NEW JERSEY WATERSHED AMBASSADORS PROGRAM
Watershed Management Area 7
Arthur Kill

My name is Susan Marie Terra, and I am an AmeriCorps member in the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program, 2008-2009. I am working in Watershed Management Area 7 (WMA 7), the Arthur Kill Watershed, in conjunction with the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The major streams and tributaries in WMA 7 include the Rahway River and its branches, the Elizabeth River, the Elizabeth Canal, and the Arthur Kill. My goal as an Ambassador is to improve water quality and involve others in watershed issues. As a Watershed Ambassador, I will be conducting visual and biological monitoring assessments of local WMA 7 waterways. The information from these assessments will then be used by the Department of Environmental Protection to help manage our waterways.

I am currently a graduate student at Montclair State University pursuing a Masters degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and Evolution. My thesis project is entitled Assessment of Invasive Plants along the Upper Passaic River. During my time at Montclair State University I was able to participate in research at St. John U.S.V.I. where I investigated sea urchin distribution and puffer fish habitat preference. I am a part-time Seasonal Naturalist at Trailside Nature & Science Center located in the Watchung Reservation. I obtained my Bachelors degree in Biology at New Jersey City University and also an Associate in Applied Science Paralegal Studies from Middlesex County College.

I will be working to educate students and citizens about watersheds, point and nonpoint source pollution, watershed management, and the methods of improving watershed health and water quality. As a FREE resource, I am currently available to make presentations to any school or community group interested in learning the effects of their actions on our watershed and what they can do to better our watershed's overall health. These presentations, while using a three-dimensional watershed model, typically include an explanation as to what a watershed actually is, why watersheds are so important to protect and keep clean, and how we positively and negatively affect our watershed through our own actions. In addition to presentations, I am also available to train groups and any concerned citizens to perform both visual and biological assessments of their local streams and rivers. They will be taught how to conduct these protocols themselves (for example, estimate river bank erosion, collect and identify macro-invertebrates, etc.) to estimate the health of the water and surrounding habitat. The data they obtain can then be used by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to help determine the next appropriate step for that waterway.

As a lifelong Union County resident, I am interested in meeting you and looking forward to giving back to my community and serving our watershed. For more information on WMA 7 or how I can help your school, organization, or community, please feel free to contact me. I can arrange presentations, trainings (visual and biological), stream clean-ups, and so much more. Keep in mind, I am a free resource to you and our community and that the health of New Jersey's waters depends on us. I look forward to hearing from you soon and remember I am a free resource.

Susan Terra
sterra@ucnj.org
(908) 527-4032

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