With the spring weather breaking into warm summer days, now is the perfect time to enjoy the green, open spaces of the watershed. The Delaware River Watershed has become a haven for outdoor recreation, from hiking and biking to watercraft activities like kayaking and tubing. Outdoor recreation in the watershed not only brings families together for memorable bonding experiences, but it succeeds in bringing together like-minded outdoor enthusiasts. Preservation of green, open spaces is an asset to communities while also making economic sense, since outdoor recreation brings in $887 billion annually on a national level. Safeguarding recreation by conserving outdoor spaces in the watershed is critical, which is why the Congress must fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

On May 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania made a shared commitment to protect the Delaware River Watershed and agreed to work as equal partners to grow the region’s economy and protect America’s “founding waterway.” The Governors signed a proclamation agreeing to work together to make the Delaware River Basin the national model for sustainable economic development, drinkable clean water, healthy fish and wildlife populations, outdoor recreation and nature-based climate resilience.

Throughout our region, residents rarely think twice about turning on their taps and receiving clean water to drink, clean, and cook with. The Delaware River Watershed alone provides clean water an estimated 13.3 million Americans, roughly 4 percent of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, clean water protections are threatened by the current Administration’s proposed redefining of the Waters of the United States rule under the Clean Water Act.

New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, the State Policy Lead for the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, is proud to announce New Jersey’s 2019 State Priorities. Along with the Coalition’s federal policy priorities, State Lead organizations are encouraged during the meeting to adopt their own, state-specific priorities, that complement the watershed-wide adopted priorities.

On March 12, 2019, 39 individuals from 25 Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed member organizations went to Washington D.C. for the Coalition’s annual Delaware River Watershed Hill Day. In total, organizations met with a total of 29 Congressional offices that represent the watershed states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The Coalition thanked Members of Congress for their support of federal clean water funding and protections and advocated for 2019 policy priorities, which included the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Clean Water Act. Clean water advocates from all over the watershed ensured that Members of Congress know that clean water is a priority for the Delaware River, its tributaries, and the people and wildlife that call it home.

The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed is celebrating today as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation jointly announced the first round of 25 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund grant recipients totaling $4,140,000 in federal funds. This is the first time that dedicated federal funding has been allocated to on-the-ground projects that conserve and restore the Delaware River Basin (NY, NJ, PA, and DE) which provides 15 million people, including New York City and Philadelphia, with drinking water.

The decisions made by our nation’s leaders today will impact generations to come. This statement couldn’t be truer of investment in our natural resources, including life-sustaining water. Waterways within the Delaware River Watershed provide drinking water, recreation, wildlife habitat, and economic stimulus for New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

The Delaware River Watershed is an expansive area, tracing its borders around 12,800 square miles across four different states in the Northeast. It is an area as diverse in its fauna and flora as it is in its people and communities. With millions of different people living within the watershed, there is a multitude of backgrounds and perspectives and, more pointedly, endless opportunities for experiencing the Delaware River and the resources it has to offer. It was that desire to learn and share personal experiences that sparked the Delaware River Means photo campaign and now, over a year since its beginning, the initial photo campaign has reached its grand finale.