Meet Marianne Butler
New Watershed Ambassador takes the reins
Hackensack Riverkeeper welcomed Marianne Butler to the staff in September. Ms. Butler is the new watershed ambassador for watershed management area (WMA) 5. This area includes the Hackensack, Pascack, and Hudson River watersheds.
Ms. Butler graduated from Ohio Northern University in May 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in education and then relocated to Long Beach Island to work as an intern for Alliance for a Living Ocean. The encounter gave her knowledge of non-point source pollution and experience with environmental outreach programs for clean water.
She joined the AmeriCorps program to dedicate time to inform the public about non-point source pollution and watershed management. "I want to give each person a sense of stewardship toward their local water body," said Butler.
AmeriCorps is a national service initiative that was started in 1993 and is considered the domestic Peace Corps. The Watershed Ambassador program is a project of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
There is a Watershed Ambassador in a host agency within each of the watershed management areas. "The Hackensack Riverkeeper and I work in cooperation to educate the public on healthy watersheds," said Butler. "I am available to the public as a source of information regarding clean and healthy watersheds."
Ms. Butler is available to facilitate volunteer monitoring training sessions for the River Assessment Teams (RATS) and Biological Assessment Teams (BATS). She also performs classroom programs for students in elementary to high schools, as well as any other educational or community outreach concern.
Contact Marianne Butler via email at mkb353@hotmail.comor by phone at Hackensack Riverkeeper's headquarters 201-692-8440.
Enviroscape models are available for non-point source pollution demonstrations.