The Barnegat Bay Partnership welcomes Emily McGuckin as she begins her 2020-2021 term of service with the AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador Program.
AmeriCorps is a national service initiative that engages more than 70,000 Americans each year in volunteer service that benefits education, public safety, health, homeland security, and the environment. The NJ Watershed Ambassador Program is an AmeriCorps program designed to promote watershed stewardship through education and community outreach. The BBP is the host agency for the Barnegat Bay watershed ambassador, who is one of 20 ambassadors assigned to the 20 main watersheds in New Jersey.
As an ambassador, Emily will educate people about reducing sources of water pollution, conduct biological and visual stream assessments to help monitor the health of New Jersey’s waterways, and complete on-the-ground projects such as clean-ups and plantings. This year she will have the added challenge of keeping others and herself safe during the coronovirus pandemic. Emily and the other ambassadors will follow COVID-19 safety protocols during their term of service.
Emily is a graduate of Stockton University with a B.S. in Marine Science. She has worked as a lead scientist at a marine science camp, assistant park naturalist, and field technician. This is her second term of service with the Ambassador program, having served last year in Watershed Management Area 2 in Sussex County.
Emily is excited about serving in our watershed and says, “I have always been extremely passionate about conservation of the environment, especially marine environments. One of the ways that I share my passion is through hands-on marine activities, like seining or fishing. Children get so excited being able to hold a living organism in their hands. They are able to see first-hand how amazing life is on this planet and why we need to protect it.”
To contact Emily about an educational program or assistance with a project, email her at wma13.njwap@gmail.com.
