Edmund W. Stiles Award for Environmental Stewardship went to U.S. Congressman Rush Holt of Hopewell Township
The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SB-MWA) held its 58th annual meeting on June 4 at the organization’s 860-acre Watershed Reserve in Hopewell Township.
The SB-MWA presented the Edmund W. Stiles Award for Environmental Stewardship to U.S. Congressman Rush Holt of Hopewell Township and its second annual Richard J. Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education to Ann Harris, elementary science content specialist in the Hillsborough Township Public School District.
The organization also welcomed six new trustees to three-year terms: Kathleen Biggins, Barbara Cole and Robert Harris of Hopewell; and William Hamill, Nelson Obus and Candace Preston of Princeton. Elected to second three-year terms were Lori Citrone of Pennington, and Richard Levandowski of Lawrenceville.
In addition the SB-MWA extended its thanks to outgoing trustees Swep Davis, who served four years as chairman, and Nancy Beck, Tim Dillingham, and Peter Gibson for their years of service.
The Board selected the following officers for the upcoming year: John Ellis of Pennington as chairman; Margaret R. Gorrie of Pennington, and David Loevner of Princeton, as vice chairs; and returning for their third year, Princeton residents Lorraine Sciarra as secretary and Zvi Eiref as treasurer.
Executive Director Jim Waltman said: "We are your local environmental organizationand when we speak with one voice, we will be heard and when we work together, we can make a difference. Our new board members, our departing members and our officers, past and present, as well as those being honored here tonight are among those who, individually and collectively, do make a difference."
Last year the late Edmund W. (Ted) Stiles was the recipient of the association’s highest award, the Environmental Stewardship Award. This year that award has been renamed the Edmund W. Stiles Award for Environmental Stewardship in his memory. A professor of ecology at Rutgers University, Dr. Stiles served on the board of trustees from 1991-2004, as chairman from 1994-1997, and on the Advisory Board until his death. He played a leadership role in the association’s land protection, science, and advocacy efforts and also was a key leader of countless other organizations, including the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, Hutcheson Memorial Forest, the Hopewell Township Environmental and Open Space commissions, and the D&R Greenway Land Trust.
The 2007 Edmund W. Stiles Award for Environmental Stewardship was presented to Rep. Holt, who has "been a tireless advocate for environmental protection in the five counties of his 12th Congressional District and throughout the United States. His perfect 100 percent voting record from the League of Conservation Voters is a testament to his dedication to conservation, as is his service on the House Committee on Natural Resources, the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, and Congressional caucuses on Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, and Farmland Protection," said a spokesman.
In Washington, he helped secure more than $700 million in new federal funding for science and technology research. He passed an amendment to the Land and Water Conservation Fund providing millions in funding for protecting open space and he was instrumental in adding the lower Delaware River to the National Wild and Scenic River program. To establish the Municipal Land Use Resource Center at the College of New Jersey to help local communities fight sprawl, he secured $2 million.
The Richard J. Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, named in memory of Montgomery Township High School science teacher Richard J. Rotter, recognizes a teacher who exemplifies the enthusiasm and commitment that Richard Rotter demonstrated in sharing the wonders of nature with his students. The 2007 recipient, Ms. Harris has been an enthusiastic champion of environmental education, engaging students in the exploration of their own local environment.
For more information about the SB-MWA, call 737-3735 or visit: www.thewatershed.org.

