NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Gwen McNamara, Communications Director P: (609) 737-3735 x16, E: gmcnamara@thewaterhshed.org

Fall Stream Cleanup a Success! 550+ Pounds of Trash Collected During Watershed Association Event

(September 30, 2010) – More than 40 volunteers came out to remove trash, debris and other “people pollution” from locations in South Brunswick and Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s first Fall Stream Cleanups. Altogether 556 pounds of trash was collected, including everything from cans and bottles to a bicycle, baseballs, chair cushions, and a bed frame and mattress. “Caring for our water and environment doesn’t just happen once a year,” said Leslie Brecknell, Watershed Association Community Advocacy Coordinator. “By combining our traditional spring cleanup with our new fall cleanup, we’ve been able to clear almost 4.5 tons of trash from around our waterways in just one year – helping improve the quality of the water we use and enjoy.” In Princeton, approximately 35 volunteers removed 224 pounds of trash from Grover Park behind the Princeton Shopping Center on Harrison Street. Soda cans, plastic bottles and food wrappers were common trash items found. In South Brunswick, six volunteers helped Watershed Association staff remove 332 pounds of trash from behind the Ashley Furniture HomeStore at Route 1 and Blackhorse Lane. Here volunteers collected everything from soda cans and plastic bottles to foam, asphalt and concrete. In the spring, 287 volunteers picked up 8,348 pounds of trash and debris from 10 towns – Cranbury, East Windsor, Franklin, Hightstown, Hopewell, Lawrence, Millstone Township, Monroe, Plainsboro and West Windsor. Since the Stream Cleanups’ inception in 2007, the Watershed Association has hauled a combined 15 tons of “people pollution” from in and around area waterways. As illustrated in the Watershed Association’s “State of the Watershed Report” (available: thewatershed.org) “people pollution” – everything from trash and debris, to excess fertilizers and leaking septic and sewer systems – is having a significant impact on the health and quality of central New Jersey’s water. When it rains, “people pollution” is washed into our lakes, rivers, streams and ponds harming aquatic life and threatening the quality of our water. The Watershed Association’s Stream Cleanups are just one way to help keep our water clean and environment healthy. To learn about other ways to help, consider becoming “River-Friendly” – take our River-Friendly survey online: http://www.thewatershed.org/conservation/river-friendly.

Your water. Your environment. Your voice.

Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association31 Titus Mill Road

Pennington NJ 08534(609) 737-3735

Special thanks to our 2010 Stream Cleanup Sponsors: American Rivers, Aztec Graphics, Home Depot, McCaffrey's Supermarket, NJ Clean Communities, Saul Ewing LLP, Wawa, Wegmans and Whole Foods Market. To learn more about the Watershed Association visit: thewatershed.org. Princeton

Melody and Andrew Waguespack, of North Brunswick, helped pick up trash during the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s Stream Cleanup at Grover Park in Princeton.

Senan Shannon and Krassi and Kiril Nikolaev, of Cub Scout Pack 193, get dirty during the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s Stream Cleanup at Grover Park in Princeton. Senan and Sam Shannon, of Cub Scout Pack 193, pick up trash during the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s Stream Cleanup at Grover Park in Princeton.

Molly and Eli Wasserman, of Princeton, were just two of more than 40 volunteers at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s Stream Cleanup at Grover Park in Princeton.

South Brunswick Alan Godber, president of Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership, joined the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s stream cleanup effort in South Brunswick on Sept. 25.

Will Schafer, owner of Ashley Furniture HomeStore, and son Jesse help the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association clean up behind the store in South Brunswick. Molly Jones, of the Watershed Association, wheels a bike found behind Ashley Furniture HomeStore in South Brunswick during the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association’s stream cleanup.

About the Watershed Association The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, a not-for-profit organization, protects the 265-square-mile region drained by the Stony Brook and Millstone River – an area spanning 26 towns and five counties. Founded in 1949, the Watershed Association is central New Jersey’s first environmental group protecting clean water and the environment through conservation, advocacy, science and education.