Welcome to the Paulins Kill
Born 10,000 years ago from the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier, the Paulins Kill flows through the northwest corner of New Jersey to the Delaware River, giving life to a diverse biological community of wildlife and fish. A local rebirth of concern for its preservation has spawned activities and actions that promised to ensure its place as a keystone of the Delaware River Basin conservation efforts.
In partnership with a variety of municipal and nonprofit entities, the Foodshed Alliance has become a principal steward of the watershed, ensuring the Paulins Kill endures as regional treasure. Strange bedfellows? Why is an organization primarily involved with farming and food access and distribution fostering a conservation initiative? The Alliance believes that the management of farms, food and the environment is a holistic enterprise. It is impossible to make real and lasting progress unless all three subjects are addressed together. Without programs to preserve and protect the entire watershed ecosystem, efforts to encourage and husband, small acreage, restorative farming will be imperiled. Hence the Paulins Kill Watershed (PKW) Community came to be.
Our PKW Community presentations and activities are diverse and comprehensive, always stressing that our entire watershed is connected to the health of our river.
Educational outreach by word and deed comes first. Our next generation is encouraged to put away their cell phones and apply appropriate technology while experiencing activities experiencing, both in the river’s waters and upon the watershed lands. Learning the Paulins Kill lives and how to parent its future are life lessons not soon forgotten.
We invite the public to explore the many natural areas embedded throughout our watershed. Hiking, Biking, hunting, fishing, birdwatching, kayaking, or just quiet reflection from a favorite spot, is enjoyed by increasing numbers of people.
Enjoyment of our outdoor treasures is not enough. Our community science programs collect factual data about the status of our existing resources. We search for common pollutants that imperil our water quality. Road salt, harmful algal blooms (HABS), excess nutrients from the land that pollute and prematurely age our streams and lakes are sought out and measured. River macro-invertebrate sampling informs us of the purity and the quality of our waters. No bug abundance and no diversity equals poor water quality. Factual dated driven discussions are encouraged with government, civic and nonprofit groups. Beneficial decisions for the future of our watershed depend on considerations from many perspectives.
We partner with diverse groups, such as The Nature Conservancy and the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority on a number of ongoing projects. Our Friday Floodplain Forestry project assists in management of the 35,000 plus trees planted along the banks. As our forests grow, they will mitigate flooding, shade our warming waters and prevent erosion.
Bringing the conservation message to local farmers is paramount. The River Friendly Farm Certification we offer, promotes environmentally, friendly farms, and recognizes farmers who are good stewards of their land and adjacent water resources.
Our latest initiative focuses on obtaining Congressional designation for the Paulins Kill as a Partnership Wild and Scenic River, which is our nation’s strongest form of protection for free flowing streams and rivers. Whatever the shifting winds of concern over conservation and environmental change bring about, we are committed to move forward with management planning of our watershed that is beneficial and sustainable. The Foodshed Alliance finds the mission of the River Management Society to be closely aligned with our goal of a Partnership Wild and Scenic Paulins Kill.
Each day growing numbers of people become more engaged and involved with saving the river and its resources. Pressures to develop the watershed at a breakneck speed increase daily. Industrial and business advocates tout only “economic development” at all costs. Vacant farmland is often seen only as a great place for a multi- home development, or as an ideal location for warehouses or data centers. Understanding the almost pristine river and adjacent watershed we now enjoy, calls upon us to guard the promise of a safe and ecologically sound landscape for future generations.
