CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR RARITAN HEADWATERS ANNOUNCED

Wetlands, riparian buffers, and stormwater management are key strategies to combat our climate change issues.

BEDMINSTER TWP, NJ – June 1, 2015 – Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA), a highly respected conservation organization, announced today that, in partnership with Columbia University’s Earth Institute, it has identified several watershed-focused climate change strategies to address emerging water quality and watershed resiliency issues in the Raritan Headwaters.

Their findings showed three core climate change threats to the Raritan Headwaters – flood, drought, and pollution. To best combat these threats, they recommended RHA focus on restoring wetlands, remediating riparian buffer zones, and improving stormwater management across the region.

On February 28, 2015, Bill Kibler, RHA’s Director of Policy and Science, had led the team of Columbia’s Masters in Public Administration (MPA) candidates on a tour of the watershed to help them understand the “lay of the land” and to provide context for the project.

The project team then collected and analyzed relevant information, conducted interviews, met with experts on local water quality issues and disaster resilience, and leveraged the experience and connections of RHA. They presented their findings and recommendations to RHA’s staff, board, and membership on May 6, 2015 at Bedminster’s Clarence Dillon Library.

“Climate change is the landmark environmental issue of our generation,” said Kibler. “It’s also a difficult issue. The consulting team from Columbia University gave us the information and the motivation to put climate change on the top of our agenda. We couldn’t have done it without them.”