The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is central New Jersey’s first environmental organization.  Since 1949, the Watershed Association has been protecting and restoring clean water and the environment through a combination of science, education, advocacy, and land conservation. We seek to inspire an appreciation of the natural world, foster an ethic of environmental stewardship, protect and restore natural lands and waterways, and strengthen local and state land use policies.

The Watershed Association's programs include:

Watershed Science

Science is at the heart of the Watershed Association’s environmental leadership. Across the region, we collect key data on the health of our streams and other environmental factors. We distribute the information to citizens and officials in central New Jersey, and work with them to address pollution of our water supplies and waterways. Our GIS Center (Geographic Information Systems) combines scientific data with mapping systems to help local governments and citizens understand the environmental issues facing our communities and help plan for a better future.

Environmental Education

The Watershed Association serves more than 10,000 children and adults through nearly 400 education programs and events each year. Our programs inspire an appreciation of the wonders of nature and explain what we can do to protect our environment. Our teacher workshops train educators to incorporate the environment into their curriculums, while adult education programs teach strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of your home and business. At our Buttinger Nature Center, visitors can discover an assortment of exhibits and a collection of small creatures, not to mention the wonders of the Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House.

Land Conservation

From the 860-acre Watershed Reserve in Hopewell to locations across the region, Watershed Association volunteers and staff are engaged in projects that protect and restore natural habitats. We have also helped “grow” other important regional organizations over the years. In the 1980s we helped launch the D&R Greenway Land Trust and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey. Our Watershed Reserve hosts the Honey Brook Organic Farm, now the largest community-supported organic farm in the nation. Through our Watershed Institute, we help build other watershed groups across the state.

Environmental Advocacy

Research Questions

• The Watershed Association manages an 860-acre nature reserve in Hopewell Township, seven miles from the Princeton University campus.  The organization has recently completed a master plan for its facilities, trails, and visitor services, placing a high priority on environmental sustainability.  The organization is interested in complimenting this plan with a thorough evaluation of the ecology of the Watershed Reserve and a plan for the management of its natural systems.   What elements of biological diversity present on the Reserve today should be priorities for management attention?  What species, natural communities, and natural processes are present here but are rare or declining elsewhere in our region?  Which are no longer present but may be good candidates for reintroduction?

• The Watershed Association has conducted an extensive environmental education program for several decades.  How might the organization measure the impact of this work in fostering a conservation ethic among the participants in our educational programs? A growing body of research suggests that exposure to nature may be important to the healthy development of children and that the phenomenon of “de-naturing” of children may be a factor in enhanced rates of attention deficit disorder, childhood anxiety disorder, and other developmental issues.  How might this hypothesis be tested?

• The Watershed Association has conducted several dozen stream restoration projects over the past two decades.  How might the impact of these projects on water quality and fish and wildlife habitat viability be measured?  What has been the impact of this work?

• American shad are thought to have once been common in the Millstone River but today are extremely rare.  What impediments exist to the restoration of shad and other migratory fish in the Millstone River?  What would restoration of these species to the Millstone entail and how difficult and expensive a proposition would this be?

• The battle against sprawl in NJ is a crucial but complex issue. Students could investigate the phenomenon and impact of sprawl. The Watershed Association is particularly interested in the economics of sprawl. How might they approach the economic problems? What role do property taxes play in environmental concerns? What is the economic impact? What has been done about it? The results may be used in advocacy efforts.

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