Free Presentations Available from the NJ Watershed Ambassador

The New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program is a community-oriented AmeriCorps environmental program designed to raise awareness about watershed issues in New Jersey. Through this program, AmeriCorps members are placed in watershed management areas across the state to monitor local rivers and serve their local communities.

The AmeriCorps members educate students and citizens about watershed issues and empower them to get involved in their watershed. The AmeriCorps members in Mercer County are available to give free presentations to your school, to assist with storm drain stenciling and clean-up projects, and to work with community volunteers who wish monitor local streams using visual and biological monitoring techniques.

The NJDEP Division of Watershed Management began hosting this AmeriCorps program in September of 2000. AmeriCorps is a national service initiative that was started in 1993 and is known as the domestic Peace Corps. The program works with all sectors of society to improve the quality of New Jersey's waterways and therefore improve the quality of life in New Jersey. The program works to improve water quality by exploring relationships between people and the environment, nurturing community-based environmental activities and empowering residents to make responsible and informed decisions regarding their watershed. For more information about the program, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/wms/bear/americorps.htm or contact Kimberly Cenno at 609-633-1441 or by email at Kimberly.Cenno@dep.state.nj.us.

To schedule a presentation or learn about volunteer monitoring, please contact an Ambassador at: AmbassadorWMA20@aol.com. There are three Watershed Management Areas designated within Mercer County (WMA-20, WMA-11, and WMA-10), each with a different Watershed Ambassador. If you are unsure which watershed management area your school falls within, simply contact us and we will put you in contact with the appropriate Watershed Ambassador.