Tuesday Track 2 Sessions

Nature Mindfulness in your EE Programming and Daily Life

Time:  1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Presenter:  Tara Muenz, Stroud Water Research Center

Level:  All

Abstract:  In recent years, a new nature movement has emerged that includes traditional conservation and sustainability, but gives special attention to the right of every child to the benefits that nature brings to children’s physical and mental health and their ability to learn and create. This movement is based on a growing body of scientific evidence that points in the same direction: there are many physical and mental benefits from being outdoors and we also know there is a deficit of a nature connection for all ages. 

In this presentation, Tara Muenz, conservation ecologist and Assistant Director of Education at the Stroud Center, will review the scientific literature of the benefits of nature, share resources that every EE provider should have in their toolkit about this topic, and example activities of nurturing nature connections in your programming. Additionally, she will share her personal journey in developing a friendship with the earth that has helped her to heal on many levels and guide you into practices to nourish your own relationship with the planet. 

Land Use Decisions: What Every Resident Should Know

Time:   2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Presenter:  Fred Stine, Delaware Riverkeeper Network; Lorraine Prince, Newton Creek Watershed Association

Level:  Introductory 

Abstract:  In 2010, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network examined the accuracy, completeness and compliance of multiple development projects in a New Jersey town and found consistent failure by the land use boards and other officials to protect their own residents, those living downstream, and the environment. A 2020 re-examination found little has changed. The findings in this case study are as germane to other watershed states as they are to NJ. Garbage in, garbage out. Inaccurate information, such as does the site pre-development have trees or a meadow or just plain grass on it? That matters with how the stormwater basin is designed. Is the creek already experiencing signs of stress, such as severe erosion, down-cutting, flooding or fishkills? Are these conditions being adequately represented and discussed by the municipal officials that are part of the system of checks and balances that should be safeguarding the community and the local natural resources? 

This case study also examines the efforts of county, state and regional agencies, as well as academia to promote responsible and sustainable municipal land use decisions. Learn what is being recommended by these agencies and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and take that back to your community. 

Justice, Inclusion, and Difficult Conversations in the Environmental Field

Time:   4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Presenters:  Tarsha Scovens, Let’s Go Outdoors; JorLui Sillau, Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation; with Moderator, Joseph "Joey" Rodriguez, Watershed Congress committee

Level:  All

Abstract:  The Watershed Congress seeks to advance justice and inclusion as part of our mission, as we continue to protect and restore watersheds. This work requires that we listen to and engage People of Color working to protect our world, but whose voices have not always been heard in part due to barriers to access, participation, and leadership. We must also lean into the opportunity to have collaborative, meaningful, even if uncomfortable, conversations to bridge diversity divides.

The environmental field has been slow to diversify, and struggles to retain People of Color and elevate them to leadership roles. Efforts to make open spaces welcoming and accessible are ongoing, but access to outdoor spaces, on both the land and water, has not historically been equitable. Recognizing the leadership work that is already being done to build inclusiveness in the environmental field and in outdoor access, the Watershed Congress presents a conversation among three professionals whose intersectional work offers lessons for us all. Joey Rodriguez, of the Watershed Congress committee, will moderate a conversation with Tarsha Scovens, Let’s Go Outdoors, and JorLui Sillau, Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation. The speakers will draw on their life experiences, share insights from their careers, and present their unique perspectives on progress being made (and yet to be made).

The Watershed Congress is presenting this conversation as a stepping stone to help us become more comfortable as we address the topic of justice and inclusion. This 60-minutes session will be followed by 30-minute breakouts that provide opportunities for participants to reflect, have further conversation, and consider actions and next steps. People attending this session are encouraged to be open to varying perspectives, thoughts for change and a willingness to accept differing emotions.