NEW JERSEY WATERSHED AMBASSADORS PROGRAM
Watershed Management Area 13
Barnegat Bay

My name is Jon Ciser and I am the Watershed Ambassador for Watershed Management Area 13 (WMA 13), the Barnegat Bay Watershed. I will be working out of the Forest Resource Education Center (FREC) in Jackson, which has many watershed related activities throughout the park.

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a particular body of water, which is the Barnegat Bay in WMA 13. This watershed covers 660 square miles within 38 municipalities. The vast majority of the watershed is located within Ocean County, with the rest in southern Monmouth County. The numerous waterways in WMA 13 range from the Metedeconk River and Toms River in the north to Tuckerton Creek in the south. They all flow into Barnegat Bay, where the fresh water mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean to form an estuary. Estuaries have more life per square inch than any forest or farmland; they are the most productive ecosystems on earth. What happens in the entire watershed area affects the quality of the water and the diversity of life in the Barnegat Bay.

As a Watershed Ambassador, I will be working to educate the public about watershed management issues and share steps that everyone can take to reduce water pollution. I am available to make free presentations to schools and community groups and address topics such as: what is a watershed, point and nonpoint source pollution, what you can do to protect your watershed, and other water related topics and activities. One of the tools used in presentations is the EnviroScape, a model that provides a fun, interactive way to learn all about watersheds.

I will also be monitoring streams in the Barnegat Bay Watershed by conducting both visual and biological assessments, and I am available to train community volunteers in these techniques. The data submitted from the assessments will be used by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to monitor and make planning decisions about the Barnegat Bay Watershed. Becoming a volunteer monitor in your community is a great way to directly contribute to the protection of your local waterway and also Barnegat Bay.

I am a recent graduate from Albright College in Reading, PA. I graduated with a BA in Philosophy and Environmental Studies. I feel that my time at Albright has prepared me for understanding and working with people’s attitudes and behaviors in relation to the environment and how to show them the effects of their actions on the environment.

I have worked at Merrick Farm, a family owned organic farm in Farmingdale, for two seasons, which taught me the importance that our food choices have on water quality and the environment in general. I am excited to do something different, but not unrelated, with AmeriCorps and protecting our waterways.

I am a free resource for the community. Please contact me to schedule a presentation, volunteer monitoring training, stream clean-up, to lead fun water related activities, or any other activity related to watersheds. I look forward to working with you. Together we can make a difference.

Jon Ciser
Jonwma13@peacemail.com
(732) 928-2360

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