The Watershed Institute 75th Anniversary

By Mallika Vellore | Posted September 5, 2024

The Watershed Institute in Pennington focuses on keeping water clean and safe. Professionals and volunteers work to protect water and the natural environment in central New Jersey through conservation, advocacy, science, and education. This year is the institute’s 75th anniversary.

Purple coneflowers, native to New Jersey, at the Watershed Institute

Originally named “Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association” by founders David H. McAlpin and Kathleen Peyton in 1949, the organization grew and expanded its conservation efforts over the years.

In 1969, Muriel Buttinger donated 400 acres to the reserve in Pennington. In 1992, the StreamWatch water monitoring program was added. In 2000 a butterfly house was built. Finally, in 2002, the organization created and launched its River-Friendly certification program.

The Watershed Institute has steadily grown to now span across 950 acres of forest, wetlands, meadows, and farmland with 10-plus miles of hiking trails.

The Montgomery News interviewed Jim Waltman, the executive director of the institute, about it's past 70 years.

“Everything has grown so tremendously,” Waltman said. With the help of donors, the Watershed was able to build a new nature center in 2015, naming it the Watershed Center for Environmental Advocacy, Science & Education.” They changed the name to The Watershed Institute in 2018.

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Waltman began working at the Watershed in 2005. He has a lot of history working with environmental groups. For his undergraduate degree, Waltman studied biology at Princeton University and got his graduate degree in Environmental Studies from Yale School of the Environment.

“I wanted to be a biologist when I grew up,” he said talking about his Princeton days. “I went to Princeton thinking I wanted to be a doctor, then I had exposure to a couple of professors who really got me keenly interested in the environment and nature.”

After doing work as a field researcher in the Galapagos Islands and writing his master’s thesis on parents in Venezuela, Waltman went to Washington, DC for an internship with the National Wildlife Confederation. He then went to work for the National Audubon Society for five years and the Wilderness Society for 10 years. Later, he became a pro-environment lobbyist on Capitol Hill, testifying before members of Congress. In 2005, Waltman got an offer to work at The Watershed Institute and he said he "fell in love" with the Watershed’s mission for environmental conservation.

“What I loved about this place is that it combines different approaches to conservation,” he said. “I knew right off the bat I really wanted us to find our advocacy voice.”

“We started expressing our goals and thinking about the impact we have locally, but also beyond the local boundaries of the Millstone Watershed," he said. “With the name change came an aspiration for us to project our message and mission further across the state of New Jersey.” For example, Waltman recently wrote an Op-Ed for NJ.com addressing flooding issues.

A 75th Anniversary Celebration

For the Watershed’s 75th anniversary, they’re celebrating with a jubilee on October 5. The Watershed Fest is the biggest fundraiser of the year.

While the Watershed holds many events year round, some upcoming include a pumpkin carving on October 24 followed by the Halloween Night Hike on October 26. In early August, The Watershed Institute held its annual Butterfly Festival, their biggest event of the year with more than 2,000 guests.

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Future plans and projects for the Watershed include more education programs and opportunities for kids, grownups, and environmentally-related professions. There’s a new master plan for the Watershed campus, which includes renovating the 4-acre Watershed pond and helping the nearby forests recover from the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.

The Watershed Institute is also starting a school program where they work with teachers and students to teach about stream monitoring, cleanup, and water conservation. The Watershed is currently in the process of adding 90 acres of land to the institute’s preservation.

Visit thewatershed.org for more information.