TRENTON – The New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) has awarded the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors with the “Adopt-a-Beach” Award for their work to build a comprehensive water education program.
Accepting the award on behalf of the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors was Program Manager Kathy Giordano.
Since 2000, the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors – an AmeriCorps program – has collaborated with the NJCCC to perform three main tasks: outreach, stream assessments and community engagement in watershed projects.
Ambassadors take part in a year-long program beginning each September, encouraging residents to take more responsibility for protecting and nurturing water supplies.
“The year of service helps people figure things out and meet others,” Giordano said. “It exposes them to different areas of watershed protection.”
In addition, watershed ambassadors visit students in local schools to explain how human activities can affect water quality, as New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation.
This year, the watershed ambassadors partnered with the NJCCC to clean up Cape May Point Beach. More than 40 volunteers removed 29 bags of trash from 2.28 acres of beachfront.
“When people find each other and collaborate on a project, that’s when the real work can be done,” Giordano said. “They create a legacy to be continued the following year and the year after that.”
NJCCC Executive Director Sandy Huber often attends watershed ambassador meetings to promote the work of the statewide Clean Communities program.
“The New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors are a terrific partner for us in the fight against litter,” Huber said. “We are proud to assist in their mission to nurture our critical water sources, and salute their ongoing commitment to the NJCCC.”
The “Adopt-a-Beach” Award is presented to a community organization that has cleaned and maintained an area of public property for at least two years.
NJCCC is a comprehensive, statewide litter-abatement program that has served New Jersey residents and visitors for more than 25 years. Learn more at njclean.org.
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