Stewards will study the environment

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County will offer an Environmental Stewards Program at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 27-June 8 at the EARTH Center, in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave, South Brunswick.

The program will introduce non-scientists to the science underlying key environmental issues in the Garden State. Leading authorities from academia will be joined by colleagues from government and the nonprofit sector to share understanding and insights with the students.

The Middlesex County program will be covering issues such as climate change, soil health, energy conservation, water resource protection, invasive species management, and open space management and habitat conservation.

In addition, the program will partner with the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership to focus on watershed health and volunteer monitoring so students can learn how to become citizen scientists and help collect data about our local river.

The 60-plus hours of training does not replace a science degree, but helps citizens educate themselves when presented with a real world environmental problem.

To register, contact Michele Bakacs at bakacs@njaes.rutgers.edu or 732-398- 5274, or visit the program’s website at http://envirostewards.rutgers.edu.