Photos courtesy of Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association/ Ed Livernoche.
By CHRISTIAN KIRKPATRICK Special Writer
The dress code was evening wear and rain boots Saturday night for nearly 300 supporters of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.
On the moist ground beneath an enormous tent at the Watershed Reserve in Hopewell, these cheerful partygoers chatted, sipped drinks, sampled hors d’oeuvres and bid on more than 100 silent auction offerings before retiring to an adjoining tent for dinner.
It was the 33rd Watershed Fest, titled “H2Whoa!,” and the benefit had the feel of a block party, perhaps because many of the guests live close to the association and see each other regularly at its events.
Even the auction items contributed to this friendly and informal atmosphere, perhaps because many of those for the silent auction seemed to have been donated by members of the organization from the abundance of their own homes — a Chinese-export casserole dish, for example, two remote-control toy cars, a Victorian coal scuttle and a baby stroller. And there was a collection of used, but very desirable, furniture as well. Could there be a greener way to shop?
The live auction items were chosen to appeal to lovers of the outdoors: his-and-hers Barbour jackets, a share in next year’s harvest at the Honey Brook Organic Farm. And who wouldn’t want a vacation at a dude ranch in Wyoming, a resort in Arizona, or a condo in the Rockies?
But it wasn’t just the prospect of skiing or a dessert in bloom that cheered the association’s supporters. It was vitality of the Watershed Association.
“We have a lot to celebrate,” said board of trustees chair Candace Preston, because “we are one of the most prestigious watersheds in the country.” So prestigious, noted the Princeton resident, that it recently had a call from the Chesapeake Watershed, the nation’s largest, asking for information. “We’re in demand because we’re a leader in advocacy and conservancy of the environment.”
For nearly 60 years, said executive director Jim Waltman, the association has worked through education, scientific studies, land conservation and advocacy to protect the water supplies, landscapes and quality of life in the Stony Brook and Millstone watershed.
“We’re keeping the water pure and the land healthy,” declared Pennington-resident and association trustee Lori Citrone. “It’s the future. You have to take care of the water, and it will take care of you.”
“H2Whoa!” raised more than $134,000, organizers estimated.
Sponsors of H2Whoa! included Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., N.T. Callaway Real Estate, Church & Dwight Co., Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects, Janssen Pharmaceutica, PNC Bank & PNC Wealth Management, and PSE&G.