stormwater utilities, a tool for managing flooding and water pollution, are gaining prominence in NJ as a better way to capture rain and fix old stormwater systems while benefiting homeowners and …

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and a partner environmental group today filed a request for a rehearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory…

Opponents of the proposed PennEast pipeline have redoubled their efforts given a conditional approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and recent actions by the pipeline…

The Language of Nature series for adults breathes new life into the environment around us.  It’s never too late to learn. Upcoming courses this spring include…

Join us at 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 for a free showing of Tapped. This documentary film on bottled water will help you see that this seemingly clean industry is not what it appears to be.

Tyler Christensen, who explored science and nature at the Watershed, is researching the wintering habitat of the rarely seen Northern Saw-whet owl on the 950-acre Watershed Reserve.

As a dedicated Watershed member since 1985, Anne Wieland’s love affair with the Stony Brook began decades ago and still lures her back here from Homer, Alaska.

Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter in the world, with many ending up as trash in our oceans and polluting our water.

Anne Wieland of Homer, Alaska, grew up on the Stony Brook, in Princeton, near the Hun School. She fell hard for the Brook in the 1940s.

The Watershed recently hosted a daylong seminar on stormwater with New Jersey experts, who discussed the problems and solutions of polluted stormwater runoff.

Through reading some classic and contemporary nature prose and poetry, examine how writers from Genesis to modern times have captured the natural world…

Downspout planters are landscaped planter boxes that capture rain water from the roof and function in a similar way as a rain garden but instead within a container.

From moons to microscopes, dozens of families explored galactic-to-watery worlds at the recent Family Science Night at the Watershed.

About two dozen students from the Cherry Hill East High School explored the Watershed Center’s green features.

Sonja Michaluk, 14, discovered her passion for streams and critters at a young age, and the Watershed has been a nurturing eddy where she’s developed her…

Now is a great time to get a head start on holiday gifts, ranging from clean-water kits for the young scientist to nature books and animal booties.

Hopewell Elementary School’s fifth graders recently visited the Watershed to collect evidence for environmental science lessons that align with Next Generation Science Standards.

Twelve Ewing High School science teachers and nine Fisher Middle School science teachers visit the Watershed to strengthen the integration of science…

“There is an art to science, and a science in art; the two are not enemies, but different aspects of the whole.” — ISAAC ASIMOV

The Lower Millstone River is the final stop for waters in the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed before they converge with the Raritan River and Raritan Bay. What happens here can be indicative of how the rest…

The Watershed strongly supports voting yes on Ballot Question #2.

The 11-member State Agriculture Development Committee, the state board responsible for preserving farmland in New Jersey, met recently at the Watershed. After the meeting, about two …

The Watershed recently installed floating wetlands at the Meadow Lakes retirement community in East Windsor and, if successful, this innovative approach to improving water quality may be expanded…

Join us on a magical hike and learn about Halloween’s origins through the creative performances of actors along wooded trails lit by hundreds of glowing Jack ‘O Lanterns.

We had a fantastic Watershed 2017 FEST event. Thank you attendees, FEST committee members and vendors for a successful gala — complete with its 50s theme.

Sixth graders from John Witherspoon Middle School came to the Watershed for two days of hands-on science, exploration and team building.

Join the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s Kory Kreiseder, a stormwater specialist, at the Princeton Public Library on Oct. 18.

With millions of Americans still suffering the ravages of recent hurricanes, resiliency to extreme weather should be a major issue for NJ Gov.-elect Phil Murphy.

Before the best items are gone, quickly register to bid on Silent Auction and Live Auction items! From trips to Arizona and California, to fine jewelry and live performances…

Explore the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail (LHT) by bike as part of this free River Days celebration, 9am-12pm, sponsored by the William Penn Foundation.

Join experts Dan Van Abs, Ph.D., and Scott Baxter-Green, for an informative discussion about your water supply and how our water gets treated and delivered.

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association recently honored four watershed heroes at its inaugural River-Friendly certification ceremony at the Watershed Center.

Can fashion save the planet? Find out by following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, Nov. 5th. Watch RIVERBLUE at the Watershed Center as he infiltrates one of the world’s most pollutive industries…

Timberlane Middle School’s sixth graders visited the Watershed on Oct. 3-5 for daylong science explorations that involved creative thinking…

A simple rain garden may look like a flower garden to the untrained eye, but these rain gardens serve the important role of absorbing 30% more water than the same size area of traditional lawn.

Green roofs provide aesthetic, environmental, and economic benefits.

With three monitoring sites along its muddy-bottom main stem and tributaries, the StreamWatch volunteer water quality monitoring program has tracked water quality in the Devils Brook subwatershed for 25 years.

Join us for a panel discussion with leading climate and water experts from academia, government, and the non-profit sector from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Sept. 27 at the opening night reception for the “Politics of Water.”

Two grants recently announced by the state Department of Environmental Protection will bolster key efforts by the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association to monitor and improve water quality…

Princeton Artists Alliance has used art as commentary on social and political issues for 25 years. The artists are taking on “The Politics of Water”, responding to issues such as climate change…

Princeton University group helps remove invasive plants, erect deer fencing and explored the 950-acre Watershed Reserve as part of their community action activities.

Starting Monday, September 18, the Watershed is offering a course about Trees of New Jersey and their lives. The classes are part of the adult Language of Nature series…

In How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change, Oscar Nominated director Josh Fox (GASLAND) continues in his deeply personal style, investigating climate change…

When rain falls on our roofs, streets, and parking lots, the subsequent water cannot soak into the ground and becomes stormwater runoff.

Greg Hunter, a sixth grade science teacher at Timberlane MS has been named the inaugural Teacher-in-Residence at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

The dam’s removal will restore historic migration routes for American shad and other fish that have been blocked for nearly three centuries from the Millstone…

Thirteen teenagers recently explored sustainable design and green architecture at the Watershed Center, each creating a 12-square-foot building…

The Watershed will feature free, hands-on activities showing the human impacts on water quality at the new “Pop In” space in downtown Princeton.

Thirteen teachers from public and private schools in central New Jersey came to the Watershed this week for three days of training to help them align their curricula with the Next Generation Science Standards.

From learning about rain barrels to GIS mapping, teenagers in the Watershed Science & Stewardship Academy assessed the health of the Stony Brook by measuring its nutrients …

The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House has been fluttering with activity this summer 2017. Come visit and be sure register for an event before they fly away.

Older campers and Counselors-in-Training joined younger campers at the Watershed Nature Camp this week on the newly expanded Watershed Reserve.

The Watershed hosted the graduation ceremony for 19 AmeriCorps New Jersey Ambassadors with state environmental officials, mentors and family members …

The Watershed Association is participating in the William Penn Foundation’s Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River with 22 other environmental centers…

The Watershed applauds this decision by NJDEP to reject PennEast’s fatally flawed permit application.

The Watershed purchased about 20 acres on the Mount Rose Ridge from the Hopewell Veterinary Group. The June 21 land acquisition expands the Watershed Reserve to 950 acres.

Proposed changes to the state’s program of protecting wetlands would weaken these critical areas. Please help us oppose this damaging proposal…

The American Institute for Architects (AIA) of New Jersey met at the Watershed Center for their East Coast Green conference focused on protecting the health…

We urge Bob Martin, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to reject PennEast’s permit application for a 120-mile pipeline.

With its bucolic beginnings amidst the sprawling agriculture of Millstone Township, Rocky Brook flows northwest through increasing urban development in Hightstown and commercial sections of East Windsor.

Join us for light refreshments and informal tours during our free event, Saturday, June 24 from 10a.m. to 1p.m. Bring your friends and family!

Pollutants run into our streams and lakes, causing the growth of algae and bacteria that makes swimming unsafe for people and their pets.

Around the globe, the warming atmosphere, land and oceans are causing fundamental changes to the water cycle and weather patterns. 

Explore local streams and learn how to combat water pollution and flooding with Steve Tuorto, PhD, the Watershed’s Director of Science and Stewardship.

Princeton neighborhoods are safer from flooding and water intrusion resulting from new construction with Monday’s passage of the ordinance controlling polluted stormwater runoff.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Upcoming courses this fall include a focus on water ecology and life cycles of trees.

Cranbury Board of Health adopts a smoke-free parks ordinance, the 13th town in our Watershed to do so.

Science teachers! We invite you to join us for a research-based partnership with Princeton and Rider Universities. Learn from field-based experiments and data collection with scientists in …

Residents of Princeton are encouraged to attend the Princeton Council meeting on June 12 at 7pm to speak in favor of a stormwater ordinance, and urge their elected officials to vote for passage of the ordinance.

Join us in supporting REI and United By Blue for a stream cleanup in Trenton, Wednesday, June 7 from 5-7pm.

Princeton’s town council is poised to take an important step by considering a strong new measure to address flooding and polluted stormwater runoff—two of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges.

This open air art exhibit on the Watershed Reserve starts on June 4 through August 31 and is free to the public daily, dawn until dusk. Pick up a map in the Watershed Center and discover art along our trails.

Fifteen kiko goats arrived at the Watershed Reserve this week as part of an eco-friendly way to remove invasive plants from the future Nature Play Zone area.

Join us for this inspiring June 4th double feature about migration. Guest Speaker and filmmaker Jared Flesher will be on hand to discuss his stunning film the Birds of May which tells the story…

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association celebrated the 2nd annual Trail Run on Sunday, May 21 with 270 runners surrounded by friends and family to support clean water.

Catching crayfish, mayfly nymphs and other critters in Stony Brook’s waters, playing lively rounds of Green Jeopardy and mapping transpiration, about 100 ninth graders from the Princeton Day School…

Using virtual field trips, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is helping New Brunswick students learn about threats to clean water…

Urging stronger oversight of natural gas pipelines, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and others on Wednesday applauded the reintroduction of legislation by a local Congresswoman.

The new stormwater ordinance introduced by the Princeton Council will help address flooding problems and reduce the amount of pollution discharged into…

Over the past year, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association has been searching for a resident in their watershed to become the face of River-Friendly living.

“This bill seeks to rush approval by undermining environmental agency review and trampling over states’ rights,” said Jim Waltman

Ever wonder about the wildflowers and plants you spot during strolls in the spring and early summer outdoors? Join Kate Lepis, Ph.D., an adjunct professor biology at Monmouth University for an…

On Sunday, an unusual event took place at the Stony Brook-­Millstone Watershed Association in Pennington. It was a climate conference presented for students, but also organized; to a large degree, by students.

More than 500 volunteers helped the Watershed remove about 5,000 pounds of trash from waterways in seven towns so far…

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association presented U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman with its highest award for environmental leadership…

Nearly 100 friends and supporters joined Watershed staff for the organization’s Annual Meeting on April 24th. Highlights included…

The Watershed’s first conference on Climate Change for High School Students was held on Sunday, April 23rd at the Watershed Center.

Earth Day is celebrated with action at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association: We plant trees, remove trash from streams, sell native plants, and host conferences on climate change.

A new concern is about to take center stage in Washington. Consternation that our national government is dismissing science, rejecting evidence-based decision-making, and…

High school students are invited to join us for a conference on climate change at the Watershed Center on Sunday, April 23 from 1-5:30pm. The free conference is cosponsored by…

We are disappointed that FERC did not heed the comments of its sister agencies to revise and re-issue a new draft EIS.

April 12 through May 19, the Garden Club of Princeton Gallery at the Watershed Center is showing Remnants of the Land, an interpretation of …

Most of the PennEast pipeline’s proposed route through NJ will interact with Fractured Bedrock Aquifers that feed the region’s private and community drinking wells.

NJDEP is renewing municipal stormwater permits for the first time in over a decade but is not incorporating technology that could improve water quality

As we built our communities with more and more concrete, asphalt and buildings, the need to address stormwater arose. Our thinking on how to address stormwater has evolved over the years.

In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Division (NOAA Fisheries), in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and NJ Department of Environmental Protection agreed…

Fifty years ago, many of America’s rivers were open sewers for human and industrial waste. The nation was horrified in 1969 when the Cuyahoga River…

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today revised its schedule for reviewing the PennEast pipeline, resulting in a third delay…

Betsy Hoover, long-time Watershed Friend and legacy society member talks about her planned gift and what it means to her…

You’d be excused for believing that natural gas is a “clean” fuel. After all, the oil and gas industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years on television…

River-Friendly Coordinator Brittany Musolino and the three other River-Friendly Program Coordinators…

One thing is clear: this election was not about the environment. In fact, the issue was raised only obliquely in the four-and-a-half hours of debates that the two…

New Jersey’s Flood Hazard Control Act rules have two purposes. First, the rules are supposed to reduce the threat to the public safety…