Mara Tippett, Executive Director, Raritan Headwaters, Thousands of Volunteers Join Forces to Protect New Jersey’s Waterways

The Big Idea:

●      Mara Tippett, Executive Director of Raritan Headwaters is leveraging the help of thousands of New Jersey volunteers to help keep local streams, rivers and drinking water clean and safe.

●      Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) recently hosted their 34th annual Spring Stream Cleanup. In just three hours, more than 1,200 volunteers picked up nearly 15 tons of trash, junk and recyclables in more than 40 miles of streams across 38 municipalities in Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris counties.

●       Project Write Now’s community outreach programs are offered in partnership with schools and mission-based organizations. The programs are geared toward helping underserved youth and adults develop the writing and communication skills needed to achieve academic and professional success, resilience, and personal growth. Some of these programs include weekly writing workshops for AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students at Red Bank Middle School, college essay support at local high schools, workshops for adults living with mental illness, a teacher writing collaborative to inspire teachers, internships and open mics for teens, and much more.

Background:

●      Raritan Headwaters covers more than 400 square miles (about half the area of Yosemite National Park) including the Highlands—a major drinking water source for 1.8 million people.

●      Raritan Headwaters Association engages scientists and a dedicated team of citizen volunteers to collect stream samples to form the basis of the annual watershed report card. The data is a resource for individuals, municipalities, and government agencies to better understand where streams in the Upper Raritan are healthy and where they need improvement.

●      In its most recent report card, Raritan Headwaters Association rated water quality as a C and found that many sources of contamination including fertilizers, chemicals and industrial waste pose that make the whole system vulnerable.

●      Clean up events that engage the whole community can go a long way to improving water quality, health and safety.

Fun Fact:

RHA also engaged in extensive community education programs, including summer camps, after school programs, field trips, guided kayak tours and more. The group’s Environmental Leaders Academy and Watershed University programs help high school students prepare for careers in conservation.

Their Take:

Mara Tippett

“It’s essential that we keep this water clean—not only for the millions of New Jersey residents who rely on it for drinking but also for the entire Raritan River ecosystem, all the way down to the bay. Everyone has a role to play and we're so lucky to have an incredible community of volunteers who truly care about protecting our streams and drinking water. It’s amazing to see so many people come together—whether it’s for our annual Stream Cleanup or the ongoing efforts to monitor the health of our waterways.”

-  Mara Tippett, Executive Director, Raritan Headwaters