The Raritan Headwaters Association held its annual fundraiser in April 2016.
READINGTON TWP. - More than 250 people came out on Earth Day to support the 470-square-mile watershed of the North and South Branches of the Raritan River.
"Our River Runs Through It" was the theme of Raritan Headwaters Association's fundraiser at The Ryland Inn, and the crowd celebrated the nonprofit organization's decades of efforts to protect water quality in the Raritan River and its tributaries, according to a news release.
"It was a fun and festive evening for a great cause," said Executive Director Cindy Ehrenclou. "People love their river, and it shows. We're very fortunate to have such dedicated supporters."
The event featured locally-sourced foods, music by the Dan Crisci Jazz Quartet and tributes to two longtime protectors of the Raritan Headwaters region: Dan Ely of Mendham Township and Jim Holland of Califon.
Ely received the Ian Mackay River Hero Award, named for the late Ian Mackay - a transplanted Scotsman, avid catch-and-release angler and dedicated watchdog of the North Branch.
Cleanup improves Raritan River's health
"Dan Ely has spent the majority of his life living along the North Branch of the Raritan River," said Ehrenclou. "He is the real deal - a true conservationist and one of Raritan Headwaters' strongest advocates. In fact, you might call him passionate."
Like Mackay, Ely is a fly fisherman and has been a staunch supporter of association and its predecessor, the Upper Raritan Watershed Association, for more than 45 years. A former trustee of the association, he currently serves on the organization's land preservation and finance committees.
In accepting the award, Ely emphasized the need to vigilantly protect water quality. "None of us can take clean water for granted," he said.
Holland received the Ken Lockwood River Hero Award, named for the New Jersey environmental journalist whose "Out in the Open" column in the Newark Evening News covered fishing, game and other outdoor topics for 35 years.
Many locals associate his name with the Ken Lockwood Gorge, the beautiful Hunterdon County wildlife management area through which the South Branch flows.
A lifelong fisherman, Holland teaches at Villa Walsh Academy and is a co-owner of Shannon's Fly and Tackle Shop in Califon. He writes a fishing column in the Black River Journal and sponsors numerous children's events along the South Branch.
"We celebrate Jim Holland's dedication to educating others in his school classroom, as well as the infinite classroom of the outdoors," said association Policy Director Bill Kibler. The two met years ago when Kibler - who served as executive director of the South Branch Watershed Association prior to its merger with URWA - stopped in to buy a fly rod.
The Earth Day event also included a paddle raise auction, in which participants "bid" to provide varying levels of support for two association-sponsored programs. In less than 10 minutes, the auction raised $19,800 to fund a summer day camp education program and a stream monitoring program.
"Thanks to our wonderful supporters, we'll be able to bring our Waterways Education Program to the Life Camp in Pottersville for the full six-week session," said Ehrenclou.
Cub Scouts clean up the Raritan River
Located along the banks of the Black River, a Raritan River tributary, the camp serves 300 inner-city children from the Newark area each summer. In partnership with the Greater Newark Life Camp, RHA's trained educators take youngsters to the river and provide fun lessons in water science - like teaching them to identify salamanders, crayfish and bugs.
Funds raised during the paddle raise auction will also allow the association to conduct an in-depth study on the health of surface water in the Raritan Headwaters region, using 22 years of data collected as part of its Stream Monitoring Program.
"This will help us detect patterns in water quality caused by changes in land use - development and severe weather events," explained Ehrenclou.
The largest watershed organization in New Jersey, Raritan Headwaters has been working since 1959 to protect, preserve and improve water quality and other natural resources of the Raritan River headwaters region through efforts in science, education, advocacy, land preservation and stewardship.
The 470-square-mile region provides clean drinking water to 400,000 residents of 38 municipalities in Somerset, Hunterdon and Morris counties and beyond to some 1.5 million homes and businesses in New Jersey's densely populated urban areas.