A Watershed Moment

As you travel throughout the Musconetcong Watershed, you can’t help but marvel at the beauty and intimacy of the area. Standing in the Musconetcong River, you feel like you can touch the surrounding mountains. From the top of Point Mountain, you see the majesty of rolling hills and fertile valleys that have served generations of people and spawned many successful businesses. In towns like Hackettstown, Netcong, Washington, Hampton and Bloomsbury, you walk the streets and feel history envelop you like a warm blanket.

We are indeed fortunate to live, work, play and raise families in this most special place.

However, the future is not guaranteed, and each of us has an opportunity and a responsibility to do what we can to protect, conserve and grow our Watershed. (Resilient Musconetcong 2050)

For the last three years, I have had the privilege and sheer delight to serve as your Executive Director. I took this responsibility and opportunity seriously, and with the best staff and a supportive Board, we worked every day to protect and improve the Musconetcong Watershed and its waters for people and nature.

Thank you for your continued support – I look forward to future opportunities to work together. I retire as Executive Director on May 2nd knowing that together we’ve accomplished a great deal.

As Franklin Township Committeewoman Bonnie Butler said, “The MWA gets things done.”

·      MWA Strategic Plan adopted

·      MWA Watershed Vision Plan adopted

·      Middle Musconetcong Watershed Management Plan drafted (awaiting NJDEP approval)

·      Musconetcong Island Park created

·      East Avenue (Beatty’s Mill) Dam removed

·      Over 1,500 trees planted

·      Over 500 children educated

And that’s on top of the water quality monitoring, classroom instructions, policy advocacy, communications and other stewardship activities staff do every day to make our watershed a place we’re proud of.

Of course, not everything could get accomplished during my tenure, but I look forward to the public opening of the historic Asbury Mill and the interpretive center that will inform and engage people interested in our watershed and its history and future, covering agricultural practices, industrialization, culture and history, and our environment. And I await how our Village of Asbury builds on the Vibrant Places report and Warren County’s Complete Streets program, for I know that the Village’s best days are around the corner.

Not many people outside of our watershed know about our national Wild & Scenic River, nor do they fully comprehend the value of our Category-1 waters. However, once you experience the Musky, you long remember its beauty.

So, take the time to experience the Musky again or for the first time. Go fishing or kayaking in the River. Take a hike in the hills or a leisurely walk in one of the historic downtowns. And remind yourself that humans have inhabited these lands for over 13,000 years, but our work has only just begun.

With a changing climate, economic and social pressures for development, and legacy and new nonpoint sources of pollution, the future isn’t guaranteed. Each of us needs to find ways to do our part to ensure the Musconetcong Watershed and its waters remain safe for people and nature.

With the leadership of Christa Reeves and Steven Gransky, and the committed Board and staff at the Musconetcong Watershed Association, I know MWA is in good hands. I commit to remain an active member of MWA and encourage you to become a sustaining member so that MWA can continue to grow and be more impactful.

I leave with my favorite quote to inspire and activate you:

Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons (and daughters) and grandsons (and granddaughters) are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.

— Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect and urban planner (1864-1912)