The Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association is pleased to announce it has re-launched its River-Friendly Certification Program and hired Brittany Musolino to coordinate the program.
Pioneered in 2002, the aim of this program is to improve water quality and environmental health through improvements in land stewardship and every day land management practices. Businesses, schools, golf courses and residents are eligible to participate in the program. Since the program’s inception, the Watershed has certified more than 100 participants as River-Friendly.
“Local residents and businesses play a really important role in protecting water” said Jim Waltman, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. “We are really excited to be re-launching and updating our River-Friendly Program to expand our work with the community.”
Businesses, golf courses and schools can start the certification process by filling out a preliminary application, while individual residents can simply fill out the one-time survey, all found on the Watershed’s website. This application will guide participants to understanding their current impacts on water quality and local habitats while helping them map out the steps necessary to achieve certification.
The River-Friendly coordinator will work with participants to achieve baseline standards and site-specific actions needed to meet certification requirements. Participants who complete the program are designated as River-Friendly Certified, which is recognized through the Watershed’s media outlets and a placard for display on the certified property.
Once certified, participants receive continued technical support from the River-Friendly coordinator to help maintain projects and practices implemented through the certification process.
“Improving water quality is not something you do once and forget about; it’s an ongoing process” said Ms. Musolino, River-Friendly coordinator. “We are committed to helping businesses, golf courses, schools and residents even after the initial certification.”
For more information or to apply, visit www.thewatershed.org/science/river-friendly.
