Philadelphia, PA — The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW), staffed by New Jersey Audubon and executed in partnership with National Wildlife Federation, held its 10th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum in Philadelphia, PA, on Thursday, November 3rd and Friday, November 4th. Over 275 people attended, bringing together organizations and individuals spanning the four Delaware River Watershed states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York, to collaborate and build capacity for environmental conservation.
$4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act Passes in New York!
On Election Day 2022, New York voters overwhelmingly approved the $4.2 billion “Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Bond Act.” This decisive response from the New York electorate is the largest environmental bond act in the history of the state, making investments in:
Water Quality and Resilient Infrastructure
Open Space Conservation and Recreation
Restoration and Flood Risk Reduction
Climate Change Mitigation
CDRW Welcomes New Policy Intern, Evan Shreffler
CDRW Communications Internship Experience
Over the past 10 months, I have had the amazing opportunity to work as the Communications Intern for the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW). Prior to beginning this internship, I graduated in 2018 with degrees in Environmental Studies and Anthropology and began working as a wildlife rehabilitator shortly after. I always had an interest in the environmental nonprofit sector but struggled identifying how to bridge these two career paths. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to fill CDRW’s Communications Intern position this past January, allowing me gain invaluable skills and to navigate my career in a new and exciting direction.
Fall into CLEAN WATER Advocacy: 2022 NEW JERSEY STATE HOUSE EDUCATION Week A major success
With the legislative session in New Jersey starting to heat up again, NJ members of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed moved their Statehouse Education Week from the traditional December timeframe to mid-October in order to better shepherd priority bills through the legislature.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and other partners spent a week in October virtually meeting with and educating New Jersey legislators on Coalition priorities that protect clean water and healthy communities in the state. These meetings are an opportunity to bring attention to funding and programs that support conservation and clean water in New Jersey.
CDRW On the Road: A Community Conversation on the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act
In the Upper Delaware River Region, the Coalition has strong connections to New York communities. The Delaware headwaters set the stage for the health and wellbeing of the entire watershed, and the Coalition has a proud history of advocating for New York State funding to make its way to the region, protecting our watershed and supporting Upper Delaware communities. In the recent past, the Coalition, and our New York partners, have celebrated significant funding allocations for the headwaters, including dedicated line-item funding in last year’s state budget.
University of Delaware Provides Technical Grant Assistance to Local Governments
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA), a research and public service center in the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, set out to help local governments respond to the shocks and economic uncertainty of the global health crisis through a program known as Recover Delaware. Through discussions during Recover Delaware focus groups, local governments conveyed their limited capacity to research, apply for, and manage grants.
Coalition Members Call for Increases to Federal Restoration Program
(Bernardsville, NJ) - 102 organizations of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed sent a letter to congressional leaders and appropriation committees declaring their support for $13.5 million in investments for a federal program designed to protect the drinking water of more than 13 million residents.