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DRBC's 3Q Business Meeting Celebrates Partners & Our Founding Waters
The DRBC Commissioners at the dais. Photo by the DRBC.
The DRBC Commissioners at the dais. Photo by the DRBC.

On September 2, 2026, the Delaware River Basin Commission, Our Shared Waters partners and the public gathered at Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, Pa., for the DRBC's third-quarter business meeting and wraparound programming. 

  • View information about the DRBC's September 2 Business Meeting


The day prior, DRBC Commissioners and staff had the opportunity to tour the grounds of Washington Crossing Historic Park, which is managed by the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Folks got to check out several of the park's historic buildings, including the Durham Boat Barn and the Frye House, and learned how a musket is fired (note: humidity makes it difficult!). 

  • Learn more about Washington Crossing Historic Park


The September 2 Business Meeting featured in-person remarks from Friends of Washington Crossing Park Executive Director Jennifer Martin, as well as video remarks from U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1). Each welcomed folks to the meeting and to Washington Crossing, highlighting the importance of this site and the Delaware River to the formation of our nation 250 years ago and how the park is stewarding this vital history today.

  • DRBC Resolution for the Minutes honoring Washington Crossing Historic Park and the Friends of Washington Crossing Park (archived PDF)

Other meeting highlights included Resolutions for the Minutes recognizing Ken Warren, DRBC General Counsel for the past 25 years, and Pam Bush, DRBC Assistant General Counsel and Commission Secretary for the last 27 years, for their dedication and service to the Commission. 

Before the start of the business meeting on September 2, DRBC held the Our Founding Waters Festival at Washington Crossing Historic Park. The festival was open to the public and featured educational and interactive tables showcasing Our Shared Waters partners and their work in the watershed. In addition to DRBC staff, other festival exhibitors included: 


The DRBC would like to express our gratitude to all festival participants and attendees and especially to DCNR Washington Crossing Historic Park and the Friends of Washington Crossing Park for their partnership in hosting this meeting. 

Monument marking where Washington crossed the Delaware. Photo by the DRBC. DRBC staff and Commissioners tour Washington Crossing Historic Park. Photo by the DRBC. DRBC staff and Commissioners tour Washington Crossing Historic Park's Durham Boat Barn. Photo by the DRBC. Friends of Washington Crossing Park's Alex Robb shows how to fire a musket. Photo by the DRBC.
Monument marking where
Washington crossed the
Delaware. Photo by the DRBC.		 DRBC staff & Commissioners
tour Washington Crossing
Historic Park. Photo by the
DRBC.		 DRBC staff and Commissioners
tour Washington Crossing
Historic Park's Durham Boat
Barn. Photo by the DRBC.		 Friends of Washington
Crossing Park's Alex Robb
shows how to fire a musket.
Photo by the DRBC.
DRBC Commissioners and staff at the DRBC Building sign. Photo by the DRBC. DRBC Commissioners pose for a photo along with DRBC Executive Director Kristen Bowman Kavanagh (far R), DRBC General Counsel Ken Warren (2nd from L) and  current DRBC Commission Secretary Naomi Mendelsohn (far L). Photo by the DRBC. From L: Beth Brown, DRBC; Jill Whitcomb, PADEP and current DRBC Chair; Taylor Cromer, DCNR; Jennifer Martin, Friends of Washington Crossing Park; and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC pose with the Resolution for the Minutes honoring DCNR & the Friends. Photo by the DRBC. From L: Jill Whitcomb, PADEP and current DRBC Chair; Ken Warren, DRBC General Counsel; Pam Bush, DRBC; and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC pose with the Resolution for the Minutes recognizing Ken Warren. Photo by the DRBC.
With the DRBC office close to Washington Crossing, DRBC Commissioners and staff had
an opportunity to gather.
Here, they are posed for a
photo at the DRBC Building sign. Photo by the DRBC.		 DRBC Commissioners pose for a photo along with DRBC
Executive Director Kristen
Bowman Kavanagh (far R),
DRBC General Counsel
Ken Warren (2nd from L) and 
current DRBC Commission
Secretary Naomi Mendelsohn
(far L). Photo by the DRBC.		 From L: Beth Brown, DRBC; Jill Whitcomb, PADEP and current DRBC Chair; Taylor Cromer, DCNR; Jennifer Martin, Friends of Washington Crossing Park;
and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC, pose with the Resolution for the Minutes honoring DCNR
& the Friends. Photo by the DRBC.		 From L: Jill Whitcomb, PADEP
and current DRBC Chair; Ken
Warren, DRBC General
Counsel; Pam Bush, DRBC;
and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC, pose with the Resolution for the Minutes recognizing Ken Warren. Photo by the DRBC.
From L: Ken Warren, DRBC General Counsel; Jill Whitcomb, PADEP and current DRBC Chair; Pam Bush, DRBC; and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC, pose  with the Resolution for the Minutes honoring Pam Bush. Photo by the DRBC. From L: DRBC's Namsoo Suk, Matt Amato and Jeremy Conkle demonstrated various DRBC water quality monitoring equipment. Photo by the DRBC. At the Festival, DRBC's Zach Soricelli (L) and Bailey Adams introduced folks to DRBC's Water Resources Resilience Plan. Photo by the DRBC. Jill Whitcomb, PADEP & current DRBC Chair (far R) poses with her colleagues at the Festival. Photo by the DRBC.
From L: Ken Warren, DRBC
General Counsel; Jill
Whitcomb, PADEP and current DRBC Chair; Pam Bush, DRBC; and Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, DRBC, pose with the Resolution for the Minutes honoring Pam Bush. Photo by the DRBC.

At the Festival, (from L)
DRBC's Matt Amato, Namsoo Suk and Jeremy Conkle demonstrated equipment DRBC uses to monitor water quality. Photo by the DRBC. 

 At the Festival, DRBC's Zach
Soricelli (L) and Bailey Adams
introduced folks to DRBC's
Water Resources Resilience
Plan. Photo by the DRBC.		 Jill Whitcomb, PADEP &
current DRBC Chair (far R), 
poses with her PADEP
colleagues at the Festival.
Photo by the DRBC.
We were pleased to have DCNR Washington Crossing Historic Park staff participate, along with Pa. Fish & Boat Commission's Andy Desko (2nd from R). Photo by the DRBC. (from L) Friends of Washington Crossing Park staff Ross Heutmaker, Corinne Kauermann and Alex Robb mingled with attendees in character, reminding folks what it was like 250 years ago. Photo by the DRBC. The Our Founding Waters Festival was held on the grounds of Washington Crossing Historic Park, along the Delaware River. Photo by the DRBC. We were pleased to have staff from N.J. Department of Environmental Protection's Community Collaborative Initiative participate in the Festival! Photo by the DRBC.
We were pleased to have
DCNR Washington Crossing
Historic Park staff participate,
along with Pa. Fish & Boat
Commission's Andy Desko
(2nd from R). Photo by the
DRBC.		 (from L) Friends of
Washington Crossing Park
staff Ross Heutmaker, Corinne Kauermann and Alex Robb mingled with attendees, sharing stories what it was like 250 years ago. Photo by the DRBC.		 The Our Founding Waters
Festival was held on the
grounds of Washington
Crossing Historic Park,
along the Delaware River.
Photo by the DRBC.		 We were pleased to have
staff from N.J. Department
of Environmental Protection's
Community Collaborative
Initiative participate in the
Festival! Photo by the DRBC.
The Lewis Fishery is the last commercial shad fishing entity in the non-tidal Delaware River, operating in Lambertville, N.J. since the late 1800s. They catch shad each spring as they come upriver to spawn, collecting vital data about the shad population, in addition to selling to the local community. Photo by the DRBC. Not only was the Festival a learning opportunity for attendees, it also was for fellow exhibitors! Here, folks from Splash Floating Classroom (far L) & the  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phila. District chat with folks from the Nurture Nature Center. Photo by the DRBC.  Not only was the Festival a learning opportunity for attendees, it also was for fellow exhibitors! Here, folks from Pa. Fish & Boat Commission (far L), N.J. DEP & the Lewis Fishery chat with folks from the Honey Hollow Nature Center. Photo by the DRBC.
The Lewis Fishery is the last
commercial shad fishing entity in the non-tidal Delaware River, operating in Lambertville, N.J. since the late 1800s. They catch shad each spring as they come upriver to spawn, collecting vital data about the shad population & selling fish to the local community. Photo
by the DRBC.

Not only was the Festival a
learning opportunity for
attendees, it also was for
fellow exhibitors! Here,
folks from Splash Floating
Classroom (far L) & the 
U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Phila. District chat
with folks from the Nurture
Nature Center. Photo by
the DRBC. 

 Not only was the Festival a
learning opportunity for
attendees, it also was for
fellow exhibitors! Here,
folks from Pa. Fish & Boat Commission (far L), N.J. DEP & the Lewis Fishery chat
with folks from the Honey Hollow Nature Center. Photo by the DRBC.		 Not only was the Festival a
learning opportunity for
attendees, it also was for
fellow exhibitors! Here,
Steve Meserve with the Lewis Fishery chats with folks from the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Photo by
the DRBC.