The value of managing and protecting our natural resources on a watershed scale, rather than a municipal or county scale, has now been recognized by the federal and state governments. The contribution of watershed associations to this effort has never been more important. The number of New Jersey watershed groups has been growing since the 1940s, when the Stony Brook/Millstone Watershed Association was established, and the pace of their proliferation has picked up tremendously over the last decade. They will make an essential, welcome contribution to protecting the landscape of the state.

As with any nonprofit, watershed associations develop in different ways, with differing missions, some concentrating on environmental education, others on land conservation. Since its creation in 1981, GSWA has matured to include many different programs, but primary among its goals is a recognition that we cannot preserve our marvelous public lands from behind a fence, and we cannot protect our vulnerable environment in a piecemeal way. We must look at everything that happens within the watershed ecosystem in order to keep the whole healthy and beautiful.

Thus we are reminded that individual actions within the watershed can be just as important as regional ones. Over the years, the GSWA has committed tremendous effort to focus on local development, infrastructure, and land use issues. If a development application has potential to degrade or damage any part of our watershed or its complex systems, GSWA and its volunteers pay attention at local meetings and try and ensure improvement or outright denial. If ordinances are proposed that might help or hinder protection of the values we embrace, we support them. If a particular development is unavoidable, we work with local residents to raise money and hire planning, engineering, and/or legal professionals to mitigate undesirable impacts. This allows us to participate before boards in what is a legal process, helping to establish a record that will withstand court scrutiny and persuade board members of the validity of our positions. In this spirit, we strongly encourage members to be vigilant and get involved in their community decision-making processes.

This issue of Across the Watershed has a strong focus on local issues. The information is provided by members of GSWA's "Swamp Watch," volunteers who attend their local municipal meetings or who read the local daily and weekly newspapers watching for issues. You can find the results of their work on our website (www.greatswamp.org) or in an abbreviated version here in the newsletter. We greatly value the Swamp Watchers and we are always looking for more help, so if you're interested, please call our office at (973) 966-1900.

1999 was a busy year for local issues thanks to the strong economy, and 2000 promises much more activity. I was recently asked if I don't find being unable to turn the tide of ever-increasing development depressing. My answer: "Sometimes. But just imagine what the Great Swamp watershed would look like if it weren't for a few people who didn't give up! We might have an airport, or have paved over the smallest tributaries of the mighty Passaic River. This could be an ugly, unhealthy place to live — and who would want to? By keeping our eyes open and being unafraid to step up to the plate and voice our concerns, what a difference we make."