Virtual River Talk: Glaciers, Mountains, Gorges, and Mud- A History of Humans and Land Use Up-River on the Musconetcong

Virtual River Talk: Glaciers, Mountains, Gorges, and Mud: The Human Geography of the Musconetcong Watershed

Join the MWA for a virtual River Talk, which will take place on Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 - 8:30p.m.

Where people settle down and what they use the land and water for is often driven by geography. Unlike larger Rivers such as the Delaware, in the Musconetcong River valley,  life was shaped not by the appeal of easy transportation, but the challenge of transportation. Glaciers, mountains, gorges, and mud were formidable barriers for moving throughout the landscape. Swift moving water also provided the hydropower for small mills and those muddy, high-quality soils continue to be a boon to agriculture. Conquering the mountains also meant new transportation innovations, such as inclined planes for the Morris Canal, and tunnels for railroads. Many of these changes are represented in how the village of Asbury, the home of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, developed and keeps evolving. Join us on an exploration of how human land uses changed "up river", on the Musconetcong, and how those same geographic features influence life today.

Alan R. Hunt, Ph.D., serves as the Musconetcong Watershed Association’s Director of Policy and Grants. This role includes acting as the River Administrator for the Musconetcong Wild and Scenic River and managing restoration and adaptive reuse for the Historic Asbury Mill. Currently, the MWA is developing its first Musconetcong Wild and Scenic River National Park Service brochure, a watershed-wide interpretive plan, and is beginning the interpretive planning and exhibit design phase for the Asbury Mill’s Interpretive Center. As a native to the watershed, and growing up on a third-generation family farm, Alan’s perspective on people’s interaction with the land and water greatly informs his work, laying a foundation for how and why ecological restoration benefits water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation.

Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link for the event.