Watershed Association Butterfly Festival a Soaring Success

On August 13, 2005, the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association hosted the 5^th annual Butterfly Festival, celebrating the beauty and magic of New Jersey’s native butterflies. The event featured children’s games and crafts, tours of the Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House, naturalist-led hikes, live music, organic food vendors and local “green” vendors and businesses, as well as a presentation by Princeton resident and Master Gardener Teresa Knipper on using native plants to attract butterflies to gardens. This year’s festival focused on sustainability and included displays of alternative fuel and energy-efficient vehicles, a model solar car race and solar panel and photovoltaic suppliers for home and business.

This year’s Butterfly Festival drew over 1,000 people. Proceeds from the event will support the Butterfly House as well as the Watershed Association’s conservation and education programs.

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes spoke at the Festival, emphasizing the importance of preserving natural lands and waterways as a means to maintain and enhance quality of life in central New Jersey today and for future generations.

The Watershed Association presented its first round of River-Friendly Resident Certification Awards to eight property owners from Cranbury, East Windsor, Hopewell, and Montgomery Townships and Princeton Borough. The program helps homeowners improve their landscaping practices and provides resources and guidance along the way benefiting all residents of the 265 square mile watershed through the expansion of environmentally sound landscaping practices.

Residents Receive River Friendly Certification

A River Friendly Yard

Anna Drago of Cranbury Township worked with her landscaper and tree service to use more environmentally friendly products, reducing chemical fertilizer usage and pesticide toxicity levels and amounts, and promoting habitat for birds. Steven and Laurie DeRochi of Montgomery Township changed their fertilizer and mowing practices and have successfully reduced their use of chemical fertilizers, eliminated pesticide use, mowed at higher levels to promote healthier grass, and saved money on lawn and yard care expenses in the process. Sarah Roberts and Larry Koplik of Montgomery Township planted numerous native species in their wooded area, removed invasives, and solved erosion/ stormwater runoff problems on their property by thickening the stream buffer and regrading and reseeding slopes.

As a result they have improved water quality in their stream and pond and provided wildlife habitat. Tom and Barbara McGeachen of East Windsor Township reduced their lawn area by converting turf into gardens, decreasing their chemical fertilizer usage and time spent on lawn maintenance while attracting birds and butterflies, and saving water by using drought tolerant plant species, drip hoses, and mulch. Other residents receiving the River Friendly designation are: Peter and Margie Gibson, Dennis and Kathy O’Neal, and Ted Stiles, all of Hopewell Township and Myra and Van Zandt Williams Jr. of Princeton Borough.

The Association also received a River-Friendly Business Certification award for its outstanding environmental stewardship efforts. Erik Silldorff of Princeton Hydro, a member of the River-Friendly Technical Advisory Committee, presented the award to Executive Director Jim Waltman and Property and Open Space Director Bay Weber. When the Association created the River-Friendly Certification programs, it was determined to require as much of itself as expected of others. According to Dr. Silldorff, the Association set a high standard to serve as a model for other organizations and to support the River-Friendly Program. Ms. Weber together with the Association’s staff and volunteers, worked on numerous goals that included a written pond management plan, a wildlife homes conservation plan, establishment of a rain garden (designed to filter pollutants from roof runoff), and interpretive information signs for visitors. The Association’s achievements were independently reviewed and approved by the River-Friendly Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

“Some may think that since we are an environmental organization, we are already attuned to sound land use practice and there would not be that much to do. But there is always that next level, which the River-Friendly Program helped us achieve,” said Ms. Weber.

SBMWA receives River Friendly Business Certification

The Watershed Association launched its River-Friendly Certification programs to help local businesses, golf courses, and residents adopt environmentally sound land management practices that improve water quality, conserve water, and promote native plants and wildlife. By adopting new practices, tailored for each site, individuals can reduce the amount of pollution flowing off their property in storm water, increase the amount of rainfall that stays on site to recharge groundwater supplies, and attract native wildlife. The River-Friendly programs are funded by the William Penn Foundation and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Targeted Watershed Grants Program.

Architect and Princeton Borough resident William Wolfe also received an award from the Watershed Association, presented by board member and property chair Bill Porter of Pennington. Mr. Wolfe was recognized for donating his time and expertise to the design and installation of the solar electric system at the Watershed’s Buttinger Nature Center. The solar installation offsets more than one half of the electricity used at the Nature Center. Funding for this installation was provided by the David Mathey Trust and the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Charitable Trust.

Jim Russell of Wharton raced his solar model car, Sparky the Nerd in the Model Solar Car Showcase. His model competed in the 2005 Northeast Championship Junior Solar Sprints and placed second on Technical Merit and third on Craftsmanship.

The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving water quality and the natural environment in the 265-square mile area of central New Jersey drained by Stony Brook and the Millstone River. The Watershed Association preserves open space by maintaining an 830-acre nature reserve in Pennington; provides year-round environmental education programs for children and adults; and works with towns, businesses, and landowners to improve land use decisions that impact our environment. The Watershed Reserve contains 14 miles of hiking trails, a nature center and gift shop, and the Honey Brook Organic Farm—an independently operated, community supported farm. Visitors are welcome from dawn to dusk all year long. The Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House is open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week from May to October. For more information, call 609-737-3735 or visit us online at www.thewatershed.org.

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