Visit us at:
568 Tempe Wick Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
Mail us at:
P.O. Box 300
New Vernon, NJ 07976
Call us at:
(973) 538-3500
FAX:
(973) 538-5300
Breakfast Briefings
Great Swamp Watershed Association’s (GSWA) Breakfast Briefing speakers’ series returns!
Our seasonal Breakfast Briefing series was developed to help busy professionals stay informed about community environmental issues without taking valuable time away from work or family life. Presentations are kept brief, focus on current environmental topics, and minimize overlap with most traditional business hours. These lecture-and-discussion events are usually held on the second Tuesday of the month from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Exceptions to this schedule are noted in the event descriptions below, so please read them carefully.
Seating is limited, so we ask that you pre-register for each event by clicking the Register for this Event link below its description, or from our Event Registration page, or call 973-538-3500 x22.
GSWA members participate free of charge. Nonmembers are asked to make a voluntary donation of $10/adult and $5/child (6 to 17 years old), or $35/family (includes 4). There is no suggested donation for children 5 years and under. Programs are suitable for all ages. For updates or cancellations, please call our Event Information Hotline at 973-538-3500 x22.
Tuesday, March 12, 8—9:30 a.m.
GSWA Office, 568 Tempe Wick Rd., Morristown, NJ
Are Our Bats Disappearing?
GSWA welcomes Jennifer Bohrman, lead biologist for bat research, education, and outreach at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Ms. Bohrman led a wild bat inventory and monitoring effort at the Refuge during the summer of 2012 and frequently presents to local communities on the topic of bat conservation. In addition to offering some insight into the impact of White-nose Syndrome on bat populations in the Great Swamp, she will provide audience members with proven tips, techniques, and suggestions for protecting bats in their own back yards.
Tuesday, April 9, 8 - 9:30 a.m.
GSWA Office, 568 Tempe Wick Rd., Morristown, NJ
The Passaic River Institute
Dr. Meiyin Wu, Associate Professor of Biology and Molecular Biology and Director of the Passaic River Institute at Montclair State University, stops by to offer some perspective on water issues affecting communities along the Passaic River downstream of Great Swamp. Topics to be discussed may include the “river continuum” that sends water, and whatever is in that water, from the Great Swamp watershed, through the Passaic River, and out into Newark Bay; the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site cleanup along the lower Passaic; and regional flooding issues.
Tuesday, May 14, 8 - 9:30 a.m.
The Helen Whitney Chase Auditorium, Madison Library, 39 Keep Street, Madison, NJ
What Wildlife Tells Us About Clean Water
Macroinvertebrates — known outside of scientific circles as bugs, worms, mollusks and other small, spineless creatures — are useful when it comes to studying water quality and environmental conditions in and around a stream. For instance, dragonflies, aquatic snails, and flatworms can indicate whether the water in a stream is truly clean. Dr. Lee Pollock, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Drew University, has studied these small creatures in the Great Swamp watershed for many years. Hear findings from his 2012 studies, along with his long-term view of environmental trends and what they mean for our local waters.
Tuesday, June 11, 8 - 9:30 a.m.
GSWA Office, 568 Tempe Wick Rd., Morristown, NJ
State of the Streams in the Great Swamp Watershed
Water quality data has been collected from all five streams in the Great Swamp Watershed for more than 10 years. Over the past year, Great Swamp Watershed Association staff and volunteers have analyzed this chemical, visual, and biological data to see how our streams have changed over time. Results from this project will be published as a report entitled The State of Our Streams. GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs Laura Kelm will present findings from the project that highlight areas of environmental improvement, identify sites for future restoration work, and potentially uncover pollutants that may have gone unnoticed in our watershed. In addition to a review of finding, this briefing will include a discussion of how GSWA's water testing programs might adjust to meet future needs.
View presentations from some past Breakfast Briefings:
The Economic Implications of Climate Change, Professor Joseph J. Seneca, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, Tuesday, December 13, 2012
Why Is New Jersey’s Weather Changing? (presentation (pdf)) (video — as you watch, please turn up the volume. Audio quality is complicated by our presentation space.) Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Predication, Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The State of the Passaic River, Kirk R. Barrett, Director, Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Every Drop Counts, David Robinson, NJ State Climatologist, Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Citizen Science — What’s In It For You?, Danielle Donkersloot, NJDEP’s Volunteer Monitoring Coordinator, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Climate Change and You… Perfect Together?, Dr. Michael Kennish, Rutgers University, Tuesday, November 11, 2008