The following presentations were delivered at the 6th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum as part of a series of breakout sessions.
Breakout Session 1: creating a unified vision for watershed protection
Several landscape-scale initiatives are taking place and are providing a pathway to a cleaner, healthier Delaware River Watershed for the people and wildlife that call it home. The Delaware River Watershed Initiative is the country’s largest non-regulatory and privately-driven conservation effort to improve water quality; watershed-wide campaigns such as 4 the Delaware and Delaware Means are raising awareness of this nationally significant resource and calling for increased leadership at the state level. After eight years of collaboration and advocacy spearheaded by stakeholders of the basin, the Delaware River Watershed achieved a historic win earlier this year and has new dedicated federal funding putting it on par with other major watersheds nationwide. This breakout session looks at existing collaborative efforts to align and drive a collective watershed action.
ALIGNING CONSERVATION ACTION IN THE WATERSHED
Moderator: Sandra Meola, Director, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
Mike Slattery, Delaware River Basin Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Nathan Boon, Program Officer, Watershed Protection, William Penn Foundation
Dave Golden, Associate Director, Operations, New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
Joy Oakes, Senior Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association
Jen Adkins, Executive Director, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
capitalizing partnerships through the wild & scenic program
Moderator: Karla Rossini, Program Manager, Citizens United Maurice River
Fred Akers, Administrator, Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association
Paul Kenney, River Manager, National Park Service Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers
Jamie Fosburgh, Resource Planner, National Park Service Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers
Kristina Heister, Superintendent, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, National Park Service
Scaling up agricultural best Management Practices
Moderator: Kristen Saacke Blunk, Principal and Field Liaison, Headwaters LLC
Laura Tessieri, Associate Director, North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development
Grant DeCosta, Senior Planner for Land Conservation, Brandywine Conservancy
Kristen Meistrell, Stewardship Project Director South, New Jersey Audubon
crossing state lines for watershed protection
Moderator: Grant La Rouche, Director of Conservation Partnerships, Mid-Atlantic, National Wildlife Federation
Emily Baumbach, Science Planning Specialist, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Doug O’Malley, Director, Environment New Jersey
water users and water use trends in our watershed
Moderator: Jane Rowan, President, Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin
Steve Tambini, Executive Director, Delaware River Basin Commission
Daniel J. Van Abs, PhD, AICP, Associate Professor, Rutgers University
Vincent Monaco, Engineering Manager, Regional Asset Planning, New Jersey American Water
breakout session 2: the future of the watershed
Achieving a future with clean water, healthy habitats, and strong communities requires leadership, coordination among diverse partners, and a holistic approach. Together, our coalition serves as a unified voice for seeking improved watershed policy and protection. This set of breakout sessions explores opportunities to engage with the Coalition’s newly adopted priorities with the goal of taking ownership of the Delaware River Watershed’s future.
breaking the green ceiling
Moderator: Mariah Davis, Field Manager, Choose Clean Water Coalition
Kevin Moore, Principal, Urban Environmental Group
Julie Slavet, Executive Director, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc.
place-based climate solutions
Moderator: Marjorie Kaplan, Associate Director, Rutgers Climate Institute (Presentation)
Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Saleem Chapman, Deputy Director of Sustainability, Mayor’s Office of Philadelphia
25,000 miles of swimmable, fishable waterways
Moderator: Nathan Boon, Program Officer, Watershed Protection, William Penn Foundation
Faith Zerbe, Director of Monitoring, Delaware Riverkeeper Network
Steve Tuorto, PhD, Director of Science & Stewardship, The Watershed Institute
Alice R. Baker, Staff Attorney, PennFuture
David Kinney, Eastern Policy Director, Trout Unlimited
building state leadership 4 the delaware
Moderator: Halle Van der Gaag, Manager, Delaware River Programs, National Wildlife Federation
Danielle Dick, Communications Consultant, Delaware Nature Society
Alex Cupo, Southeast PA Outreach Coordinator, PennFuture
Jeff Skelding, Executive Director, Friends of the Upper Delaware River
Kelly Mooij, Vice President of Government Relations, New Jersey Audubon
watershed infrastructure - JEOPARDY!
Moderator: Alex Ambrose, Policy Assistant, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
Peter Marx, Federal Affairs Contractor
Ed DiFiglia, Program Manager, New Jersey Future
session 3: growing the Conservation movement
Ensuring our accomplishments are long-lasting goes beyond our organizations’ day-to-day operations. Fostering stewardship and building proactive constituencies begins with connecting people to nature. This session will focus on how organizations and businesses are using innovative methods and reaching new audiences to nurture the next generation of advocates for the watershed.
growing a conservation ethic in the next generation
Moderator: Sarun Chan, Watershed Fellowship Coordinator, Audubon Pennsylvania
2018 RiverGuides and Staff, Urban Promise
Holly Gallagher, Mid-Atlantic Education Manager, National Wildlife Federation
everything is local: municipal engagement
Moderator: Abigail Jones, Northeast PA Staff Attorney, PennFuture
Ellen Kohler, Water Quality Program Manager, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center
Chris Linn, Manager, Office of Environmental Planning, Delaware Regional Planning Commission
Christopher Obropta, Extension Specialist in Water, Resources Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Rutgers University
building an inclusive watershed
Moderator: Lori Braunstein, Outreach Coordinator, Environmental Leadership Program
Tykee James, Environmental Policy Advisor, State Representative Bullock, House of Representatives, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Jamie Gauthier, Executive Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy
John Sykes, Founder & Board Vice President, Delaware Interfaith Power and Light
clean water is good for business
Moderator: Richard Lawton, Executive Director, NJ Sustainable Business Council (Presentation)
Gerald Kauffman, Director, Water Resources Center, University of Delaware
Fran Lawn, Manager, GSI Partners, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
Ed Clerico, P.E., CEO Emeritus, Natural Systems Utilities
Jezabel Careaga, Entrepreneur, Cook, Designer, and Maker, Jezabel’s
conservation through public recreation
Moderator: Mark Zakutansky, Director of Conservation Policy Engagement, Appalachian Mountain Club (Presentation)
Todd Pride, Managing Partner and Lead Coach, Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoor Partners
David La Puma, Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, New Jersey Audubon
breakout session 4: workshops
delaware bay sediment transportation analysis tool
Captain Alek Modjeski, Habitat Restoration Program, Director, American Littoral Society
Steven Hafner, Assistant Director of Center, Stockton University Coastal Research Center
Mat Suran, Computer Resource Manager & GIS Analyst, Stockton University Coastal Research Center
ask the funders!
Moderator: Susan Myerov, Program Director, Watersheds, Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Andy Johnson, Program Director, William Penn Foundation
Christine Hall, State Resource Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Carl Alderson, Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Habitat Restoration Specialist, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Rachel Dawson, Program Director, Delaware River, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
bmpS OF NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT
Caroline Bott, Mid-Atlantic Leadership Development Manager, River Network
ask the experts: media relations
Moderator: Rita Yelda, Outreach & Communications Manager, Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed
Angela Delli Santi, Director of Communications and Marketing, New Jersey Department of Labor
Meg McGuire, Founder and Publisher, Delaware Currents
David Kinney, Eastern Policy Director, Trout Unlimited
the do’s & don’ts of lobbying as a c3 organization
Abby Levine, Director, Alliance for Justice
how to win friends and influence people: using social media to achieve your goals
Hillary Mohaupt, Social Media Strategist, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters