The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is seeking candidates to apply to its AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors program marking 19 years of continuous stewardship protecting water quality in NJ. Twenty members are selected each year to raise public awareness about water and watershed issues and to promote stewardship through direct community involvement.
Ambassadors are placed with host agencies in each of New Jersey’s twenty Watershed Management Areas and work with local non-profit organizations, government agencies, schools, utilities authorities, and citizens to improve water quality through education and restoration projects such as stream cleanups, invasive species removal, rain barrel workshops etc.
The NJ Watershed Ambassadors Program was recognized as an honoree at the 2018 NJ State Governor’s Jefferson Awards for their service to the public through their Green the Scene 2018! Regional Tree Planting Project.
The Department is actively recruiting for the 2018-2019 term which runs September through July. To apply, visit the Department’s web page at https://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bears/recruitment.htm
Application review process is currently underway. Candidates are especially needed in Watershed Management Areas (WMA) 9 Lower Raritan/Lawrence Brook and 10 Millstone River Watershed both of which are within the Raritan Water Region.
The WMA 9 ambassador will serve out of dual host agencies, the New Jersey Water Supply Authority office in Clinton and Duke Farms Hillsborough Township and the WMA 10 ambassador will serve out of The Watershed Institute in Pennington.
The program will review all potential candidates and reach out to those who are best qualified to serve. For questions regarding the application process, please call Amanda Lotto, Program Manager, Trish Ingelido, Program Supervisor or Kim Cenno, Bureau Chief at 609-633-1441.